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WALKS    IN    ROME 


WALKS    IN    ROME 


AUGUSTUS  J.  C.  HARE 

AUTHOR   OF    'WALKS   IN   LONDON,' 
'cities  of  southern   ITALY  AND   SICILY,'   '  DAYS  NEAR   PARIS,'   ETC. 


SEVE.YTEENTH  EDITION  {REVISED) 


NEW  YORK 
GEORGE  ROUTLEDGE  &  SONS,  Limited 


TO 
HIS    DEAR    MOTHER 

THE    CONSTANT    COMPANION     OF    MANY     ROMAN     WINTERS 

THESE    PAGES    ARE    DEDICATED 

BY 

THE  AUTHOR 


2234716 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTORY. 

PAGE 

THE  ARRIVAL   IN   ROME I 

CHAPTER    I. 
DULL-USEFUL   INFORMATION 21 

CHAPTER    n. 

THE   CORSO    AND    ITS    NEIGHBORHOOD 28 

CHAPTER    HI. 

THE    CAPITOLINE gO 

CHAPTER    IV. 

THE    FORUMS    AND    THE   COLISEUM I33 

CHAPTER   V. 

THE    VELABRUM    AND    THE   GHETTO 183 

CHAPTER   VI. 

THE   PALATINE ...    224 

CHAPTER  VII. 

^THE   COELIAN..  . • 258 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

THE    AVENTINE 2:4 

CHAPTER   IX. 


THE   VIA   APPIA. 


303 

vii 


viii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   X. 

PAGE 
THE  QUIRINAL   AND   VIMINAL 351 

CHAPTER   XI. 

THE   NEIGHBORHOOD   OK   THE   BATHS   OF    DIOCLETIAN 384 

CHAPTER   Xn. 

THE   ESQUILINE 416 

CHAPTER   Xin. 

THE    BASILICAS    OF    THE    LATERAN,    SANTA    CROCE,    AND     S.    LO- 
RENZO  454 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

THE   CAMPUS   MARTIUS 497 

CHAPTER    XV. 

THE   BORGO    AND    S.   PETER'S 55^ 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

THE   VATICAN 603 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

THE    ISLAND    AND   THE   TRASTEVERE 669 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

THE   TRE   FONTANE   AND    S.    PAOLO , 694 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

THE    VILLAS    BORGHESE,    MADAMA,    AND    MELLINI 708 

CHAPTER    XX. 

THE  JANICULAN \ 726 


INTRODUCTORY. 

THE    ARRIVAL    IN     ROME, 

"    A    GAIN  this  date  of  Rome  ;  the  most  solemn  and  in- 

£\  teresting  that  my  hand  can  ever  write,  and  even 
now  more  interesting  than  when  I  saw  it  last,"  wrote 
Dr.  Arnold  to  his  wife  in  1840 — and  how  many  thousands 
before  and  since  have  experienced  the  same  feeling,  who 
have  looked  forward  to  a  visit  to  Rome  as  one  of  the 
great  events  of  their  lives,  as  the  realization  of  the  dreams 
and  longings  of  many  years. 

An  arrival  in  Rome  is  very  different  to  that  in  any  other 
town  of  Europe.  It  is  coming  to  a  place  new  and  yet  most 
familiar,  strange  and  yet  so  well  known.  When  travelers 
arrive  at  Verona,  for  instance,  or  at  Aries,  they  generally 
go  to  the  amphitheaters  with  a  curiosity  to  know  what  they 
are  like  ;  but  when  they  arrive  at  Rome  and  go  to  the 
Coliseum,  it  is  to  visit  an  object  whose  appearance  has 
been  familiar  to  them  from  childhood,  and,  long  ere  it 
is  reached,  from  the  heights  of  the  distant  Capitol,  they 
can  recognize  the  well-known  form  :  and  as  regards  S. 
Peter's,  who  is  not  familiar  with  the  aspect  of  the  dome,  of 
the  wide-spreading  piazza,  and  the  foaming  fountains,  for 
long  years  before  they  come  to  gaze  upon  the  reality  ? 

"  My  presentiment  of  the  emotions  with  which  I  should 
behold  the  Roman  ruins,  has  proved  quite  correct,"  wrote 
Niebuhr.  "  Nothing  about  them  is  new  to  me  ;  as  a  child 
I  lay  so  often,  for  hours  together,  before  their  pictures, 
that  their  images  were,  even  at  that  early  age,  as  distinctly 
impressed  upon  my  mind  as  if  I  had  actually  seen  them." 

What  Madame  Swetchine  says  of  life,  that  you  find  in  it 
exactly  what  you  put  into  it,  is  also  true  of  Rome,  and 
those  who  come  to  it  with  least  mental  preparation  are 
those  least  fitted  to  enjoy  it.  That  preparation,  however, 
is  not  so  easy  as  it  used  to   be.     In  the  old  days,  the 


2  WALK'S  IX  ROME. 

happy  old  days  of  vetturino  traveling,  there  were  many 
quiet  hours,  when  the  country  was  not  too  beautiful  and 
the  towns  not  too  interesting,  in  which  Gibbon  and 
Merivale  and  Milman  were  the  pleasantest  of  traveling 
companions,  and  when  books  on  Italian  art  and  poetry 
served  to  illustrate  and  illuminate  the  graver  studies 
which  were  gradually  making  Italy,  not  only  a  beautiful 
panorama,  but  a  country  filled  with  forms  which  were 
daily  growing  into  more  familiar  acquaintance.  Perugia 
and  Spoleto,  Terni  and  Civita  Castellana,  led  fitly  then  up 
to  the  greater  interests  of  Rome,  as  courtiers  to  a  king. 
But  now  there  are  no  such  opportunities  of  preparation, 
and  in  spite  of  old  landmarks,  travelers  who  pay  a  hurried 
visit  to  Rome  are  bewildered  by  the  vast  mass  of  interest 
before  them,  by  the  endless  labyrinth  of  minor  objects, 
which  they  desire  or,  still  oftener,  feel  it  a  duty  to  visit. 
The  natives  are  unable  to  assist  them,  for  it  is  still  as  true 
as  in  the  days  of  Petrarch  that,  "  nowhere  is  Rome  less 
known  than  in  Rome  itself."^  Their  Murray,  their  Bae- 
deker, and  their  Bradshaw  indicate  appalling  lists  of 
churches,  temples,  and  villas  which  ought  to  be  seen,  but 
do  not  distribute  them  in  a  manner  which  will  render 
their  inspection  more  easy.  The  promised  pleasure  seems 
rapidly  to  change  into  an  endless  vista  of  labor  to  be 
fulfilled  and  of  fatigue  to  be  gone  through  ;  henceforv/ard 
the  hours  spent  at  Rome  are  rather  hours  of  endurance 
than  of  pleasure — his  cicerone  drags  the  traveler  in  one 
direction  ;  his  antiquarian  friend,  his  artistic  acquaintance, 
would  fain  drag  him  in  others  ;  he  is  confused  by  accumu- 
lated misty  glimmerings  from  historical  facts  once  learnt 
at  school,  but  long  since  forgotten — of  artistic  informa- 
tion, which  he  feels  that  he  ought  to  have  gleaned  from 
years  of  society,  but  which,  from  want  of  use,  has  never 
made  any  depth  of  impression — by  shadowy  ideas  as  to 
the  story  of  this  king  and  that  emperor,  of  this  pope  and  that 
saint,  which,  from  insufficient  time,  and  the  absence  of 
books  of  reference,  he  has  no  opportunity  of  clearing 
up.  It  is  therefore  in  the  hope  of  aiding  some  of  these 
bewildered  ones,  and  of  rendering  their  walks  in  Rome 
more  easy  and  more  interesting,  that  the  following  chapters 
are  written.     They  aim  at  nothing  original,  and  are  only  a 

'  Letters  to  Cardinal  Giovanni  Colonna. 


I.y  TROD  UC TOR  V.  3 

gathering  up  of  the  information  of  others,  and  a  gleaning 
from  what  has  been  already  given  to  the  world  in  a  far 
better  and  fuller,  but  less  portable  form  ;  while,  in  their 
plan,  they  attempt  to  guide  the  traveler  in  his  daily  wan- 
derings through  the  city  and  its  suburbs. 

There  is  one  point  which  cannot  be  sufficiently  im- 
pressed upon  those  who  wish  to  take  away  more  than  a 
mere  surface  impression  of  Rome — it  is,  never  to  see  too 
much  ;  never  to  try  to  "  do  "  Rome.  Better  far  to  leave 
half  the  ruins  and  nine-tenths  of  the  churches  unseen  and 
to  see  well  the  rest  ;  to  see  them  not  once,  but  again  and 
often  again  ;  to  watch  them,  to  learn  them,  to  live  with 
them,  to  love  them,  till  they  have  become  a  part  of  life 
and  life's  recollections.  And  it  is  the  same  in  the  galler- 
ies ;  for  what  can  be  carried  away  by  those  who  wander 
over  the  whole  Vatican  at  once  but  a  hopeless  chaos  of 
marble  limbs  ? — at  best  a  nightmare  in  which  Venus  and 
Mercury,  Jupiter  and  Juno,  play  the  principal  parts.  But, 
if  the  traveler  will  benefit  by  the  Vatican,  he  must  make 
friends  with  a  few  of  the  statues,  and  pay  them  visits,  and 
grow  constantly  into  greater  intimacy  ;  then  the  purity  of 
their  outlines  and  the  majestic  serenity  of  their  god-like 
grace  will  have  power  over  him,  raising  his  spirit  to  a  per- 
ception of  beauty  of  which  he  had  no  idea  before,  and  en- 
abling him  to  discern  the  traces  of  genius  in  humbler 
works  of  those  who  may  be  struggling  and  striving  after 
the  best,  but  who,  while  they  have  found  the  right  path 
which  leads  to  the  great  end,  are  still  very  far  off. 

In  any  case,  however,  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  one 
short  residence  at  Rome  will  be  sufficient  to  make  a  for- 
eigner acquainted  Avith  all  its  varied  treasures  ;  or  even,  in 
most  cases,  that  its  attractions  will  become  apparent  to  the 
passing  stranger.  The  squalid  appearance  of  its  modern 
streets  will-  in  itself  go  far  to  neutralize  the  effect  of  its 
ancient  buildings,  and  the  grandeur  of  its  historic  recollec- 
tions. It  is  only  by  returning  again  and  again,  by  allowing 
the  fee/ing  of  Rome  to  gain  upon  you,  when  you  have  con- 
stantly revisited  the  same  view,  the  same  temple,  the  same 
picture,  under  varying  circumstances,  that  Rome  engraves 
itself  upon  your  heart,  and  changes  from  a  disagreeable,  un- 
wholesome acquaintance,  into  a  dear  and  intimate  friend 
seldom  long  absent  from  your  thoughts,    "  Whoever,"  sai-:^ 


^  WALK'S  I.V  ROME. 

Chateaubriand,  "  has  nothing  else  left  in  life,  should  come  to 
live  in  Rome  ;  there  he  will  find  for  society  a  land  which 
will  nourish  his  reflections,  walks  which  will  always  tell  him 
something  new.  The  stone  which  crumbles  under  his  feet 
will  speak  to  him,  and  even  the  dust  which  the  wmd  raises 
under  his  footsteps  will  seem  to  bear  with  it  something  of 
human  grandeur." 

"  When  we  have  once  known  Rome,"  wrote  Hawthorne, 
"  and  left  her  where  she  lies,  like  a  long-decaying  corpse, 
retaining  a  trace  of  the  noble  shape  it  was,  but  with  accu- 
mulated dust  and  a  fungous  growth  overspreading  all  its 
more  admirable  features — left  her  in  utter  weariness,  no 
doubt,  of  her  narrow,  crooked,  intricate  streets,  so  uncom- 
fortably paved  w'ith  little  squares  of  lava  that  to  tread  over 
them  is  a  penitential  pilgrimage  ;  so  indescribably  ugly, 
moreover,  so  cold,  so  alley-like,  into  which  the  sun  never 
falls,  and  where  a  chill  wind  forces  its  deadly  breath  into 
our  lungs — left  her,  tired  of  the  sight  of  those  immense 
seven-storied,  yellow-washed  hovels,  or  call  them  palaces., 
where  all  that  is  dreary  in  domestic  life  seems  magnified 
and  multiplied,  and  weary  of  climbing  those  staircases 
which  ascend  from  a  ground-floor  of  cook-shops,  cobblers' 
stalls,  stables,  and  regiments  of  cavalry,  to  a  middle  region 
of  princes,  cardinals,  and  ambassadors,  and  an  upper  tier 
of  artists,  just  beneath  the  unattainable  sky — left  her,  worn 
out  with  shivering  at  the  cheerless  and  smoky  fireside  by 
day,  and  feasting  with  our  own  substance  the  ravenous 
population  of  a  Roman  bed  at  niglit — left  her,  sick  at  heart 
of  Italian  trickery,  which  has  uprooted  whatever  faith  in 
man's  integrity  had  endured  till  now,  and  sick  at  stomach 
of  sour  bread,  sour  wine,  rancid  butter,  and  bad  cookery, 
needlessly  bestowed  on  evil  meats — left  her,  disgusted 
with  the  pretense  of  holiness  and  the  reality  of  nastiness, 
each  equally  omnipresent — left  her,  half  lifeless  from  the 
languid  atmosphere,  the  vital  principle  of  which  has  been 
used  up  long  ago  or  corrupted  by  myriads  of  slaughters — 
left  her,  crushed  down  in  spirit  by  the  desolation  of  her 
ruin,  and  the  hopelessness  of  her  future — left  her,  in  short, 
hating  her  with  all  our  might,  and  adding  our  individual 
curse  to  the  infinite  anathema  which  her  old  crimes  have 
unmistakably  brought  down  ; — when  we  have  left  Rome 
in  such  a  mood  as  this,  we    are    astonished    by  the  dis- 


TXTRODUCTORY. 


5 


covery,  by  and  by,  that  our  heartstrings  have  mysteriously 
attached  themselves  to  the  Eternal  City,  and  are  drawing 
us  thitherward  again,  as  if  it  were  more  familiar,  more  in- 
timately our  home,  than  even  the  spot  where  we  were 
bom." 

This  is  the  attractive  and  sympathetic  power  of  Rome 
which  Byron  so  fully  appreciated — 

"  Oh  Rome  !  my  country  !  city  of  the  soul  ! 

The  orphans  of  the  heart  must  turn  to  thee, 

Lone  mother  of  dead  empires  !  and  control 

In  their  shut  breasts  their  petty  miserj'. 

What  are  our  woes  and  sufferance  ?     Come  and  see 

The  cypress,  hear  the  owl,  and  plod  your  way   . 

O'er  steps  of  broken  thrones  and  temples.     Ye  ! 

Whose  agonies  are  evils  of  a  day — 
A  world  is  at  our  feet  as  fragile  as  our  clay. 

"  The  Niobe  of  nations  !  there  she  stands 

Childless  and  crownlcss,  in  her  voiceless  woe  ; 

An  empty  urn  within  her  withered  hands. 

Whose  sacred  dust  was  scattered  long  ago  ; 

The  Scipios'  tomb  contains  no  ashes  now  ; 

The  very  sepulchres  lie  tenantless 

Of  their  heroic  dwellers  :  dost  thou  flow, 

Old  Tiber !  through  a  marble  wilderness? 
Rise,  with  thy  yellow  waves,  and  mantle  her  distress  !  " 

The  impressiveness  of  an  arrival  at  the  Eternal  City  was 
formerly  enhanced  by  the  solemn  singularity  of  the  coun- 
try through  which  it  was  slowly  approached.  "  Those 
who  arrive  at  Rome  now  by  the  railway,"  says  Mrs.  Craven 
in  her  "Anne  Severin,"  "  and  rush  like  a  whirlwind  into  a 
station,  cannot  imagine  the  effect  which  the  words  '  Ecco 
Roma '  formerly  produced  when,  on  arriving  at  the  point 
in  the  road  from  which  the  Eternal  City  could  be  descried 
for  the  first  time,  the  postilion  stopped  his  horses,  and, 
pointing  it  out  to  the  traveler  in  the  distance,  pronounced 
them  with  that  Roman  accent  which  is  grave  and  sonorous 
as  the  name  of  Rome  itself." 

"  How  pleasing,"  says  Cardinal  Wiseman,  "  was  the 
usual  indication  to  early  travelers,  by  voice  and  out- 
stretched whip,  embodied  in  the  well-known  exclamation 
of  every  vetturino,  *  Ecco  Roma  ! '  To  one  *  lasso  maris  et 
viarum,'  like  Horace,  these  words  brought  the  first  promise 
of  approaching  rest.     A  fcv>'  more  miles  of  weary  hills, 


6  WALKS  IX  ROME. 

every  one  of  Avhich,  from  its  summit,  gave  a  more  swelUng 
and  majestic  outline  to  what  so  far  constituted  *  Roma,' 
that  is,  the  great  cupola,  not  of  the  church,  but  of  the  city, 
its  only  discernible  part,  cutting,  like  a  huge  ];eak,  into  the 
clear  wintry  sky,  and  the  long  journey  v/as  ended,  and 
ended  by  the  full  realization  of  well-cherished  hopes." 

Most  travelers,  perhaps,  in  the  old  days  came  by  sea 
from  Marseilles  and  arrived  from  Civita  Vecchia,  by  the 
dreary  road  which  leads  through  Palo,  and  near  the  base 
of  the  hills  upon  which  stands  Cervetri,  the  ancient  Caere, 
from  the  junction  of  whose  name  and  customs  the  word 
"  ceremony  "  lias  arisen, — so  especially  useful  in  the  great 
neighboring  city.  "  This  road  from  Civita  Vecchia,"  writes 
Miss  Edwards,  the  talented  authoress  of  "  Barbara's  His- 
tory," "  lies  among  shapeless  hillocks,  shaggy  with  bush 
and  briar.  Far  away  on  one  side  gleams  a  line  of  soft  blue 
sea — on  the  other  lie  mountains  as  blue,  but  not  more  dis- 
tant. Not  a  sound  stirs  the  stagnant  air.  Not  a  tree,  not 
a  housetop,  breaks  the  wide  monotony.  The  dust  lies  be- 
neath the  wheels  like  a  carpet,  and  follows  like  a  cloud. 
The  grass  is  yellow,  the  weeds  are  parched  ;  and  where 
there  have  been  wayside  pools,  the  ground  is  cracked  and 
dry.  Now  we  pass  a  crumbling  fragment  of  something 
that  may  have  been  a  tomb  or  temple  centuries  ago.  Now 
we  come  upon  a  little  wide-eyed  peasant  boy,  keeping 
goats  among  the  ruins,  like  Giotto  of  old.  Presently  a 
buffalo  lifts  his  black  mane  above  the  neighboring  hillock, 
and  rushes  away  before  we  can  do  more  than  point  to  the 
spot  on  which  we  saw  it.  Thus  the  day  attains  its  noon,  and 
the  sun  hangs  overhead  like  a  brazen  shield,  brilliant,  but 
cold.  Thus  too,  we  reach  the  brow  of  a  long  and  steep 
ascent,  where  our  driver  pulls  up  to  rest  his  weary  beasts. 
The  sea  has  now  faded  almost  out  of  sight  ;  the  mountains 
look  larger  and  nearer,  with  streaks  of  snow  uj)on  their 
summits,  the  Campagna  reaches  on  and  on  and  shows  no 
sign  of  limit  or  of  verdure  ;  while,  in  the  midst  of  the  clear 
air,  half  way,  so  it  would  seem,  between  you  and  the  pur- 
ple Sabine  range,  rises  one  solemn  solitary  dome.  Can  it 
be  the  dome  of  S.  Peter's  ?  " 

The  great  feature  of  the  Civita  Vecchia  route  was  that, 
after  all  the  utter  desolation  and  dreariness  of  many  miles 
of  the  least  interesting  part  of  the  Campagna,  the  traveler 


IN  TROD  UCTOR  Y.  7 

was  almost  stunned  by  the  transition,  when,  on  suddenly 
passing  the  Porta  Cavalleggieri,  he  found  himself  in  the 
Piazza  of  S.  Peter's,  with  its  wide-spreading  colonnades, 
and  high-springing  fountains  ;  indeed,  the  first  building  he 
saw  was  S.  Peter's,  the  first  house  that  of  the  Pope,  the 
palace  of  the  Vatican.  But  the  more  gradual  approach  by 
land  from  Viterbo  and  Tuscany  possessed  equal  if  not 
superior  interest. 

"  When  we  turned  the  summit  above  Viterbo,"  wrote  Dr. 
Arnold,  "  and  opened  on  the  view  on  the  other  side,  it 
might  be  called  the  first  approach  to  Rome.  At  the  dis- 
tance of  more  than  forty  miles,  it  was,  of  course,  impossi- 
ble to  see  the  town,  and,  besides,  the  distance  was  hazy  ; 
but  we  were  looking  on  the  scene  of  the  Roman  history ; 
we  were  standing  on  the  outward  edge  of  the  frame  of  the 
great  picture  ;  and  though  the  features  of  it  were  not  to  be 
traced  distinctly,  yet  we  had  the  consciousness  that  they 
were  before  us.  Here,  too,  we  first  saw  the  Mediterra- 
nean, the  Alban  hills,  I  think,  in  the  remote  distance,  and 
just  beneath  us,  on  the  left,  Soracte,  an  outlier  of  the 
Apennines,  which  has  got  to  the  right  bank  of  the  Tiber, 
and  stands  out  by  itself  most  magnificently.  Close  under 
us,  in  front,  was  the  Ciminian  lake,  the  crater  of  an  ex- 
tinct volcano,  surrounded,  as  they  all  are,  with  their  basin 
of  wooded  hills,  and  lying  like  a  beautiful  mirror  stretched 
out  before  us.  Then  there  was  the  grand  beauty  of  Ital- 
ian scenery,  the  depth  of  the  valleys,  the  endless  variety  of 
the  mountain  outline,  and  the  towns  perched  upon  the 
mountain  summits,  and  this  now  seen  under  a  mottled  sky, 
which  threw  an  ever-varying  light  and  shadow  over  the 
valley  beneath,  and  all  the  freshness  of  the  young  spring. 
We  descended  along  one  of  the  rims  of  this  lake  to  Ron- 
ciglione,  and  from  thence,  still  descending  on  the  whole,  to 
Monterosi.  Here  the  famous  Campagna  begins,  and  it 
certainly  is  one  of  the  most  striking  tracts  of  country  I 
ever  beheld.  It  is  by  no  means  a  perfect  flat,  except  be- 
tween Rome  and  the  sea  ;  but  rather  like  the  Bagshot- 
Heath  country,  ridges  of  hills,  with  intermediate  valleys, 
and  the  road  often  running  between  high,  steep  banks,  and 
sometimes  crossing  sluggish  streams  sunk  in  a  deep  bed. 
All  these  banks  are  overgrown  with  broom,  now  in  full 
flower ;  and  the   same   plant   was   luxuriant   everywhere. 


8  WALKS  IN  HOME. 

There  seemed  no  apparent  reason  why  the  country  should 
be  so  desolate  ;  the  grass  was  growing  richly  everywhere. 
There  was  no  marsh  anywhere  visible,  but  all  looked  as 
fresh  and  healthy  as  any  of  our  chalk  downs  in  England. 
But  it  is  a  wide  wilderness ;  no  villages,  scarcely  any 
houses,  and  here  and  there  a  lonely  ruin  of  a  single  square 
tower,  which  I  suppose  used  to  serve  as  strongholds  for 
men  and  cattle  in  the  plundering  warfare  in  the  Middle 
Ages.  It  was  after  crowning  the  top  of  one  of  these  lines 
of  hills,  a  little  on  the  Roman  side  of  Baccano,  at  five 
minutes  after  six,  according  to  my  watch,  that  we  had  the 
first  view  of  Rome  itself.  I  expected  to  see  S.  Peter's 
rising  above  the  line  of  the  horizon,  as  York  Minster  does, 
but  instead  of  that,  it  was  within  the  horizon,  and  so  was 
much  less  conspicuous,  and,  from  the  nature  of  the  ground, 
it  looked  mean  and  stumpy.  Nothing  else  marked  the 
site  of  the  city,  but  the  trees  of  the  gardens,  and  a 
number  of  white  villas  specking  the  opposite  bank  of  the 
Tiber  for  some  little  distance  above  the  town,  and  then 
suddenly  ceasing.  But  the  whole  scene  that  burst  upon 
our  view,  when  taken  in  all  its  parts,  was  most  interesting. 
Full  in  front  rose  the  Alban  hills,  the  white  villas  on  their 
sides  distinctly  visible,  even  at  that  distance,  which  was 
more  than  thirty  miles.  On  the  left  were  the  Apennines, 
and  Tivoli  was  distinctly  to  be  seen  on  the  summit  of  its 
mountain,  on  one  of  the  lowest  and  nearest  parts  of  the 
chain.  On  the  right,  and  all  before  us,  lay  the  Campagna, 
whose  perfectly  level  outline  was  succeeded  by  that  of  the 
sea,  which  was  scarcely  more  so.  It  began  now  to  get 
dark,  and  as  there  is  hardly  any  twilight,  it  was  dark  soon 
after  we  left  La  Storta,  the  last  post  before  you  enter 
Rome.  The  air  blew  fresh  and  cool,  and  we  had  a  pleas- 
ant drive  over  the  remaining  part  of  the  Campagna,  till  we 
descended  into  the  valley  of  the  Tiber,  and  crossed  it  by  the 
Milvian  bridge.  About  two  miles  further  on  we  reached 
the  walls  of  Rome,  and  entered  it  by  the  Porta  del 
Popolo." 

Niebuhr,  coming  the  same  way,  says  :  "  It  was  with 
solemn  feelings  that  this  morning,  from  the  barren  heights 
of  the  moory  Campagna,  I  first  caught  sight  of  the  cupola 
of  S.  Peter's,  and  then  of  the  city  from  the  bridge,  where 
all  the  majesty  of  her  buildings  and  her  history  seems  to 


IXTRODUCrORY.  9 

lie  spread  out  before  the  eye  of  the  stranger ;  and  after- 
wards entered  by  the  Porta  del  Popolo." 

Madame  de  Stael  gives  us  the  impression  which  the 
same  subject  would  produce  on  a  different  type  of  char- 
acter : 

"  Le  comte  d'Erfeuil  faisait  de  comiques  lamentations 
sur  les  environs  de  Rome.  'Quoi,'  disait-il,  'point  de 
maison  de  campagne,  point  de  voiture,  rien  qui  annonce 
le  voisinage  d'une  grande  ville  !  Ah  !  bon  Dieu,  quelle 
tristesse  !  '  En  approchant  de  Rome,  les  postilions 
s'ecrierent  avec  transport  :  '  Voyez,  voyez,  c'est  la  coupole  de 
Sai/it^Fierre !'  Les  Napolitains  montrent  aussi  le  Ve- 
suve  ;  et  la  mer  fait  de  meme  I'orgueil  des  habitans  des 
cotes.  *  On  croirait  voir  le  dome  des  Invalides,'  s'ecria  le 
comte  d'Erfeuil." 

It  was  by  this  approach  that  most  of  its  distinguished 
pilgrims  have  entered  the  capital  of  the  Catholic  world  : 
monks,  who  came  hither  to  obtain  the  foundation  of  their 
Orders  ;  saints,  who  thirsted  to  worship  at  the  shrines  of 
their  predecessors,  or  who  came  to  receive  the  crown  of 
martyrdom  ;  priests  and  bishops  from  distant  lands — many 
coming  in  turn  to  receive  here  the  highest  dignity  which 
Christendom  could  offer  ;  kings  and  emperors,  to  ask  coro- 
nation at  the  hands  of  the  reigning  pontiff ;  and,  among  all 
these,  came  by  this  road,  in  the  full  fervor  of  Catholic 
enthusiasm,  Martin  Luther,  the  future  enemy  of  Rome, 
then  its  devoted  adherent.  ''  When  Luther  came  to 
Rome,"  says  Ampere,  in  his  "  Portraits  de  Rome  a  Divers 
Ages,"  "  the  future  reformer  was  a  young  monk,  obscure 
and  fervent ;  he  had  no  presentiment,  when  he  set  foot  in 
the  great  Babylon,  that  ten  years  later  he  would  burn  the 
bull  of  the  Pope  in  the  public  square  of  Wittenberg.  His 
heart  experienced  nothing  but  pious  emotions  ;  he  ad- 
dressed to  Rome  in  salutation  the  ancient  hymn  of  the 
pilgrims  ;  he  cried  :  "  1  salute  thee,  O  holy  Rome,  Rome 
venerable  through  the  blood  and  the  tombs  of  the  martyrs." 
But  after  having  prostrated  on  the  threshold,  he  raised 
himself,  he  entered  into  the  temple,  he  did  not  find  the 
God  he  looked  for  ;  the  city  of  saints  and  martyrs  was  a 
city  of  murderers  and  prostitutes.  The  arts  which  marked 
this  corruption  were  powerless  over  the  stolid  senses,  and 
scandalized  the  austere  spirit  of  the   German  monk  ;  he 


lo  WALKS  I.V  ROME. 

scarcely  gave  a  passing  glance  at  the  ruins  of  pagan  Rome, 
and,  inwardly  horrified  by  all  that  he  saw,  he  quitted 
Rome  in  a  frame  of  mind  very  different  from  that  which 
he  brought  with  him  ;  he  knelt  then  with  the  devotion  of 
the  pilgrim^,  now  he  returned  in  a  disposition  like  that  of 
\\\Q.  frondeurs  of  the  Middle  Ages,  but  more  serious  than 
theirs.  This  Rome  of  which  he  had  been  the  dupe,  and 
concerning  which  he  was  disabused,  should  hear  of  him 
again  ;  the  day  would  come  when  amid  the  merry  toasts 
at  his  table  he  would  cry  three  times  :  '  I  would  not  have 
missed  going  to  Rome  for  a  thousand  florins,  for  I  should 
always  have  been  uneasy  lest  1  should  have  been  render- 
ing injustice  to  the  Pope.'  " 

When  one  is  in  Rome  life  seems  to  be  free  from  many 
of  the  petty  troubles  which  beset  it  in  other  places ; 
there  is  no  foreign  town  which  offers  so  many  comforts 
and  advantages  to  its  English  visitors.  The  hotels,  in- 
deed, are  expensive,  and  the  rent  of  apartments  is 
high  ;  but  when  the  latter  is  once  paid,  living  is  rather 
cheap  than  otherwise,  especially  for  those  who  do  not 
object  to  dine  from  a  trattoria.,  and  to  drive  in  hackney 
carriages. 

The  climate  of  Rome  is  very  variable.  If  the  scirocco 
blows,  it  is  mild  and  very  relaxing  ;  but  the  winters  are 
more  apt  to  be  subject  to  the  severe  cold  of  the  tra- 
mordana,  which  requires  even  greater  precaution  and  care 
than  that  of  an  English  winter.  Nothing  can  be  more 
mistaken  than  the  impression  that  those  who  go  to  Italy 
are  sure  to  find  there  a  mild  and  congenial  temperature. 
The  climate  of  Rome  has  been  subject  to  severity,  even 
from  the  earliest  times  of  its  history.  Dionysius  speaks  of 
one  year  in  the  time  of  the  Republic  when  the  snow  at  Rome 
lay  seven  feet  deep,  and  many  men  and  cattle  died  of  the 
cold.'  Another  year,  the  snow  lay  for  forty  days,  trees 
perished,  and  cattle  died  of  hunger.''  Present  times  are  a 
great  improvement  on  these :  snow  seldom  lies  upon  the 
ground  for  many  hours  together,  and  the  beautiful  fount- 
ains of  the  city  are  only  hung  with  icicles  long  enough  to 
allow  the  photographers  to  represent  them  thus  ;  but  still 
the  climate  is  not  to  be  trifled  with,  and  violent  transitions 
from  the  hot  sunshine  to  the  cold  shade  of   the  streets 

1  Dionysius,  xii.  8.  "  Livy,  v.  13. 


nv  TROD  UC  TORY.  II 

often  prove  fatal.     "  No  one  but  dogs  and  Englishmen," 
say  the  Romans,  "  ever  walks  in  the  sun." 

The  malaria,  which  is  so  much  dreaded  by  the  natives, 
generally  lies  dormant  during  tlie  winter  months,  and 
seldom  affects  strangers,  unless  they  live  near  recent 
excavations  or  are  inordinately  imprudent  in  sitting  out 
in  the  sunset.  With  the  heats  of  the  late  summer  this 
insidious  ague-fever  is  apt  to  follow  on  the  slightest 
exertion,  and  particularly  to  overwhelm  those  who  are 
employed  in  field  labor.  From  June  to  November  the 
Villa  Borghese  and  the  Villa  Doria  are  uninhabitable,  and 
the  more  deserted  hills — -the  Coelian,  the  Aventine,  and  a 
great  part  of  the  Esquiline — are  a  constant  prey  to  fever. 
The  malaria,  however,  flies  before  a  crowd  of  human 
life,  and  the  Ghetto,  teeming  with  inhabitants,  has  always 
been  perfectly  free  from  it.  The  theory,  now  generally 
accepted  by  the  medical  profession,  and  due  to  the  re- 
searches of  Professor  Klebs  and  Professor  Tommaso 
Crudeli,  establishes  that  malaria  is  due  to  a  specific 
microscopic  plant  which  exists  in  the  soil  of  certain 
districts,  and  floats  in  the  atmosphere  above  it.  This 
plant,  when  inhaled  and  absorbed,  finds  in  the  human 
body  conditions  favorable  for  its  growth  and  repro- 
duction, and  it  prospers  and  multiplies  at  the  expense  of 
the  organism  in  which  it  dwells.  In  the  Campagna — with 
the  exception  of  Porto  d'Anzio,  which  has  always  been 
healthy — no  town  or  village  is  safe  after  the  month  of 
August,  and  to  this  cause  the  utter  desolation  of  so  many 
formerly  populous  sites  (especially  those  of  Veil  and  Galera) 
may  be  attributed  : 

"  Roma,  vorax  hominum,  domat  ardua  colla  viroram  ; 
Roma,  ferax  febrium,  necis  est  uberrima  frugum  ; 
Romanae  febres  stabili  sunt  jure  fideles." 

Thus  wrote  Peter  Damian  in  the  tenth  century,  and  those 
who  refuse  to  be  on  their  guard  v\dll  find  it  so  still. 

The  greatest  risk  at  Rome  is  incurred  by  those,  who, 
coming  out  of  the  hot  sunshine,  spend  long  hours  in  the 
Vatican  and  the  other  galleries,  especially  those  of  the 
Lateran  palace  (so  fatal  to  the  Popes  of  the  Middle  Ages), 
which  are  filled  with  a  deadly  chill  during  the  winter 
months.     As  March  comes  on  this  chill  wears  away,  and 


I J  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

in  April  and  May  the  temperature  of  the  galleries  (except 
those  of  the  Lateran)  is  delightful,  and  it  is  impossible  to 
find  a  more  agreeable  retreat.  It  is  in  the  hope  of  induc- 
ing strangers  to  spend  more  time  in  the  study  of  those  won- 
derful museums,  and  of  giving  additional  interest  to  the 
hours  which  are  passed  there,  that  so  much  is  said  about 
their  contents  in  this  volume.  As  far  as  possible  it  has 
been  desired  to  evade  any  mere  catalogue  of  their  collec- 
tions— so  that  no  mention  has  been  made  of  objects  which 
possess  inferior  artistic  or  historical  interest  ;  while  by  in- 
troducing anecdotes  connected  with  those  to  which  atten- 
tion is  drawn,  or  by  quoting  the  opinion  of  some  good 
authority  concerning  them,  an  endeavor  has  been  made  to 
fix  them  in  the  recollection. 

The  immense  extent  of  Rome,  and  the  wide  distances  to 
be  traversed  between  its  different  ruins  and  churches,  is  in 
itself  a  sufficient  reason  for  devoting  more  time  to  it  than 
to  the  other  cities  of  Italy.  Surprise  will  doubtless  be  felt 
that  so  few  pagan  ruins  remain,  considering  the  enormous 
number  which  are  known  to  have  existed  even  down  to  a 
comparatively  late  period.  A  monumental  record  of  a.d. 
540,  published  by  Cardinal  Mai,  mentions  324  streets,  2 
capitols — the  Tarpeian  and  that  on  the  Quirinal — 80  gilt 
statues  of  the  gods  (only  the  Hercules  remains),  66  ivory 
statues  of  the  gods,  46,608  houses,  17,097  palaces,  13,052 
fountains,  3,785  statues  of  emperors  and  generals  in  bronze, 
22  great  equestrian  statues  of  bronze  (only  Marcus  Aure- 
lius  remains),  2  colossi  (Marcus  Aurelius  and  Trajan), 
9,026  baths,  31  theaters,  and  8  amphitheaters!  That  so 
many  classical  remains  still  exist  as  we  now  see  is  due  in 
part  to  the  interference  of  Raffaelle,  who  implored  Julius 
II.  to  "  protect  the  few  relics  left  to  testify  to  the  power 
and  greatness  of  that  divine  love  of  antiquity  whose  mem- 
ory was  inspiration  to  all  who  were  capable  of  higher 
things." 

Twelve  years  of  Sardinian  rule — 1S70-82 — have  done 
more  for  the  destruction  of  Rome,  with  its  beauty  and  in- 
terest, than  the  invasions  of  the  Goths  and  Vandals.  The 
whole  aspect  of  tlie  city  is  changed,  and  the  picturesquencss 
of  old  days  must  now  be  sought  in  such  obscure  corners  as 
have  escaped  the  hand  of  the  spoiler.  The  glorious  gardens 
of  the  Villa  Negroni  have  been  annihilated  ;  many  precious 


IN  TROD  UC  TOR  V.  1 3 

street  memorials  of  mediaeval  history  have  been  swept  away; 
ancient  convents  have  been  leveled  with  the  ground  or 
turned  into  barracks  ;  historic  churches  have  been  yellow- 
washed  or  modernized  ;  the  glorious  cloisters  of  Michael 
Angelo  have  been  walled  up  ;  the  pagan  ruins  have  been 
denuded  of  all  that  gave  them  picturesqueness  or  beauty  ; 
and  several  of  the  finest  fountains  have  been  pulled 
down  or  bereaved  of  half  their  waters.  The  Tiber  has 
been  diverted  from  its  exquisitely  picturesque  course,  to 
the  destruction,  amongst  many  other  interesting  memo- 
rials, of  the  lovely  Farnesina  gardens,  and  the  fatal  injury 
of  the  inestimable  frescoes  in  the  palace.  The  Baths  of 
Caracalla,  which,  till  1870,  were  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
spots  in  the  world,  are  now  scarcely  more  attractive  than 
the  ruins  of  a  London  warehouse.  Even  the  Coliseum, 
through  the  ignorant  rule  of  Signor  Rosa,  has  been  ren- 
dered a  center  for  fever  by  aimless  excavations,  and  has 
been  deprived  not  only  of  its  shrines,  but  of  its  marvelous 
flora,  though  in  dragging  out  the  roots  of  its  shrubs  more 
of  the  building  was  destroyed  than  would  have  fallen  nat- 
urally in  five  centuries. 

Victor  Emmanuel,  by  solemn  speeches  at  Florence,  when 
receiving  the  Roman  plebiscite,  and  by  speeches  at  Rome 
in  parliament,  promised  over  and  over  again  that  the  prop- 
erty and  privileges  of  Catholic  institutions  should  be  re- 
spected and  secured.  Yet,  in  October,  1871,  the  Quirinal 
Palace  was  broken  open  and  seized.  Then  came  the 
spoliation  and  ruin  of  the  eight  great  convents — S.  Maria 
in  Vallicella,  SS.  Apostoli,  S.  Silvestro  in  Capite,  S.  Sil- 
vestro  di  Monte  Cavallo,  S.  Maria  della  Vergine,  S.  Andrea 
della  Valle,  S.  Maria  Minerva,  and  S.  Agostino.  A  seiz- 
ure of  the  gardens  and  convents  of  nuns  followed  ;  and 
on  May  27,  1873,  the  iniquitous  bill  was  passed  which 
drove  the  monks  and  nuns  from  their  homes,  robbing  them 
of  their  dowries  by  a  process  which  v/as  simply  theft,  mak- 
ing them  dependent  upon  ill-paid  pensions  varying  from 
sixpence  to  tenpence  a  day,  and  putting  their  lands  and 
houses  up  to  public  auction. 

No  attempt  has  been  made  in  these  pages  to  describe 
the  country  round  the  city,  beyond  a  few  of  the  most 
ordinary  drives  and  excursions  outside  the  walls.  But 
the  opening  of  the  railways  to  Naples  and  Civita  Vecchia 


14  WALKS  AV    ROME. 

has  now  brought  a  vast  variety  of  new  excursions  within 
the  range  of  a  day's  expedition.  The  papal  citadel  of 
Anagni,  the  temples  of  Cori,  the  cyclopean  remains  of 
Segni,  Alatri,  Norba,  Cervetri,  and  Corneto,  and  the 
gorge  of  Civita  Castellana,  with  the  wild  heights  of  So- 
racte,  may  now  become  as  well  known  as  the  oft-visited 
Tivoli,  Ostia,  and  Albano.  They  are  all  described  in 
"  Days  near  Rome. " 

From  the  experience  of  many  years  the  writer  can  truly 
say  that  the  more  intimately  the  scenes  of  Rome  become 
known,  the  more  deeply  they  become  engraven  upon  the 
inmost  affections.  It  is  not  a  hurried  visit  to  the  Coli- 
seum, with  guide  book  and  cicerone,  which  will  enable 
one  to  drink  in  the  fullness  of  its  beauty  :  but  a  long  and 
familiar  friendship  with  its  solemn  walls,  in  the  ever-vary- 
ing grandeur  of  golden  sunlight  and  gray  shadow — till, 
after  many  days'  companionship,  its  stones  become  dear 
as  those  of  no  other  building  ever  can  be  ;— and  it  is  not 
a  rapid  inspection  of  the  huge  cheerless  basilicas  and 
churches,  with  their  gaudy  marbles  and  gilded  ceilings  and 
ill-suited  monuments,  which  arouses  your  sympathy,  but  the 
long  investigation  of  their  precious  fragments  of  ancient 
cloister  and  sculptured  fountain,  of  moldering  fresco  and 
mediaeval  tomb,  of  mosaic-crowned  gateway  and  palm- 
shadowed  garden  ;  and  the  gradually  acquired  knowledge 
of  the  wondrous  story  which  clings  around  each  of  these 
ancient  things,  and  which  tells  how  each  has  a  motive 
and  meaning  entirely  unsuspected  and  unseen  by  the  pass- 
ing eye. 

Yet  to  the  wondrous  S.  Peter's  and  yet  to  the  solemn  Rotonda, 

Mingling  with  heroes  and  gods,  yet  to  the  Vatican  walls, 
Yet  we  may  go,  and  recline,  while  a  whole  mighty  world  seems  above 
us, 
Gathered  and  fixed  to  all  time  into  one  roofing  supreme  ; 
Yet  may  we,  thinking  on  these  things,  exclude  what  is  meaner  around 
us.  Clough. 

Those  who  wish  to  fix  the  scenes  and  events  of  Roman 
nistory  securely  in  their  minds  will  do  best,  perhaps,  to  take 
them  in  groups.  Suppose,  for  instance,  that  any  travelers 
wish  to  study  the  history  of  S.  Laurence,  let  them  first  visit 
the  beautiful  little  chapel  in  the  Vatican,  where  the  whole 
story  of  his  life  is  portrayed  in  (he  lovely  frescoes  of  An- 


IN  TROD  UCTOR  Y. 


15 


gelico  da  Fiesole.  Let  them  stand  on  the  greensward  by 
the  Navicella,  where  he  distributed  the  treasures  of  the 
church  in  front  of  the  house  of  S.  Ciriaca.  Let  them  walk 
through  the  crypto-porticus  of  the  Palatine,  up  which  he 
was  dragged  to  his  trial.  Let  them  lean  against  the  still- 
existing  marble  bar  of  the  basilica,  where  he  knelt  to  re- 
ceive his  sentence.  Let  them  visit  S.  Lorenzo  in  Fonte, 
where  he  was  imprisoned  and  baptized  his  fellow-prisoners 
in  the  fountain  which  gives  the  church  its  name.  Let 
them  go  hence  to  S.  Lorenzo  Pane  e  Perna,  built  upon  the 
scene  of  his  terrific  martyrdom,  which  is  there  portrayed 
in  a  fresco.  Let  them  see  his  traditional  chains  and  the 
supposed  gridiron  of  his  suffering  at  S.  Lorenzo  in  Lucina. 
And,  lastly,  at  the  great  basilica  of  S.  Lorenzo  fuori  le 
Mura,  let  them  admire  the  mighty  church,  which  for 
twelve  hundred  years  has  marked  the  site  of  that  little 
chapel  which  Constantine  built  near  the  lowly  catacomb 
grave  in  which  the  martyr  was  laid  by  his  deacon  Hip- 
polytus. 

Let  us  turn  to  a  very  different  character — Rienzi.  How 
vivid  will  his  story  seem  to  those  who  go  first  to  the  old 
tower  of  the  Crescenzi,  near  the  Bocca  della  Verita,  which 
belonged  to  his  ancestors,  and  then  to  the  street  behind 
S.  Tommaso,  where  he  was  born — the  son  of  a  publican 
and  a  washerwoman,  for  to  such  humble  offices  were  the 
Crescenzi  then  reduced.  They  will  find  Rienzi  again  at 
the  little  Church  of  S.  Angelo  in  Pescheria,  whither  he 
summoned  the  citizens  at  midnight  to  hold  a  meeting  for 
the  re-establishment  of  the  Good  Estate,  and  in  which  he 
kept  the  Vigil  of  the  Holy  Ghost  ;  and  at  the  Portico  of 
Octavia,  on  whose  ancient  walls  he  painted  his  famous 
allegory  of  the  sufferings  of  the  Romans  under  the  oppres- 
sion of  the  great  patrician  families,  thus  flaunting  defiance 
in  the  eyes  of  the  Savelli,  who  could  look  down  upon  the 
picture  from  the  windows  of  their  palace  above  the  Theater 
of  Marcellus.  At  S.  Giorgio  in  Velabro  the  pediment  still 
remains  under  the  old  terra-cotta  cornice,  where  an  in- 
scription proclaimed  that  the  reign  of  the  Good  Estate  was 
begun.  We  must  follow  Rienzi  thence,  bare-headed,  but 
in  full  armor,  to  the  Capitol,  and  to  the  Lateran,  where 
he  took  his  mystic  bath  in  the  great  vase  of  green  basalt  in 
which  Constantine  is  falsely  said  to  have   been  baptized. 


,6  WALf:S  LV  ROME. 

We  must  think  of  his  flight,  after  his  short-lived  glories 
were  over,  by  the  light  of  the  "burning  palace,  down  the 
steps  of  the  Capitol,  and  of  his  wife  looking  out  of  the 
window  to  witness  his  murder  at  the  foot  of  the  great 
basaltic  lioness,  which  looks  scarcely  older  now  than  on 
the  night  on  which  she  was  sprinkled  with  his  blood. 
Lastly,  we  may  remember  that  his  body  was  hung,  a  target 
for  the  stones  of  those  by  whom  he  had  been  so  lately 
adored,  in  the  little  piazza  of  S.  Marcello  in  Corso ;  and 
that,  in  strange  contradiction,  it  was  eventually  burnt  by 
the  Jews  in  the  desolate  mausoleum  of  Augustus. 

Let  us  take  one  more  example  from  a  much  later  time  ; 
let  us  take  Beatrice  Cenci.  In  the  depths  of  the  Ghetto, 
ghastly  and  grim,  still  stands  the  old  palace  of  Francesco 
Cenci,  whose  colossal  rooms  and  dark  passages  were  the 
scene  of  her  long  misery.  Hard  by  is  the  little  church, 
which  one  of  that  wretched  family  built  in  the  hope  of 
expiating  its  crimes.  As  we  walk  through  the  wearisome 
Tor  di  Nona,  on  our  way  to  S.  Peter's,  we  may  think  of 
the  old  tower  which  gave  the  street  its  name,  in  which  the 
beautiful  young  girl  underwent  for  forty  hours  the  horrible 
torture  of  the  Vigilia,  followed  by  the  still  more  terrific 
agony  called  "  tortura  capillorum."  At  Santa  Maria  Mag- 
giore  we  may  look  upon  the  stern  face  of  Clement  VIIL, 
the  cruel  judge  who  knew  no  mercy,  and  who,  in  answer 
to  all  pleadings  in  their  behalf,  bade  that  the  whole  Cenci 
family  should  be  dragged  by  wild  horses  through  the 
streets  of  Rome.  The  ancient  Santa  Croce  Palace  still 
stands,  in  which  the  Marchesa  Santa  Croce  was  murdered 
by  her  two  sons  on  the  night  on  which  a  last  effort 
was  being  made  for  the  pardon  of  Beatrice,  an  event 
which  sealed  her  fate.  In  the  Corte  Savelli  we  may  think 
of  her  terrible  execution.  Before  the  high  altar  of  S.  Pie- 
tro  in  Montorio,  she  reposes  from  her  long  agony  ;  and, 
finally,  we  must  go  to  the  Palazzo  Barberini,  where,  in  the 
picture  which  (iuido  Reni  painted  in  her  prison,  we  may 
gaze  upon  the  pale  composure  of  her  transcendent  love- 
liness. 

It  is  by  thus  entwining  the  Roman  sights  with  one  an- 
other, till  they  become  the  continuous  links  of  a  story,  that 
they  are  best  fixed  in  the  mind.  They  should  also  be  read 
about,  not  merely  in  histories  or  guide-books,  but  in  the 


INTRODUCTORY. 


17 


works  of  those  who,  from  long  residence  in  Italy  and  the 
deep  love  which  they  bear  to  it,  have  become  impressed 
with  the  true  Italian  spirit.  Amongst  such  books  none 
are  more  delightful  than  the  many  works  of  Gregorovius, 
from  his  history  of  the  "  City  of  Rome,"  to  his  enchanting 
"  Lateinische  Sommer,"  and  his  graphic  little  sketches  a 
propos  of  burial  places  of  the  popes.  The  writer  has  often 
been  laughed  at  for  recommending  and  quoting  novels  in 
speaking  of  Rome  and  its  interests.  Yet  in  few  graver 
works  are  there  such  glimpses  of  Rome,  of  Roman  scenery, 
Roman  character,  Roman  manners,  to  be  obtained,  as  in 
Hawthorne's  "  Marble  Faun,"  which  English  publishers 
so  foolishly  call  "  Transformation  ;  "  in  "  Mademoiselle 
Mori ;  "  in  the  "  Improvisatore  "  of  Hans  Christian  An- 
dersen ;  in  the  "  Daniella  "  of  George  Sand  ;  and  even  in 
the  pagan-spirited  "  Ariadne  "  of  Ouida. 

So  much  has  been  written  about  Rome  that  in  quoting 
from  the  remarks  of  others  in  this  volume,  selection  has 
always  been  the  great  difficulty,  and  the  rule  has  been  fol- 
lowed that  the  most  learned  books  are  not  always  the  most 
instructive  or  the  most  interesting.  It  has  been  sought  to 
gather  up  and  present  to  the  reader  such  a  succession  of 
word-pictures  from  various  authors  as  may  not  only  make 
the  scenes  of  Rome  more  interesting  at  the  time,  but  may 
deepen  their  impression  afterward  ;  but  no  endeavor  has 
been  made  to  enter  into  deep  archaeological  questions,  to 
define  the  exact  limits  of  the  wall  of  Servius  Tullius,  or  to 
hazard  a  fresh  opinion  as  to  how  the  earth  accumulated  in 
the  Roman  Forum,  or  whence  the  pottery  came  out  of 
which  the  Monte  Testaccio  has  arisen.  The  best  Roman 
archaeology  is  that  which  is  unlimited  as  to  ages,  which  is 
allowed  to  grasp  as  much  as  it  can  of  the  myriad  human 
sympathies  which  Rome  has  to  offer  or  awaken  ;  for  thus, 
and  only  thus,  can  it  do  a  great  work,  in  arousing  highest 
thoughts  and  aims  as  it  opens  the  ancient  treasure-house, 
and  teaches  the  vast  experience  of  more  than  two  thousand 
3'ears.     Then,  as  John  Addington  Symonds  describes — 

"  Then,  fro.n  the  very  soil  of  silent  Rome, 
You  shall  grow  wise,  and,  walking,  live  again 

The  lives  of  buried  peoples,  and  become 

A  child  by  right  of  that  eternal  home. 
Cradle  and  grave  of  empires,  on  whose  walls 
The  sun  jiimself  subdued  to  reverence  falls." 


1 8  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

"Rome,"  as  Winckel.nann  says,  "is  the  high-school 
which  is  open  to  all  the  world."  It  can  supply  every 
mental  requirement  if  men  will  only  apply  at  the  right 
corner  of  the  fountain.  "  Certainly,"  said  Goethe,  "peo- 
ple out  of  Rome  have  no  idea  how  one  is  schooled  there. 
One  has  to  be  born  again,  so  to  speak,  and  one  learns  to 
look  back  upon  one's  old  ideas  as  upon  the  shoes  of  child- 
hood." Still,  the  travelers  who  enjoy  Rome  most  are 
those  who  have  studied  it  thoroughly  before  leaving  their 
own  homes.  In  the  multiplicity  of  engagements  in  which 
a  foreigner  is  soon  involved,  there  is  little  time  for  histori- 
cal research,  and  few  are  able  to  do  more  than  read  up 
their  guide-books,  so  that  half  the  pleasure  and  all  the  ad- 
vantage of  a  visit  to  Rome  are  thrown  away  ;  while  those 
who  arrive  with  the  foundation  already  prepared,  easily 
and  naturally  acquire,  amid  the  scenes  around  which  the 
history  of  the  world  revolved,  an  amount  of  information 
which  will  be  astonishing  even  to  themselves. 

The  pagan  monuments  of  Rome  have  been  written  of 
and  discussed  ever  since  they  were  built,  and  the  cata- 
combs have  lately  found  historians  and  guides  both  able 
and  willing  ;  about  the  later  Christian  monuments  far  less 
has  hitherto  been  said.  There  is  a  natural  shrinking  in 
the  English  Protestant  mind  from  all  that  is  connected 
.with  the  story  of  the  saints,  especially  the  later  saints  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  Many  believe,  with  Addi- 
son, "that  the  Christian  antiquities  are  so  embroiled  in 
fable  and  legend,  that  one  derives  but  little  satisfaction 
from  searching  into  them."  And  yet,  as  Mrs.  Jameson 
observes,  when  all  that  the  controversialist  can  desire  is 
taken  away  from  the  reminiscences  of  those  who,  to  the 
Roman  Catholic  mind,  have  consecrated  the  homes  of 
their  earthly  life,  how  much  remains  ! — "  so  much  to 
awaken,  to  elevate,  to  touch  the  heart ;  so  much  that  will 
not  fade  from  the  memory ;  so  much  that  may  make  a  })art 
of  our  after-iile." 

If  we  would  profit  by  Rome  to  the  uttermost  we  must 
put  away  all  prejudices,  v/hether  Roman  Catholic  or  Prot- 
estant, and  we  must  believe  that  it  is  not  in  one  class  of 
Roman  interests  alone  that  much  is  to  be  learnt.  Those 
who  devote  themselves  exclusively  to  the.  relics  of  the 
kings  and  the  republic,  to  the  Avails,  or  the  vexed  questions 


IN  TROD  UC  TOR  Y.  I  g 

concerning  the  Porta  Capena,  and  who  see  no  interest  in 
the  reminiscences  of  the  middle  ages  and  the  popes,  take 
only  half  of  the  blessing  of  Rome,  and  the  half  which  has 
the  least  of  human  sympathy  in  it.  Archaeology  and  his- 
tory should  help  the  beauties  of  Rome  to  leave  their 
noblest  impress,  in  arousing  feelings  worthy  of  the  greatest 
of  pagan  heroes,  of  the  noblest  of  Latin  poets,  of  the  most 
inspired  of  sculptors  and  painters,  as  well  as  of  Paul  of  Tar- 
sus, who  passed  into  Rome  under  the  Arch  of  Drusus, 
upon  whom  the  shadow  of  the  tomb  of  Caius  Cestius  fell 
as  he  passed  out  of  Rome  to  his  martyrdom  in  that  pro- 
cession of  which  it  is  the  sole  surviving  witness,  and  who, 
in  Rome,  is  sleeping  now,  with  thousand  other  saints,  till, 
as  S.  Ambrose  reminds  us,  he  shall  awaken  there  at  the 
Great  Resurrection. 


WALKS   IN    ROME. 


CHAPTER  I. 

DULL-USEFUL    INFORMATION. 

Hotels.— Yox  passing  travelers  or  bachelors,  the  best  are:  Hotel 
d'Angleterre,  Bocca  di  Leone  ;  and  Hotel  de  Rome,  Corso.  The 
Hotel  de  Russie  (close  to  the  Piazza  del  Popolo)  is  very  comfortable 
and  well  managed.  Hotel  Eiiropa  and  Hotel  de  Londres,  Piazza  di 
Spagna,  are  suited  for  a  long  residence,  and  are  very  central,  but  ex- 
pensive and  sometimes  unhealthy.  The  Hotel  Quirinale,  in  the  Via 
Nazionale,  near  the  railway  station,  cannot  be  too  highly  commended 
in  all  but  the  situation.  Facing  the  station  is  the  large  new  Hotel 
Continentale.  In  the  same  direction  are  Hotel  Costanzi  and  Hotel 
du  Louvre,  Via  S.  Nicolo  da  Tolentino  ;  and  the  well-managed  Hotel 
Bristol,  in  the  Piazza  Barberini.  The  Hotel  d'ltalie.  Via  Quattro 
Fontane,  and  the  Hotel  Vittoria,  Via  Due  Macelli,  are  very  clean, 
comfortable,  and  reasonable.  The  Hotel  des  Ameriques,  Via  Babuino, 
and  the  Hotel  d'AIlemagne,  Via  Condotti,  are  much  frequented  by 
Americans.  The  Hotel  Minerva,  Piazza  della  Minerva,  near  the 
Pantheon,  is  more  of  a  commercial  inn.  The  Hotel  Milano  is  a  small 
house  in  the  Piazza  Monte  Citorio. 

Pensions  are  much  wanted  in  Rome.  The  best  are  those  of  Miss 
Smith  and  Madame  Tellenbach,  in  the  Piazza  di  Spagna  ;  that  of 
Madame  Michel,  72  Via  Sistina ;  and  the  small  Hotel  du  Sud,  in  the 
Capo  le  Case. 

Apartments  have  lately  greatly  increased  in  price.  An  apartment 
for  a  very  small  family  in  one  of  the  best  situations  can  seldom  be 
obtained  for  less  than  from  300  to  500  francs  a  month.  The  English 
almost  all  prefer  to  reside  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Piazza  di 
Spagna.  The  best  situations  are  the  sunny  side  of  the  Piazza  itself, 
the  Trinita  de'  Monti,  the  Via  Gregoriana,  and  Via  Sistina.  Less 
good  situations  are,  the  Corso,  Via  Condotti,  Via  Due  Macelli,  Via 
Frattina,  Capo  le  Case,  Via  Felice,  Via  Quattro  Fontane,  Via 
Babuino,  and  Via  della  Croce — in  which  last,  however,  are  many 
very  good  apartments.  In  the  last  few  years  many  apartments  have 
been  prepared  for  letting  in  the  Via  Nazionale,  and  other  new 
streets,  but  the  situation  is  most  undesirable  except  for  the  families  of 
artists  whose  studios  are  in  that  direction.     On  the  other  side  of  the 

21 


2  2  WALKS  I.V  ROME. 

Corso  suites  of  rooms  are  much  less  expensive,  but  they  are  not  con- 
venient for  persons  who  make  a  short  residence  in  Rome.  In  many 
of  the  palaces  are  large  apartments  which  are  let  by  the  year 

Rrstaurai:ts.~-QorxM\en\,  Si  Via  della  Croce  ;  Nazari,  Piazza  di 
Spagna  ;  Spillmann,  13  Via  Condotli.  Inferior,  but  much  frequented 
by  Italians  and  by  artists,  Morteo,  Piazza  Colonna  ;  Del  Lepre,  Via 
Condotti  ;  Falcone,  Piazza  S.  Eubtachio. 

Caffls. — Caffe  di  Roma,  428  Corso  ;  Caffe  d'ltalia,  133  Corso  ; 
CafTe  Greco,  86  Via  Condotti. 

Trattorie  send  out  dinners  to  families  in  apartments  in  a  tin  box 
with  a  stove,  for  which  the  bearer  calls  the  next  morning.  A  dinner 
for  six  francs  ought  to  be  sufficient  for  three  persons,  and  to  leave 
enough  for  luncheon  the  next  day. 

En.;lish  Church. — Just  outside  the  Porta  del  Popolo,  on  the  left. 
Services  at  9  A.M.,  11  a.m.,  and  3  p.m.  on  Sundays  ;  daily  service 
twice  on  week  days.  American  Church.— Wa.  Nazionale.  Trinity 
Chtcrch. — Piazza  S.  Silvestro.  A  new  English  Church  is  being  erect- 
ed in  the  Via  Babuino. 

ThcUeis. — Apollo  (opera),  Via  Tor  di  Nona  ;  Argentine  (opera), 
Via  Torre  Argentina  ;  Capranica,  Piazza  Capranica  ;  Valle  (comedy), 
Via  della  Valle  ;  Rossini  (marionettes).  Piazza  Minerva  ;  Correa,  in 
the  Mausoleum  of  Augustus,  Viadei  Pontifici. 

Post  Office. — Piazza  S.  Silvestro,  close  to  the  Corso.  Letters  for 
England  or  America  (on  Sundays,  Tuesdays,  and  Thursdays,  vid 
Havre,  at  9  P.M.)  should  be  posted  at  the  head  office  before  i  P.M.  or 
9  P.M. 

Telegraph  Office. — Piazza  S.  Silvestro. 

Bankers. — Hooker,  20  Piazza  di  Spagna;  Macbean,  378  Corso; 
Plowden,  50  Via  Mercede  ;  Spada  and  Flamini,  20  Via  Condotti. 

For  sending'  boxes  to  England.  — Y^owt,  76  Piazza  di  Spagna. 

Physicians. — Dr.    Pantaleone,    102    Ripetta ;    Dr.    E.   Drummond, 

3  Piazza  di  Spagna  ;  Dr.  Erhardt,  16  Via  Mario  de'  Fiori  ;  Dr. 
Alazzoni  (surgeon),  98  Via  Mario  de'  Fiori  ;  Dr.  Piccirilli,  20  Piazza 
della  Torreta  Borghese  ;  Dr.  Valeri,  138  Via  Babuino. 

Pentist. — Dr.  Curtis,  93  Piazza  di  Spagna 

Chemists. — Baker,  41  Piazza  di  Spagna  ;  Sininberghi,  134  Via 
Frattina,  and  Borioni,  99  Via  Babuino.  are  usually  employed  by  Eng- 
lish visitors  ;  but  the  Italian  chemists'  shops  in  the  Corso  are  as  good, 
and  much  less  expensive. 

English  House  Agents. — Lowe,  76  Piazza  di  Spagna  ;  Shea,  11 
Piazza  di  Spagna. 

Livery  .S"/fl^/^j.— Jarrett,  3  Piazza  del  Popolo  ;  Ranucci,  9  Via  de' 
Miracoli. 

Saddler. — Barfoot.  130  Via  Babuino. 

Circulating  Ubrarf. — Piale,  i  and  2  Piazza  di  Spagna. 

Booksellers, — Spilhoever,  Piazza  di  Spagna  ;  Monaldini,  Piazza  di 
Spagna  ;  Piale,  Piazza  di  Spagna  ;  Loescher,  316  Corso  ;  Bocca,  216 
Corso. 

Itolian  Masters. — Monachesi,  8  Via  S.  Sebastianello  ;  Adolphe 
and  Adele  Nalii,  63  Via  della  Purificazione. 

Photographers.— For  Portraits:   Suscipi   (the   best),  48  Via    Con- 


ROMAN  SHOPS. 


23 


dotti ;  Alinari,  go  Corso  ;  Schemboche,  54  Via  Mercede.     For  Views 
of  Rome  :  Anderson — his  photographs  sold  at  Spithoever's. 

Drawing  Materials. — Davizelli,  136  Via  Babuiao  ;  Corteselli,  150 
Via  Felice.  For  commoner  articles  and  stationery,  Ricci,  214  Corso, 
opposite  the  Piazza  Colonna. 

Engravings  — At  the  Stamperia  Nazionale  (fixed  prices),  6  Via  della 
Stamperia,  near  the  fountain  of  Trevi. 

Antiquities. — Alessandro  Castellani,  Via  de'  Poli  ;  Giacomini,  6 
Trinita  de'  Monti  and  16  Via  Sistina  ;  Noci,  29  Via  Fontanella  Bor- 
ghese  ;  Innocenti,  117  Via  Frattina  ;  Santelli,  137  Via  Frattina. 

Bronzes. — Rohrich,  104  Via  Sistina  ;  Boschetti,  72  Via  Condotti ; 
Chiapanelli,  92  Via  Babuino  ;  Guttharr.  17  Via  Due  Macelli. 

Cameos. — Saulini,  96  Via  Babuino  ;  Neri,  133  Via  Babuino. 

Mosaics. — Rinaldi,  125  Via  Babuino  ;  Boschetti,  74  Via  Condotti ; 
Roccheggiani,  14  Via  Condotti. 

y^ti'f/t'/T.— Castellani,  88  Via  Poli  (closed  from  12  to  i),  very 
beautiful  and  very  expensive  ;  Pierret,  20  Piazza  di  Spagna  ;  Civilotti, 
94  Piazza  di  Spagna  ;  Tanfani,  74  Piazza  di  Spagna  ;  Innocenti,  33 
Piazza  Trinita  de'  Monti. 

Ro??ian  Pearls. — Rey,  122  Via  Babuino  ;  Lacchini,  70  Via  Con- 
dotti. 

Bookl'inders. — Olivieri,  i  Via  Frattina  ;  Andersen,  30  Via  Due 
Macelli. 

Engraver. — (For  visiting  cards,  &c.),  Ricci,  214  Corso. 

Tailors. — Guastalla,  335  Corso  ;  Evert,  77  Piazza  Borghese ; 
Reanda,  61  Piazza  SS.  Apostoli. 

Shoemakers. — Jesi,  129  Corso  ;  Berardi,  23  Via  della  Fontanella 
Borghese  (none  good). 

Shops  for  Ladies'  Dress. — Pontecorvo,  170  Corso  ;  Delfina  Coda, 
155  Corso  ;  Sebastiani,  8  Via  del  Campo-Marzo  ;  Giovannetti,  50  to 
53  Campo-Marzo  ;  "  Old  England,"  entrance  of  Via  Nazionale  from 
Piazza  Venezia. 

-    Roman  Ribbons  and  SJiawls. — Arvotti,    16   Piazza  Madama  (fixed 
prices) ;  Bianchi,  82  Via  della  Minerva. 

Gloves. — Ugolini,  39  Piazza  S.  Lorenzo  in  Lucina. 

Carpets  and  small  Household  Articles. — Cagiati,  250  Corso. 

German  Baker. — Valan,  lOO  Via  Babuino  ;  Colalucci,  88  Via  della 
Croce. 

English  Grocer. — Lowe,  76  Piazza  di  Spagna. 

Italian  Grocer  and  Wine  Merchant. — Giacosa,  Via  della  Maddalena. 

Oil,  Candles,  and  Wood,  ^c. — Luigioni,  70  Piazza  di  Spagna. 

English  Dairy. — Palmegiani,  66  Piazza  di  Spagna. 

Artists'  Studios. — 

Alvarez,  3  Via  S.  Sebastiano. 
Benson,  Eugene,  Casa  Story,  Macao. 
Bompiani,  14  Passeggiata  di  Ripetta. 

*Carlandi,  138  Via  Sistina,  on  Saturdays  from  10  to  3 — water  color: 
most  excellent  ;  gives  lessons. 

♦  Artists  of  European  reputation  are  marked  with  an  asterislc. 


2  4  WALKS  IX  ROME. 

Corrodi,  S  Via  dcgli   Iiicurabili- v.aier-colur  landscapes,  very  highly 

finished. 
Fattorini,  89  Via  Margutta — a  very  beautiful  copyist. 
'■'Garelli,  the  prince  of  copyists,  to  be  found  at  the  Capitoline  gallery. 
Haseltine,  J.  H.,  Palazzo  Altieri. 

*  Joris,  33  Via  Margutta — quite  first-rate  for  figure  subjects. 
"  Glennie,  17  Piazza  Margana — water-color. 

Midler,  R.,  iiS  Via  Sistina — water-color  landscapes. 

Podesti,  13  Circe  Agonali — oil:  large  historical  and  sacred  subjects. 

Poingdestre.  36  Vicolo  dei  Greci — oil :  landscapes. 

Riedel,  55  Via  Margutta. 

*  Riviere,  68  Via  Sistina — water-color. 
De  Sanctis,  33  Via  Margutta. 
Scifoni,  A.,  61  Via  Babuino. 

Seitz,  6  Piazza  dei  Cappuccini. 
Siemogratski,  5  Via  Margutta. 
Strutt  (Arthur),  81  Via  deila  Croce — landscapes  and  figures,  both  oil 

and  water-color. 
Tilton,  20  Via  S.  Basilio. 
Valles,  18  Via  S.  Sebastianello. 
Vannutelli,  13  Circo  Agonali. 
*Veitunni,  53  Via  Margutta — water-color. 
Wedder,  3  Via  S.  Sebastianello. 

*  Penry  Williams,  12  Piazza  Migranelli. 

Sculptors'  Studios. — 
Fabj-Altini,  5  Via  Venti-Settembre. 
D'I'Ipinay.  57  Via  Sistina. 

"•'  Miss  Plosmer,  118  Via  Margutta  (Gibson's  studio). 
Ives,  33  Via  Margutta. 
Kopf,  iS  Vicolo  degli  Incurabili. 
Macdonald,  25  Via  S.  Nicolo  di  Tolentino. 

*  Monteverde,  10  Piazza  dell'  Independenza. 
Muller,  6  Passeggiata  di  Ripetta. 
Rossetti,  55  Via  Margutta. 

Rogers,  53  Via  Margutta. 

*  Story,  Via  S.  Martino. 

Wood,  Warrington,  Villa  Campana,  near  the  Lateran. 


It  is  impossible  for  a  traveler  who  spends  only  a  week 
or  ten  days  in  Rome  to  see  a  tenth  part  of  the  sights  which 
it  contains.     Perhaps  the  most  important  objects  are  : — 

Churches. — S.  Peters,  S.  John  Lateran,  S.  Maria  ISIaggiore,  S. 
Lorenzo  fuori  Mura,  S.  Paolo  fuori  Mura,  S.  Agnese  fuori  Mura,  Ara 
Cocli,  S.  CIcmente,  S.  Pietro  in  Montorio,  S.  Pietro  in  Vincoli,  S. 
Sabina,  S.  Prassede  and  S.  Pudentiana,  S.  Grcgorio,  S.  Stefano  Ro- 
londo,  S.  Maria  sopra  Minerva,  S.  Maria  del  Popolo. 

Pdlaces. — Vatican,  Capitol,  Borghese,  Barberini.  and,  if  possible, 
Corsini,  Colonna,  Sciarra,  Rospigliosi,  and  Spada. 


RAPID    SIGHT-SEEING. 


25 


Villas. — Albani,  Doria,  Borghese,  Ludovisi.  Wolkonski. 
Ruins. — Palace  of  the  Caesars,  Temples  in  Forum,   Coliseum,  ami, 
if  possible,  the  ruins  in  the  Ghetto,  and  the  Baths  of  Caracalla. 

It  is  desirable  for  the  traveler  who  is  pressed  for  time  to 
apply  at  once  to  his  banker  for  orders  for  the  Vatican  and 
for  any  of  the  villas  for  which  they  are  necessary.  The 
following  scheme  will  give  a  good  general  idea  of  Rome 
and  its  neighborhood  in  a  few  days.  The  sights  printed 
in  italics  can  only  be  seen  on  the  days  to  which  they  are 
ascribed  : 

Monday. — General  view  of  Capitol,  Gallery  of  Sculptures,  Ara 
Coeli,  General  view  of  Forum,  Coliseum,  S.  John  Lateran  (with 
cloisters),  and  drive  out  to  the  Via  Latina  and  the  aqueducts  at 
Tavolato. 

Tuesday. — Morning  :  S.  Peter's  and  the  Vatican  Stanze  and  Pina- 
coteca.  Afternoon  :  Villa  Albani,  S.  Agnese,  and  drive  to  the  Ponte 
Nomentana. 

Wednesday.  —  Morning  :  S.  Prassede,  S.  Pudentiana,  S.  Maria  Mag- 
giore.  Afternoon:  S.  Sabina,  Priorato  Garden,  English  Cemetery, 
S.  Paolo,  and  the  Tre  Fontane. 

Thursday. — Morning:  Palace  of  the  Caesars.  Afternoon:  drive  on 
the  Via  Appia  as  far  as  Torre  Mezza  Strada  ;  in  returning,  see  the 
Baths  of  Caracalla. 

Friday. — Morning  :  Palazzo  Borghese,  Palazzo  Spada,  the  Ghetto, 
the  Temple  of  Vesta,  Cross  the  Ponte  Rotto  to  S.  Cecilia  ;  and  end  in 
the  afternoon  at  S.  Pietro  in  Montorio  and  the  Villa  Doria  (or  on 
Monday). 

Saturday. — Frascati  and  Albano.  Drive  to  Frascati  early,  take 
donkeys,  by  Rocca  di  Papa,  to  Monte  Cavo  ;  take  luncheon  at  the 
Temple,  and  return  by  Palazzuolo  and  the  upper  and  lower  Galleries 
to  Albano,  whither  the  carriage  should  be  sent  on  to  wait  at  the  Hotel 
de  Russie.     Drive  back  to  Rome  in  the  evening. 

Sunday. — Morning:  S.  Maria  del  Popolo  on  way  to  English  Church. 
Afternoon :  S.  Peter's  again  ;  drive  to  Monte  Mario  (Villa  Mellini), 
or  in  the  Villa  Borghese,  and  end  with  the  Pincio  and  Trinita  de' 
Monti. 

2d  Monday. — Go  to  Tivoli  (the  Cascades,  Cascatelle,  and  Villa 
d'Este). 

2d  Tuesday. — Morning:  Vatican  Sculptures.  Afternoon:  S.  Gre- 
gorio,  S.  Stefano  Rotondo,  S.  Clemente,  S.  Pietro  in  Vincoli,  S.  Maria 
degli  Angeli,  S.  Lorenzo  fuori  Mura,  and  drive  out  to  the  Torre  dei 
Schiavi,  returning  by  the  Porta  Magp^iore. 

2d  Wednesday.  —  Morning:  Palazzo  Barberini,  Palazzo  Rospigliosi, 
and  Colonna  Gardens.  Afternoon:  Forum  in  detail,  SS.  Cosmo  e 
Damiano,  and  ascend  the  Coliseum. 


The  following  list  may  be  useful  as  a  guide  to  some  of 


26  JI'ALA'S  IX   ROME. 

the  best  subjects  for  artists  who  wish  to  draw  at  Rome^ 
and  have  not  much  time  to  search  for  themselves  : 

Mx^ning  Light: 

Temple  of  Vesta  with  the  fountain. 

Arch  of  Constantine  from  the  Coliseum  (early). 

Coliseum  from  behind  S.  Francesca  Romana  (early). 

Views  from  the  Palace  of  Nero. 

Temples  in  the  P'orum  from  the  School  of  Xanthus. 

View  from  the  Garden  of  the  Rupe  Tarpeia. 

In  the  Garden  of  SS.  Giovanni  e  Paolo. 

In  the  Garden  of  S.  Buonaventura. 

In  the  Garden  of  S.  Bartolommeo  in  Isola. 

In  the  Garden  of  S.  Onofrio. 

On  the  Tiber  from  Pous?in's  Walk. 

From  the  door  of  the  Villa  Medici. 

At  S.  Cosimato. 

At  the  back  entrance  of  Ara  Coeli. 

At  the  Portico  of  Octavia. 

Looking  to  the  Arch  of  Titus  up  the  Via  Sacra.' 

In  the  Cloister  of  the  Lateran. 

In  the  Cloister  of  the  Certosa. 

At  the  ruined  Palace,  S.  Cesareo. 

Near  the  Temple  of  Bacchus. 

On  the  Via  Appia,  beyond  Cecilia  Metella. 

Torre  Mezza  Strada  on  the  Via  Appia. 

Torre  Nomentana,  looking  to  the  mountains. 

Ponte  Nomentana,  looking  to  the  Mons  Sacer. 

Torre  dei  Schiavi,  looking  toward  Tivoli. 

Aqueducts  at  Tavolato. 

EveKirig  Light  : 

From  S.  John  Lateran. 

From  the  Ponte  Rotto. 

From  the  Terrace  of  the  Villa  Doria  (.S.  Peter's). 

On  the  Palace  of  Domitian — looking  to  S.  Balbina. 

On  the  Palace  of  the  Caligula — looking  to  the  Coliseum. 

Apse  of  SS.  Giovanni  e  Paolo. 

Near  the  Navicella. 

Garden  of  the  Villa  Mattei. 

Garden  of  the  Villa  W'olkonski. 

Garden  of  the  Priorato  (Wednesday  or  Saturday). 

Porta  S.  Lorenzo. 

Torre  dei  Schiavi,  looking  toward  Rome. 

Via  Latina,  looking  toward  the  Aqueducts. 

Via  Latina,  looking  toward  Rome. 

The  months  of  November  and  December  are  the  best  for 
drawing  Tlie  coloring  is  then  magnificent ;  it  is  enhanced 
by  the  tints  of  the  decaying  vegetation,  and  the  shadows  are 


PLEASANT  DRIVES. 


27 


Strong  and  clear.  January  is  generally  cold  for  sitting  out, 
and  February  wet ;  and  before  the  end  of  March  the  vege- 
tation is  often  so  far  advanced  that  the  Alban  Hills,  which 
have  retained  glorious  sapphire  and  amethyst  tints  all  win- 
ter, change  into  commonplace  green  English  downs  ;  while 
the  Campagna,  from  the  crimson  and  gold  of  its  dying 
thistles  and  fenochii,  becomes  a  lovely  green  plain  waving 
with  flowers. 

Foreigners  are  much  too  apt  to  follow  the  native  custom 
of  driving  constantly  in  the  Villa  Borghese,  the  Villa  Doria, 
and  on  the  Pincio,  and  getting  out  to  walk  there  during 
their  drives.  For  those  who  do  not  care  always  to  see  the 
human  world,  a  delightful  variety  of  drives  can  be  found  ; 
and  it  is  a  most  agreeable  plan  for  invalids  without  car- 
riages of  their  own,  to  take  a  "  course  to  the  Parco  di  San 
Gregorio,"  or  to  the  sunny  avenues  near  the  Lateran,  and 
walk  there  instead  of  on  the  Pincio.  A  carriage  for  the 
return  may  almost  always  be  found  in  the  Forum  or  at  the 
Lateran. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  CORSO  AND  ITS  NEIGHBORHOOD. 

The  Piazza  del  Popolo — Obelisk — S.  Maria  del  Popolo — (The  Pincio 
— Villa  Medici — Trinita  de'  Monti)  (Via  Babuino — Via  Margutta 
— Piazzi  di  Spagiia — Propaganda)  (Via  Ripetta — SS.  Rocco  e 
Martino— S.  Girolamo  degli  Schiavoni) — S.  Giacomo  degli  Incur- 
abili — Via  Vittoria — Mausoleum  of  Augustus — S.  Carlo  in  Corso 
— Via  Condotti — Palazzo  Borghese — Palazzo  Ruspoli — S.  Lorenzo 
in  Lucina — S.  Silvestro  in  Capite — S.  Andrea  delle  Fratte — Pa- 
lazzo Chigi — Piazza  Colonna — Palace  and  Obelisk  of  Monte-Citorio 
— Temple  of  Neptune — Fountain  of  Trevi  —Palazzo  Poli — Pa- 
lazzo Sciarra — The  Caravita— S.  Ignazio — S.  Marcello — S.  Maria 
in  Via  Lata — Palazzo  Doria  Pamiili  — Palazzo  Salviatti — Palazzo 
Odescalchi — Palazzo  Colonna — Church  of  SS.  Apostoli — Palazzo 
Savorelli — Palazzo  Bonaparte — Palazzo  di  Venezia — Palazzo  Torlo- 
nia — Riprosa  dei  Barberi — S.  Marco — Church  of  II  Gesii — Palazzo 
Altieri. 

THE  first  object  of  every  traveler  will  naturally  be  to 
reach  the  Capitol,  and  look  down  thence  upon  an- 
cient Rome  ;  but  as  he  will  go  down  to  the  Corso  to  do 
this,  and  must  daily  pass  most  of  its  surrounding  buildings, 
we  will  first  speak  of  those  objects  which  will  ere  long  be- 
come the  most  familiar. 

A  stranger's  first  lesson  in  Roman  geography  should  be 
learned  standing  in  the  Piazza  del  Popolo,  whence  three 
streets  branch  off — the  Corso,  in  the  center,  leading  to- 
ward the  Capitol,  beyond  which  lies  ancient  Rome  ;  the 
Babuino,  on  the  left,  leading  to  the  Piazza  di  Spagna  and 
the  English  quarter  ;  the  Ripetta,  on  the  right,  leading  to 
tlie  Castle  of  S.  Angelo  and  S.  Peter's.  The  scene  is  one 
well  known  from  pictures  and  engravings.  The  space  be- 
tween the  streets  is  occupied  by  twin  churches,  erected  by 
Cardinal  Gastaldi. 

"  Les  deux  eglises  elevees  4  la  Place  du  Pcuple  par  le  Cardinal 
Gastaldi  k  I'entree  du  Corso,  sont  d'un  effet    mediocre.     Comment 


PIAZZA    DEL   POPOLO. 


29 


un  cardinal  n'a-t-il  pas  senti  qu'il  ne  faut  pas  elever  une  eglise  pour 
/<7z>(? />^«a'rt«/ a  quelque  chose?  C'es  travaler  la  majeste  divine." — 
Stendhal^  i.  172. 

It  is  in  the  church  on  the  left  that  sermons  are  often 
preached  on  Sunday  afternoons  by  some  of  the  best  Ro- 
man Catholic  controversialists,  just  at  the  right  moment 
for  catching  the  Protestant  congregations  as  they  emerge 
from  their  chapel  outside  the  Porta  del  Popolo. 

These  churches  are  believed  to  occupy  the  site  of  the 
magnificent  tomb  of  Sulla,  who  died  at  Puteoli,  b.c.  82, 
but  was  honored  at  Rome  with  a  public  funeral,  at  which 
the  patrician  ladies  burnt  masses  of  incense  and  perfumes 
on  his  funeral  pyre. 

The  Obelisk  of  the  Piazza  del  Popolo  was  placed  on  this 
site  by  Sixtus  V.  in  1589,  but  was  originally  brought  to 
Rome  and  erected  in  honor  of  Apollo  by  the  Emperor 
Augustus. 

"  Apollo  was  the  patron  of  the  spot  which  had  given  a  name  to  the 
great  victory  of  Actium  ;  Apollo  himself,  it  was  proclaimed,  had 
fought  for  Rome  and  for  Oclavius  on  that  auspicious  day  ;  the  same 
Apollo,  the  Sun-god,  had  shuddered  in  his  bright  career  at  the  mur- 
der of  the  Dictator,  and  terrified  the  nations  by  the  eclipse  of  his  di- 
vine countenance."  .  .  .  Therefore,  "besides  buildmg  a  temple 
to  Apollo  on  the  Palatine  hill,  the  Emperor  Augustus  sought  to  honor 
him  by  transplanting  to  the  Circus  Maximus,  the  sports  of  which 
were  under  his  special  protection,  an  obelisk  from  Heliopolis,  in 
Egypt.  This  flame-shaped  column  was  a  symbol  of  the  sun,  and 
originally  bore  a  blazing  orb  upon  its  summit.  It  is  interesting  to 
trace  an  intelligible  motive  for  the  first  introduction  into  Europe  of 
these  grotesque  and  unsightly  monuments  of  Eastern  superstition." — 
Metiva/e,  Hist,  of  the  Romans. 

"  This  red  granite  obelisk,  oldest  of  things,  even  in  Rome,  rises  in 
the  center  of  the  piazza,  with  a  four-fold  fountain  at  its  base.  All 
Roman  works  and  ruins  (whether  of  the  empire,  the  far-off  republic, 
or  the  still  more  distant  kings)  assume  a  transient,  visionary  and  im- 
palpable character,  when  we  think  that  this  indestructible  monument 
supplied  one  of  the  recollections  which  Moses  and  the  Israelites  bore 
from  Egypt  into  the  desert.  Perchance,  on  beholding  the  cloudy 
pillar  and  fiery  column,  they  whispered  awe-stricken  to  one  another, 
'  In  its  shape  it  is  like  that  old  obelisk  which  we  and  our  fathers  have 
so  often  seen  on  the  borders  of  the  Nile.'  And  now  that  very  obelisk, 
with  hardly  a  trace  of  decay  upon  it,  is  the  first  thing  that  the  modern 
traveler  sees  after  entering  the  Flaminian  Gate." — HawtJwrne's  Trans- 
formation. 

It  was  on  the  left  of  the  piazza,  at  the  foot  of  what  was 


30 


WALKS   IN  ROME. 


even  then  called   "  the  Hill  of  Gardens,"   that  Nero  was 
buried  (a.d.  68). 

"When  Nero  was  dead,  his  nurse  Eclaga,  with  Alexandra,  and 
Acte  the  famous  concubine,  having  wrapped  his  remains  in  rich  white 
stuff  embroidered  with  gold,  deposited  them  in  the  Domitian  monu- 
ment, which  is  seen  in  the  Campus-Martius  under  the  Hdlof  Gardens. 
The  tomb  was  of  porphyry,  having  an  altar  of  Luna  marble,  sur- 
rounded by  a  balustrade  of  Thasos  marble." — Suetonius. 

Church  tradition  tells  that  from  the  tomb  of  Nero  after- 
ward grew  a  gigantic  walnut-tree,  which  became  the  re- 
sort of  innumerable  crows — so  numerous  as  to  become 
iquite  a  pest  to  the  neighborhood.  In  the  eleventh  century. 
Pope  Paschal  II.  dreamed  that  these  crows  were  demons, 
and  that  the  Blessed  Virgin  commanded  him  to  cut  down 
and  burn  the  tree  ("  albero  malnato"),  and  build  a  sanctu- 
ary to  her  honor  in  its  place.  A  church  was  then  built 
by  means  of  a  collection  amongst  the  common  peoi)le  ; 
hence  the  name  which  it  still  retains  of  "  S.  Mary  of  the 
People." 

S.  Maria  del  Popolo  was  rebuilt  by  Baccio  Pintelli  for 
Sixtus  IV.  in  1480,  and  very  richly  adorned.  It  was  mod- 
ernized by  Bernini  for  Alexander  VII.  (Fabio  Chigi, 
1655-67),  of  whom  it  was  the  family  burial-place,  but  it 
still  retains  many  fragments  of  beautiful  fifteenth -century 
work  (the  principal  door  of  the  nave  is  a  fine  example  of 
this);' and  its  interior  is  a  perfect  museum  of  sculpture  and 
art. 

Entering  the  church  by  the  west  door,  and  following  the 
right  aisle,  the  first  chapel  (Venuti,  formerly  Delia  Rovere') 
is  adorned  with  exquisite  paintings  by  Pinturicchifl.  Over 
the  altar  is  the  Nativity  (one  of  the  most  beautiful  frescoes 
in  the  city);  in  the  lunettes  are  scenes  from  the  life  of  S. 
Jerome.  Cardinal  Cristoforo  della  Rovere,  who  built  this 
chapel  and  dedicated  it  to  "  the  Virgin  and  S.  Jerome," 
is  buried  on  the  left,  in  a  grand  fifteenth-century  tomb  ;  on 
the  right  is  the  monument  of  Cardinal  di  Castro.  Both  of 
these  tombs  and  many  others  in  this  church  have  interest- 
ing and  greatly  varied  lunettes  of  the  Virgin  and  Child. 

The  second  chapel,  of  the  Cibo  family,  rich  in  pillars  of 

'  Observe. -Wars  and  elsewhere  the  arms  of  the  Delia  Rovere— an  oak-tree 
Robur,  an  oak, — hence  Rovere. 


5.    MARIA    DEL  POFOLO. 


31 


nero-antico  and  jasper,  has  an  altarpiece  representing  the 
Assumption  of  the  Virgin,  by  Cario  Maratta.  In  the 
cupola  is  the  Ahnighty,  surrounded  by  the  heavenly  host.' 

The  third  chapel  is  also  painted  by  Pinturicchio.  Over 
the  altar,  the  Madonna  and  four  saints  ;  above,  God  the 
Father,  surrounded  by  angels.  In  the  other  lunettes, 
scenes  in  the  life  of  the  Virgin  :  that  of  the  Virgin  study- 
ing in  the  Temple,  a  very  rare  subject,  is  especially  beauti- 
ful. In  a  frieze  round  the  lower  part  of  the  wall,  a  series 
of  martyrdoms  in  grisaille.  On  the  right  is  the  tomb  of 
Giovanni  della  Rovere,  ob.  1483.  On  the  left  is  a  fine 
sleeping  bronze  figure  of  a  bishop,  unknown. 

The  fourth  chapel  has  a  fine  fifteenth-century  altar- 
relief  of  S.  Catherine  between  S.  Anthony  of  Padua  and 
S.  Vincent.  On  the  right  is  the  tomb  of  Marc  Antonio 
Albertoni,  ob.  1485  ;  on  the  left,  that  of  Cardinal  Costa, 
of  Lisbon,  ob.  1508,  erected  in  his  lifetime.  In  this  tomb 
is  an  especially  beautiful  lunette  of  the  Virgin  adored  by 
angels. 

Entering  the  right  transept,  on  the  right  is  the  tomb  01 
Cardinal  Podocantharus  of  Cyprus,  a  very  fine  specimen  of 
fifteenth-century  work.  A  door  near  this  leads  into  a 
cloister,  where  is  preserved,  over  a  door,  the  Gothic  altar- 
piece  of  the  church  of  Sixtus  IV.,  representing  the  Corona- 
tion of  the  Virgin,  and  two  fine  tombs — Archbishop  Rocca, 
ob.  1482,  and  Bishop  Gomiel. 

The  choir  (shown  when  there  is  no  service)  has  a  ceil- 
ing by  Pinturicchio.  In  the  center,  the  Virgin  and  Saviour, 
surrounded  by  the  Evangelists  and  Sibyls  ;  in  the  corners, 
the  Fathers  of  the  Church — Gregory,  Ambrose,  Jerome, 
and  Augustine.  Beneath  are  the  tombs  of  Cardinal  Ascanio 
Sforza,  and  Cardinal  Girolamo  Basso,  nephews  of  Sixtus 
IV.  {Francesco  della  Rovere),  beautiful  works  of  Andrea 
di  Sansovino.  These  tombs  were  erected  at  the  expense 
of  Julius  II.,  himself  a  Della  Rovere,  who  also  gave  the 
windows,  painted  by  Claude  and  Guillaume  de  Marseilles, 
the  only  good  specimens  of  stained  glass  in  Rome. 

The  high-altar  is  surmounted  by  a  miraculous  image  of 
the  Virgin,  inscribed,  "  Tu  honorificentia  populi  nostri," 
which  was  placed  in  this  church  by  Gregory  IX.,  and  which, 

'  The  beautiful  fifteenth-century  altar  of  four  virgin  saints  at  S.  Cosimato  in 
Trastevere,  is  said  to  have  been  brought  from  this  chapel. 


32  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

having  been  "  successfully  invoked  "  by  Gregory  XIII.,  in 
the  great  plague  of  1578,  was,  till  1870,  annually  adored 
by  the  pope  of  the  period,  who  prostrated  himself  before  it 
upon  the  8th  of  September.  The  chapel  on  the  left  of 
this  has  an  Assumption,  by  Annibale  Carracci. 

In  the  left  transept  is  the  tomb  of  Cardinal  Bernardino 
Lonati,  with  a  fine  fifteenth-century  relief  of  the  Resurrec- 
tion. 

Returning  by  the  left  aisle,  the  last  chapel  but  one  is 
that  of  the  Chigi  family,  in  which  the  famous  banker, 
Agostino  Chigi  (who  built  the  Farnesina),  is  buried,  and 
in  which  Raffaelle  is  represented  at  once  as  a  painter,  a 
sculptor,  and  an  architect.  He  planned  the  chapel  itself ; 
he  drew  the  strange  design  of  the  mosaic  on  the  ceiling 
(carried  out  hy  Aloisio  dellx  Pace),  which  represents  an  ex- 
traordinary mixture  of  Paganism  and  Christianity,  Mer- 
cury, Venus,  Mars,  Jupiter,  and  Saturn  (as  the  planets), 
conducted  by  angels,  being  represented  with  and  surround- 
ing Jehovah  ;  and  he  modeled  the  beautiful  statue  of 
Jonah  seated  on  the  whale,  which  was  sculptured  in  the  mar- 
ble by  Lorcnzetto.  The  same  artist  sculptured  the  figure  of 
Elijah — those  of  Daniel  and  Habakkuk  being  by  Bernini. 
It  is  interesting  to  mark  that,  in  the  figure  of  Jonah,  Raffaelle 
departed  from  the  prophetic  ideal  of  a  bearded  figure  in 
a  mantle,  and  took  as  his  model  the  beautiful  nude  figure 
of  the  youthful  Antinous,  who  gave  himself  up  to  a  volun- 
tary death  by  water  for  his  master  and  the  State,  as  Jonah 
for  the  vessel  and  its  crew.'  The  altarpiece  of  the  chapel, 
representing  the  Nativity  of  the  Virgin,  is  a  fine  Avork  of 
Sebastian  del  Piombo.  On  the  pier  adjoining  this  chapel  is 
the  strange  monument  by  Posi  (1771)  of  a  Princess  Odes- 
calchi  Chigi,  who  died  in  childbirth  at  the  age  of  twenty, 
erected  by  her  husband,  who  describes  himself,  "  In  solitu- 
dine  et  luctu  superstes." 

The  last  chapel  contains  two  fine  fifteenth-century  cibo- 
ria,  and  the  tomb  of  Cardinal  Antonio  Pallavicini,  1507. 

On  the  left  of  the  principal  entrance  is  the  remarkable 
monument  of  Gio.  Batt.  Gislenus,  the  companion  and 
friend  of  Casimir  I.  of  Poland  (ob.  1670).  At  the  top  is 
his  portrait  while  living,  inscribed,  "  Neque  hie  vivus  ;  " 
then  a  medallion  of  a  chrysalis,    "  In  nidulo  mco  moriar ;  " 

'  See  Viktor  Rydberg's  Roman  Days. 


S.    MARIA    DEL    FOPOLO. 


33 


opposite  to  which  is  a  inedalhon  of  a  butterfly  emerging, 
"  Ut  Phoenix  multiplicabo  dies ;  "  below  is  a  hideous 
skeleton  of  giallo  antico  in  a  white  marble  winding  sheet, 
"  Neque  hie  mortuus." 

"  Non  v'accorgete  voi  che  noi  siam  veimi 
Nati  a  formar  I'angelica  fanfulla 
Che  vola  alia  giustizia  senza  schermi  ?" 

Dante,  Ptirg.  xx.  .24. 

"  Martin  Luther  '  often  spoke  of  death  as  the  Christian's  true 
birth,  and  this  life  as  but  a  growing  into  the  chrysalis-shell  in  which  the 
spirit  lives  till  its  being  is  developed,  and  it  bursts  the  shell,  casts  off 
the  web,  struggles  into  life,  spreads  its  wings,  and  soars  up  to  God.'  " 

The  Augustine  Convent  adjoining  this  church  was  the 
residence  of  Luther  while  he  was  in  Rome.  Here  he 
celebrated  mass  immediately  on  his  arrival,  after  he  had 
prostrated  himself  upon  the  earth,  saying,  "  Hail,  sacred 
Rome  !  thrice  sacred  for  the  blood  of  the  martyrs  shed 
here  !  "  Here,  also,  he  celebrated  mass  for  the  last  time 
before  he  departed  from  Rome,  to  become  the  most  ter- 
rible of  her  enemies. 

"  Lui,  pauvre  ecolier,  eleve  si  durement,  qui  so;ivent,  pendant  son 
enfance,  n'avait  pour  oreiller  qu'une  dalle  froide,  il  passe  devant  des 
temples  tout  de  marbre,  devant  des  colonnes  d'albatre,  de  gigan- 
tesques  ob'Jlisques  de  granite,  des  fontaines  jaillissantes,  des  villas 
fraiches  et  embellies  de  jardins,  de  fleurs,  de  cascades  et  de  grottes. 
Veut-il  prier?  il  entre  dans  une  cglise  qui  lui  semble  un  monde  veri- 
table, oil  les  diamantes  scintillent  sur  I'autel,  I'or  aux  soffittes,  le 
marbre  aux  colonnes,  la  mosaique  aux  chapelles,  an  lieu  d'un  de  ces 
temples  rustiques  qui  n'ont  dans  sa  patrie  pour  tout  ornament  que 
quelques  roses  qu'une  main  pieuse  va  deposer  sur  I'autel  le  jour  du 
dimanche.  Est-il  fatigue  de  la  route?  il  trouve  sur  son  chemin,  non 
plus  un  modeste  banc  de  bois,  mais  un  siege  d'albatre  antique  rc- 
cemment  deterre.  Cherche-t-il  une  sainte  image?  il  n'apercoit  que 
des  fantasies  paiennes,  des  divinites  olympiques,  Apollon,  Venus, 
Mars,  Jupiter,  auxquelles  travaillent  mille  mains  de  sculpteurs.  De 
toutes  ces  merveilles  il  ne  comprit  rien,  il  ne  vit  rien.  Aucun  rayon 
de  Ij,  couronne  de  Raphael,  de  Michel-Ange,  n'e'blouit  ses  regards ;  il 
resta  froid  et  muet  devant  tons  les  tresors  de  peinture  et  de  sculpture 
rassembles  dans  les  eglises  ;  son  oreille  fut  fermee  aux  chants  du  Dan- 
te, que  le  peuple  repetait  autour  de  lui.  II  etait  entre  a  Rome  en  pe- 
lerin,  il  en  sort  comme  Coriolan,  et  s'ecrie  avec  Bembo  :  '  Adieu, 
Rome,  que  doit  fuir  quiconque  veut  vivre  saintement  !  Adieu,  villa 
oil  tout  est  permis,  excepte  d'etre  homme  de  bien.'" — Atidln,  Hls- 
toire  de  Luther,  c.  ii. 

It   v,-as  in  front  of  this  church  that  the  cardinals  and 


34 


WALK'S  /A-  ROME. 


magnates  of  Rome  met  to  receive  the  apostate  Christina  of 
Sweden  upon  her  entrance  into  the  cit). 


On  the  left  side  of  the  piazza  rises  the  Pincio,  which  de- 
rives its  name  from  the  Pinci  family,  who  had  a  magnificent 
palace  there.  The  terraces  are  adorned  with  rostral 
columns,  statues,  and  marble  bas-reliefs,  interspersed  with 
cypresses  and  pines.  A  winding  road,  lined  with  mimosas 
and  other  flowering  shrubs,  leads  to  the  upper  platform, 
now  laid  out  in  public  drives  and  gardens,  but  till  c.  1840, 
a  deserted  waste,  where  the  ghost  of  Nero  was  believed  to 
wander  in  the  middle  ages. 

Hence  the  Eternal  City  is  seen  spread  at  our  feet,  and 
beyond  it  the  wide-spreading  Campagna,  till  a  silver  line 
marks  the  sea  melting  into  the  horizon  beyond  Ostia.  All 
these  churches  and  tall  palace  roofs  become  more  than 
mere  names  in  the  course  of  the  winter,  but  at  first  all  is 
bewilderment.  Two  great  buildings  alone  arrest  the  atten- 
tion : 

"  Westward,  beyond  the  Tiller,  is  the  Castle  of  S.  Angclo,  tlic  im- 
mense tomb  of  a  pagan  emperor,  with  the  archangel  on  its  summit, 
.  .  .  Still  further  off,  a  mighty  pile  of  buildings,  surmounted  by 
a  vast  dome,  which  all  of  us  have  shaped  and  welled  outward,  like  a 
huge  bubble,  to  the  utmost  scope  of  our  imaginations  long  before  we 
see  it  floating  over  the  worship  of  the  city.  At  any  nearer  view  the 
grandeur  of  S.  Peter's  hides  itself  behind  the  immensity  of  its  sepa- 
rate parts,  so  that  we  only  see  the  front,  only  the  sides,  only  the  pil- 
lared length  and  loftiness  of  the  portico,  and  not  the  mighty  whole. 
But  at  this  distance  the  entire  outline  of  the  world's  cathedral,  as  well 
as  that  of  the  palace  of  the  world's  chief  priest,  is  taken  in  at  once. 
In  such  remoteness,  moreover,  the  imagination  is  not  debarred  from 
rendering  its  assistance,  even  while  we  have  the  reality  before  our 
eyes,  and  helping  the  weakness  of  human  sense  to  do  justice  to  so 
grand  an  object.  It  requires  both  faith  and  fancy  to  enable  us  to 
feel,  what  is  nevertheless  so  true,  that  yonder,  in  front  of  the  purple 
outline  of  the  hills,  is  the  grandest  edifice  ever  built  by  man,  painted 
against  God's  loveliest  sky." — Hawthorne. 

Here  the  band  plays  every  afternoon  except  Friday, 
when  immense  crowds  often  collect,  showing  every  phase 
of  Roman  life.  It  is  on  Sunday  especially  that  the  Pincio 
may  be  seen  in  what  Miss  Thackeray  calls  "  a  fashionable 
halo  of  sunset  and  pink  parasols  ;  "  but  all  begin  to  dis- 
perse as  the  Ave- Maria  bell  rings  from  the  churches,  either 


THE  PINCIO.  35 

to  descend  into  the  city,  or  to  hear  Benediction   sung  by 
the  nuns  in  the  Trinita  de'  Monti. 

"  When  the  fashionable  hour  of  rendezvous  arrives,  the  same  spot, 
which  a  few  minutes  before  was  immersed  in  silence  and  solitude, 
changes  as  it  were  with  the  rapidity  of  a  scene  in  a  pantomime  to  an 
animated  panorama.  The  scene  is  rendered  not  a  little  ludicrous  by 
the  miniature  representation  of  the  Ring  in  Hyde  Park  in  a  small 
compass.  An  entire  revolution  of  the  carriage-drive  is  performed  in 
the  short  period  of  three  minutes  as  near  as  may  be.  and  the  perpetual 
occurrence  of  the  same  physiognomies  and  the  same  carriages  trotting 
round  and  round  for  two  successive  hours,  necessarily  reminds  one  of 
the  proceedings  of  a  country  fair,  and  children  whirling  in  a  round- 
about."—  SV;-  G.  Head's  Tour  in  Rome . 

"  '  The  Pincian  Hill '  is  the  favorite  promenade  of  the  Roman  aris- 
tocracy. At  the  present  day,  however,  like  most  other  Roman  pos- 
sessions, it  belongs  less  to  the  native  inhabitants  than  to  the  barbarians 
from  Gaul,  Gi'eat  Britain,  and  beyond  the  sea,  who  have  established  a 
peaceful  usurpation  over  all  that  is  enjoyable  or  memorable  in  the 
Eternal  City.  These  foreign  guests  are  indeed  ungrateful  if  they  do 
not  breathe  a  prayer  for  Pope  Clement,  or  whatever  Holy  Father  it 
may  have  been,  who  leveled  the  summit  of  the  mount  so  skillfully, 
and  bounded  it  with  the  parapet  of  the  city  wall  ;  who  laid  out  those 
broad  walks  and  drives,  and  overhung  them  with  the  shade  of  many 
kinds  of  trees  ;  who  scattered  the  flowers  of  all  seasons,  and  of  every 
clime,  abundantly  over  those  smooth,  central  lawns  ;  who  scooped  out 
hollows  in  fit  places,  and,  setting  great  basins  of  marble  in  them, 
caused  ever-gushing  fountains  to  till  them  to  the  brim;  who  reared  up 
the  immemorial  obelisk  out  of  the  soil  that  had  long  hidden  it;  who 
placed  pedestals  along  the  borders  of  the  avenues,  and  covered  them 
with  busts  of  that  multitude  of  worthies — statesmen,  heroes,  artists, 
men  of  letters  and  of  song — whom  the  vihole  world  claims  as  its  chief 
ornaments,  though  Italy  has  produced  them  all.  In  a  word,  the 
Pincian  garden  is  one  of  the  things  that  reconcile  tlic  stranger  (since 
he  fully  appreciates  the  enjoyment,  and  feels  nothing  of  the  cost)  to 
the  rule  of  an  irresponsible  dynasty  of  Holy  Fathers,  wlio  seem  to 
have  arrived  at  making  life  as  agreeable  an  affair  as  it  can  well  be. 

■'  In  tins  pleasant  spot  the  red-trousered  French  soldiers  are  always 
to  be  seen  ;  bearded  and  grizzled  veterans,  perhaps  with  medals  of 
Algiers  or  tlie  Crimea  on  their  breasts.  To  them  is  assigned  the 
peaceful  duty  of  seeing  that  children  do  not  trample  on  the  flower- 
beds, nor  any  youthful  lover  rifle  them  of  their  fragrant  blossoms  to 
stick  in  his  beloved  one's  hair.  Here  sits  (drooping  upon  some  mar- 
ble bencli,  in  the  treaclierous  sunshine)  the  consumptive  girl,  v.hose 
friends  have  brought  her,  for  a  cure,  into  a  climate  that  instills  poison 
into  its  very  purest  l)reath.  Here,  all  day,  come  nursery  maids,  bur- 
dened with  rosy  English  babies,  or  guiding  the  footsteps  of  little 
travelers  from  the  far  western  world.  Here,  in  the  sunny  afternoon, 
roll  and  rumble  all  kinds  of  carriages,  from  the  Cardinal's  old-fash- 
ioned and  gorgeous  purple  carriage  to  the  gay  barouche  of  modern 
date.     Here  horsemen  gallop  on   thorough-bred  steeds.      Here,   in 


36 


WALKS  /.V  ROME. 


short,  all  the  transitory  population  of  Rome,  the  world's  great  water- 
ing-place, rides,  drives,  or  promenades!  Here  are  beautitul  sunsets; 
and  here,  whicliever  way  you  turn  your  eyes,  are  scenes  as  well  wortii 
gazing  at,  both  in  themselves,  and  for  their  historical  interest,  as  any 
that  the  sun  ever  rose  and  set  upon.  Here,  too,  on  certain  after- 
noons in  the  week,  a  military  band  flings  out  rich  music  over  llie  poor 
old  city,  flooding  her  with  strains  as  loud  as  those  of  her  own  echolcss 
triumphs." — Ilawtlionte. 

The  garden  of  the  Phicio  is  very  small,  but  beautifully 
laid  out.  At  a  central  point  is  placed  an  obelisk,  brought 
front  Egypt,  and  which  the  late  discoveries  in  hiero- 
glyphics show  to  have  been  erected  there,  in  the  joint 
names  of  Hadrian  and  his  empress  Sabina,  to  their  be- 
loved Antinous,  who  was  drowned  in  the  Nile  a.d.  131. 

From  the  furthest  angle  of  tlie  garden  we  look  down 
upon  the  strange  fragment  of  will  known  as  the  Muro- 
Torto,  which,  in  all  the  different  restorations  of  the  walls, 
even  in  that  under  Pius  IX.,  has  never  been  restored,  be- 
cause it  is  believed  that  this  corner  is  under  the  especial 
protection  of  the  apostle  Peter,  and  that  he  defended  it  in 
person  during  the  siege  by  Vitiges. 

"  Le  Muro-Torto  ofTre  un  souvenir  curieux.  On  nomme  ainsi  ua 
pan  de  muraille  qui,  avant  de  faire  ])aitie  du  rampart  d'Honorius, 
avail  servi  a  soutenir  la  lenasse  du  jardin  de  Domitius,  et  qui,  du 
temps  de  Belisaire,  etait  deja  incline  comme  il  Test  aujourd'hui. 
Procope  raconte  que  Belisaire  voulait  le  rebatir,  mais  que  les 
Romains  Ten  cmjjecherent,  affirmant  que  ce  point  n'etait  pas  expose, 
parce  que  Saint  Pierre  avait  promis  de  le  dtfcndre.  Procope  ajoute  : 
'  Personne  n'a  ose  reparer  ce  mur,  ct  il  reste  encore  dans  ie  memc 
etat.'  Nous  pouvons  en  dire  autant  que  Procope,  et  le  mur,  detachc 
de  la  collme  a  laquellc  il  s'appuyait,  reste  encore  incline  et  semble 
pres  de  tomber.  Ce  detail  du  siege  de  Rome  est  confirme  par  I'aspect 
singulier  du  Muro-Torto,  qui  semble  iutijoiirs prlsde  tomber,  et  subsistc 
dans  le  nieme  etat  depuis  quatorze  siecles,  comme  s'il  ctait  soutcnu 
miraculeusement  par  la  main  de  Saint  Pierre.  On  ne  saurait  guere 
trouver  pour  I'autorite  temporelle  des  papes  un  meilleur  symbolc. — 
Amph-L,  Enip.  ii.  397. 

"  At  the  farthest  point  of  the  Pincio,  you  look  down  from  the  jiam- 
pet  upon  the  Muro-Torto,  a  massive  fragment  of  thi;  oldest  Roman 
wall,  M'hich  juts  over,  as  if  ready  to  tumble  down  by  its  own  weight, 
yet  seems  still  the  most  indestructible  piece  of  work  that  men's  hands 
ever  piled  together.  In  the  blue  distance,  lise  Soracte,  and  other 
heights,  which  have  gleamed  afar,  to  our  imagination,  but  look  scarce- 
ly real  to  our  bodily  eyes,  because,  being  dreamed  about  so  much, 
they  have  taken  the  aerial  tints  which  belong  only  to  a  dream. 
These,  nevertheless,  are  the  solid  framework  of  hills  that  shut  in 
Rome,  and  its  broad  surrounding  Campagna  ;  no  land  of  dreams,  but 


THE   STORY  OF    THE   PLY  CIO.  .7 

the  broadest  page  of  liistory,  crowded  so  full  with  memorable  events, 
that  one  obliterates  another,  as  if  Time  had  crossed  and  recrossed  his 
own  records  till  ihey  grew  illegible." — Hawtlurih-. 

In  early  imperial  times  the  site  of  the  Pincio  garden  was 
occupied  by  the  famous  villa  of  Lucullus,  who  had  gained 
his  enormous  wealth  as  general  of  the  Roman  armies  in 
Asia. 

"  The  life  of  Lucullus  was  like  an  ancient  comedy,  where  first  we 
see  great  actions,  both  political  and  military,  and  afterwards  feasts, 
debauches,  races  by  torchlight,  and  every  kind  of  frivolous  amuse- 
ment. For  among  frivolous  amusements  I  cannot  but  reckon  his 
sumptuous  villas,  walks,  and  baths  ;  and  still  more  so  the  paintings, 
statues,  and  other  works  of  art  which  he  collected  at  immense  expense, 
idly  squandering  away  upon  them  the  vast  fortune  he  amassed  in  the 
wars.  Insomuch  that  now,  when  luxury  is  so  much  advanced,  the 
gardens  of  Lucullus  rank  with  those  of  the  kings,  and  are  esteemed 
the  most  magnificent  even  of  these." — Plutarch. 

Here,  in  his  Pincian  villa,  Lucullus  gave  his  celebrated 
feast  to  Cicero  and  Pompey,  merely  mentioning  to  a  slave 
beforehand  that  he  should  sup  in  the  hall  of  Apollo,  which 
was  understood  as  a  command  to  prepare  all  that  was  most 
sumptuous.  After  Lucullus,  the  beautiful  villa  belonged 
to  Valerius  Asiaticus,  and  in  the  reign  of  Claudius  was 
coveted  by  his  fifth  wife,  Messalina.  She  suborned  Silius, 
her  son's  tutor,  to  accuse  Asiaticus  of  a  licentious  life,  and 
of  corrupting  the  army. 

Being  condemned  to  death,  he  "  declined  the  ccrunsel  of  his  friends 
to  starve  himself,  a  course  which  might  leave  an  interval  for  the 
chance  of  pardon  ;  and  after  the  lofty  fashion  of  the  ancient  Romans, 
bathed,  perfumed,  and  supped  magnificently,  and  then  opened  his 
veins,  and  let  himself  bleed  to  death.  Before  dying  he  inspected  the 
pyre  prepared  for  him  in  his  own  gardens,  and  ordered  it  to  be  re- 
moved to  another  spot,  that  an  umbrageous  plantation  which  overhung 
it  might  not  be  injured  by  the  flames. 

"  As  soon  as  she  heard  of  his  death,  Messalina  took  possession  of 
the  villa,  and  held  high  revel  there  with  her  numerous  lovers,  with 
the  most  favored  of  whom,  Silius,  she  had  actually  gone  through  the 
religious  rites  of  marriage  in  the  lifetime  of  the  emperor,  who  was 
absent  at  Ostia.  But  a  conspiracy  among  the  frecdmen  of  the  royal 
household  informed  the  emperor  of  what  was  taking  place,  and  at  last 
even  Claudius  was  aroused  to  a  sense  of  her  enormities. 

"  In  her  suburban  palace,  Messalina  was  abandoning  herself  to 
voluptuous  transports.  The  season  was  mid-autumn,  the  vintage  was 
in  full  progress  ;  the  wine-press  was  groaning  ;  the  ruddy  juice  was 
streaming;    women  girt    with  scanty  fawnskins  danced  as  drunken 


38  WALKS  nV  ROME. 

Bacchanals  around  her  ;  while  she  herself,  with  her  hair  loose  and  dis- 
ordered, brandished  the  thyrsus  in  the  midst,  and  Silius  by  her  side, 
busliined  and  crowned  with  ivy,  tossed  his  head  to  the  flaunting 
strains  of  Silenus  and  the  Satyrs.  Vettius,  one  it  seems  of  the  wan- 
ton's less  fortunate  paramours,  attended  the  ceremony,  and  climbed  in 
merriment  a  lofty  tree  in  the  garden.  When  asked  what  he  saw,  he 
replied,  'an  awful  storm  from  Ostia  ;'  and  whether  tiiere  was  actually 
such  an  appearance,  or  whether  the  words  were  spol<en  at  random, 
they  were  accepted  afterwards  as  an  omen  of  the  catastrophe  which 
quickly  followed. 

"  For  now  in  the  midst  of  these  wanton  orgies  the  rumor  quickly 
spread,  and  swiftly  messengers  arrived  to  confirm  it,  that  Claudius  knew 
it  all,  that  Claudius  was  on  his  way  to  Rome,  and  was  coming  in  anger 
and  vengeance.  The  lovers  part  ;  Silius  for  the  forum  and  the  tribu- 
nals ;  Messalina  for  the  shade  of  her  gardens  on  the  Pincio,  the  price 
of  the  blood  of  the  murdered  Asiaticus.  Once  the  empress  attempted 
logo  forth  to  meet  Claudius,  taking  her  children  with  her,  and  accom- 
panied by  Vibidia,  the  eldest  of  the  vestal  virgins,  whom  she  per- 
suaded to  intercede  for  her,  but  her  enemies  prevented  her  gaining 
access  to  her  husband  ;  Vibidia  was  satisfied  for  the  moment  by  vague 
promises  of  a  later  hearing  ;  and  upon  the  arrival  of  Claudius  in  Rome, 
Silius  and  the  other  principal  lovers  of  the  empress  were  put  to  death. 
Still  Messalina  hoped.  She  had  withdrawn  again  to  the  gardens  of 
LucuUus,  and  was  there  engaged  in  composing  r  ddresses  of  supplica- 
tion to  her  husband,  in  which  lier  pride  and  long  accustomed  insolence 
still  faintly  struggled  into  her  fears.  The  emperor  still  paltered  with  the 
treason.  He  had  retired  to  his  palace  ;  he  had  bathed,  anointed,  and 
lain  down  to  supper  ;  and  warmed  with  wine  and  generous  cheer,  he 
had  actually  dispatched  a  message  to  the  poor  creature,  as  he  called 
her.  bidding  her  come  the  next  day,  and  plead  her  cause  before  him. 
But  her  enemy  Narcissus,  knowing  how  easy  might  be  the  passage 
from  compassion  to  love,  glided  from  the  chamber,  and  boldly  ordered 
a  tribune  and  some  centurions  to  go  and  slay  his  victim.  '  Such,'  he 
said,  '  was  the  emperor's  command  ;  '  and  his  word  was  obeyed  with- 
out hesitation.  Under  the  direction  of  the  freedman  Euodus,  the 
armed  men  sought  the  outcast  in  her  gardens,  where  she  lay  prostrate 
on  the  ground,  by  the  side  of  her  mother,  Lepida.  While  her  for- 
tunes flourished,  dissensions  had  existed  between  the  two ;  but  now, 
in  her  last  distress,  the  mother  had  refused  to  desert  her  child,  and 
only  strove  to  nerve  her  resolution  to  a  voluntary  death.  '  Life,'  she 
urged,  '  is  over  ;  naught  remains  but  to  look  for  a  decent  exit  from  it.' 
But  the  soul  of  the  reprobate  was  corrupted  by  her  vices  ;  she  retained 
no  sense  of  honor  ;  she  continued  to  weep  and  groan  as  if  hope  still 
existed  ;  when  suddenly  the  doors  were  burst  open,  the  tribune  and 
his  swordsmen  appeared  before  her,  and  Euodus  assailed  her,  dumb- 
stricken  as  she  lay,  with  contumelious  and  brutal  reproaches.  Roused 
at  last  to  consciousness  of  her  desperate  condition,  she  took  a  weapon 
from  one  of  the  men's  hands  and  pressed  it  tremliling  against  her 
throat  and  bosom.  Still  she  wanted  resolution  to  give  the  thrust,  and 
it  was  by  a  blow  of  the  tribune's  falchion  that  the  horrid  deed  was 
finally  accomplished.  The  death  of  Asiaticus  was  avenged  on  the  veiy 


VILLA    MEDICI. 


39 


spot  ;  the  hot  blood  of  the  wanton  smoked  on  the  pavement  of  his 
gardens,  and  stained  with  a  deeper  hue  the  variegated  marbles  of 
Lucullus." — Alcrivitle,  Hist.  0/  the  Romans  luidcrthe  Empire. 

From  the  garden  of  the  Pinico  a  terraced  road  (beneath 
which  are  the  long-closed  catacombs  of  S.  Felix)  leads  to  the 
Villa  Medici,  built  for  Cardinal  Ricci  da  Montepulciano  by 
Annibale  Lippi  in  1540.  Shortly  afterward  it  passed  into 
the  hands  of  the  Medici  family,  and  was  greatly  enlarged 
by  Cardinal  Alessandro  de  Medici,  afterward  Leo  XL  In 
1 80 1  the  Academy  for  French  Art-Students,  founded  by 
Louis  XIV.,  was  established  here.  The  villa  contains  a 
fine  collection  of  casts,  open  every  day  except  Sunday. 

Behind  the  villa  is  a  beautiful  garden  (which  can  be 
visited  on  application  to  the  porter).  The  terrace,  which 
looks  down  upon  the  Villa  Borghese,  is  bordered  by  ancient 
sarcophagi,  and  has  a  colossal  statue  of  Rome.  The  garden 
side  of  the  villa  has  sometimes  been  ascribed  to  Michael 
Angelo. 

"La  plus  grande  coquetterie  de  la  maison,  c'est  la  fa9ade  poste- 
rieure.  Elle  tient  son  rang  parmi  les  chefs-d'oeuvre  de  la  Renais- 
sance. On  dirait  que  I'architecte  a  epuise  une  mine  de  bas-reliefs 
grecs  et  romains  pour  en  tapisser  son  palais.  Le  jardin  est  de  la 
meme  epoque  :  il  date  du  temps  ou  I'aristocratie  romaine  professait 
le  plus  profund  dedain  pour  les  fieurs.  On  n'y  voit  que  des  massifs 
de  verdure,  alignes  avec  un  soin  scrupuleux.  Six  pelouses,  entourees 
de  haies  a  hauteur  d'appui,  s'etendent  devant  la  villa  et  laissent  courir 
la  vue  jusqu'au  mont  Soracte,  que  ferme  I'horizon.  A  gauche,  quatre 
fois  quatre  carres  de  gazon  s'encadrent  dans  de  hautes  murailles  de 
lauriers,  de  buis  gigantesques  et  de  chenes  verts.  Les  murailles  se 
rejoignent  au-dessus  des  allees  et  les  enveloppent  d'une  ombre  fraiche 
et  mysterieuse.  A  droite,  une  terrasse  d'un  style  noble  encadre  un 
bois  de  chenes  verts,  tordus  et  evenlres  par  le  temps.  J'y  vais  quel- 
quefois  travailler  a  I'ombre  ;  et  le  merle  rivalise  avec  le  rossignal  au- 
dessus  de  ma  tete,  comme  un  beau  chantre  de  village  peut  rivaliser 
avec  Mario  ou  Roger.  Un  pen  plus  loin,  une  vigne  toute  rustique 
s'etend  jusqu'a  la  porte  Pinciana,  ou  Belisaire  a  mendie,  dit-on.  Les 
jardins  petits  et  grands  sont  semes  de  statues,  d'Hermes,  et  de  mar- 
bres  de  toute  sorte.  L'eau  coule.  dans  des  sarcophages  antiques  ou 
jaillit  dans  des  vasques  de  marbre  :  le  marbre  et  l'eau  sont  les  deux 
luxes  de  Rome." — About.  Romt'  Contcmporainc. 

"  The  grounds  of  the  Villa  Medici  are  laid  out  in  the  old  fashion 
of  straight  paths,  with  borders  of  box,  which  form  hedges  of  great 
height  and  density,  and  are  shorn  and  trimmed  to  the  evenness  of  a 
wall  of  stone,  at  the  top  and  sides.  There  are  green  alleys,  with  long 
vistas,  overshadowed  by  ilex-trees  ;  and  at  each  intersection  of  the 
paths  the  visitor  finds  seats  of  Hcien-covered  stone  to  repose  upon, 


40 


ir.lLA^S  /X    ROME. 


and  marble  statues  that  look  forlornly  at  him,  regretful  of  their  lost 
noses.  In  the  more  open  portions  of  the  garden,  before  the  sculpt- 
ured front  of  the  villa,  you  see  fountains  and  flower-beds  ;  and,  in 
their  season,  a  profusion  of  roses,  from  which  the  genial  sun  of  Italy 
distills  a  fragrance  to  be  scattered  abroad  by  the  no  less  genial  breeze." 
— Ha  will  or  lie. 

A  second  door  will  admit  to  the  higher  terrace  of  ihe 
Boschetto;  a  tiny  wood  of  ancient  ilexes,  from  which  a  steep 
flight  of  steps  leads  to  the  '*  Belvidere,"  wnence  there  is  a 
beautiful  view. 

"  They  asked  the  porter  for  the  key  of  the  Bosco,  which  was  given, 
and  they  entered  a  grove  of  ilexes,  whose  gloomy  shade  effectually 
shut  out  thij  radiant  sunshine  that  still  illuminated  the  western  sky. 
They  then  ascended  a  long  and  exceedingly  steep  flight  of  steps,  lead- 
ing up  to  a  high  mound  covered  with  ilexes. 

■'  Here  both  stood  still,  side  by  side,  gazing  silently  on  the  city, 
where  dome  and  bell-tower  stood  out  against  a  sky  of  gold  ;  the  deso- 
late Monte  Mario  and  its  stone  pines  rising  dark  to  the  right.  Be- 
hind, close  at  hand,  were  sombre  ilex  woods,  amid  which  rose  here 
and  there  the  spire  of  a  cypress  or  a  ruined  arch,  and  on  the  highest 
point,  the  white  Villa  Ludovisi  ;  beyond,  stretched  the  Campagna, 
girdled  by  hills  melting  into  light  under  the  evening  sky." — Made- 
moiselle Mot. 

From  the  door  of  the  Villa  Medici  is  the  scene  fainiliar 
to  artists,  of  a  fountain  shaded  by  ilexes,  v^hich  frame  a 
distant  view  of  S.  Peter's. 

"  Je  vols  (de  la  Villa  Medici)  les  quatre  cinquiemes  de  la  ville  ;  je 
compte  les  sept  ccllines,  je  parcours  les  rues  regulieres  qui  s'etendent 
entre  le  Cours  et  la  place  d'Espagne,  je  fais  le  denombrement  des 
palais,  des  eglises,  des  domes,  et  des  clochers  ;  je  m'egare  dans  le 
Ghetto  et  dans  le  Trastevere.  Je  ne  vols  pas  des  mines  autant  que 
j'en  voudrais  :  elles  sont  ramassees  la-bas,  sur  ma  gauche,  aux  envi- 
rons du  Forum.  Cependant  nous  avons  tout  pres  de  nous  la  colonne 
Antonine  et  le  mausolee  d'Adrien.  La  vue  est  fermce  agrc'ablement 
par  les  pins  de  la  Villa  Pamphili,  qui  reunissent  leurs  larges  parasols 
et  font  comme  une  tal)le  a  millc  picds  pour  un  repas  de  geanls. 
L'liorizon  fuit  a  gauche  a  des  distances  infinies  ;  la  plaine  est  nue, 
ondulcuse  ct  bleue  comme  la  mer.  Mais  si  je  vous  mcttais  en  pre- 
sence d'un  spectacle  si  etendu  et  si  divers,  un  seul  objet  attirerait  vos 
regards,  un  seul  frapperait  votre  attention:  vous  n'auriez  des  yeux 
que  pour  Saint-Pierre.  Son  dome  est  moitie  dans  la  ville,  inoitie 
dans  le  ciel.  Quand  j'ouvrc  ma  fenetre,  vers  cin(|  heures  du  matin, 
je  vois  Rome  noyee  dans  les  brouillards  de  la  fievre  :  seul,  le  dome 
de  Saint-Pierre  est  colore  ])ar  la  lumiere  rose  du  soleil  levant."' — 
Aboxtl. 

The  terrace  (''  La  Passcggiata  ")  ends  at  the  Obelisk  of 


TRINITA   DE'   MOXTI.  ^j 

the  Trinita  de'  Monti,  erected  here  in   1822  by  Pius  VII., 
who  found  it  near  the  Church  of  S.  Croce  in  Gerusalcmme. 

"When  the  Ave  Maria  sounds,  it  is  time  to  go  to  the  church  of 
Trinita  de'  Monti,  where  French  nuns  sing  ;  and  it  is  charming  to 
hear  them.  I  declare  to  heaven  that  I  am  become  quite  tolerant,  and 
listen  to  bad  music  with  edification  ;  but  what  can  I  do  ?  The  com- 
position is  perfectly  ridiculous,  the  organ-playing  even  more  absurd  ; 
but  it  is  twilight,  and  the  whole  of  the  small  bright  church  is  filled 
with  persons  Ivueeling,  lit  up  by  the  sinking  sun  each  cime  that  the 
door  is  opened  ;  both  the  singing  nuns  have  the  sweetest  voices  in  the 
world,  quite  tender  and  touching,  more  especially  when  one  of  them 
i,mgs  the  responses  in  her  melodious  voice,  which  we  are  accustomed 
to  hear  chanted  by  priests  in  a  loud,  harsh,  monotonous  tone.  The 
impression  is  very  singular  ;  moreover,  it  is  well  known  that  no  one 
is  permitted  to  see  the  fair  singers,  so  this  caused  me  to  form  a 
stiange  resolution.  I  have  composed  something  to  suit  their  voices, 
which  I  have  observed  very  minutely,  and  I  mean  to  send  it  to  them. 
It  will  be  pleasant  to  hear  my  chant  performed  by  persons  I  never 
saw,  especially  as  they  must  in  turn  sing  it  to  the  '  barbaro  Tedesco,' 
whom  they  also  never  beheld." — Mfndelsso/in''s  Letters. 

"  In  the  evenings  people  go  to  the  Trinita  to  hear  the  nuns  sing 
from  the  organ-gallery.  It  sounds  like  the  singing  of  angels.  One 
sees  in  the  choir  troops  of  young  scholars,  moving  with  slow  and 
measured  steps,  with  their  long  white  veils,  like  a  flock  of  spirits." — 
F7-ede7'ika  Bremer. 

The  Church  of  the  Tritiita  tie'  Afoiiti  was  built  in  1495  by 
Charles  VIII.  of  France,  at  the  request  of  S.  Francesco  di 
Paola.  In  the  time  of  the  French  revolution  it  was  plun- 
dered, but  was  restored  by  Louis  XVIII.  in  181 7.  It  con- 
tains several  interesting  paintings. 

In  the  second  chapel  on  the  left  is  the  Descent  from  the 
Cross,  the  masterpiece  of  Daiiide  da  Volierra,  declared  by 
Nicholas  Poussin  to  be  the  third  picture  in  the  world,  but 
terribly  injured  by  the  French  in  their  attempts  to  re- 
move it. 

"We  might  almost  fancy  ourselves  spectators  of  the  mournful 
scene — the  Redeemer,  while  being  removed  from  the  cross,  gradually 
sinking  down  with  all  that  relaxation  of  limb  and  utter  helplessness 
which  belongs  to  a  dead  body  ;  the  assistants  engaged  in  their  various 
duties,  and  thrown  into  different  and  contrasted  attitudes,  intently 
occupied  with  the  sacred  remains  which  they  so  reverently  gaze  upon  ; 
the  mother  of  the  Lord  in  a  swoon  amidst  her  afllicted  companions  ; 
the  disciple  whom  he  loved  standing  with  outstretched  arms,  absorbed 
in  contemplating  the  mysterious  spectacle.  The  truth  in  the  repre- 
sentation cf  the  exposed  parts  of  the  body  appears  to  be  natiire  itself. 
The  coloring  of  the  heads  and  of  the  whole  picture  accords  precisely 


42 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


with  the  subject,  displaying  strength  rather  than  delicacy,  a  harmony, 
and  in  sliort  a  degree  of  skill  of  which  M.  Angelo  himself  might 
have  been  proud,  if  the  picture  had  been  inscribed  wiih  his  name. 
And  to  this  I  believe  the  author  alluded,  vk-hen  he  painted  his  friend 
with  a  looking-glass  near  it,  as  if  to  intimate  that  he  might  recognize 
in  the  picture  a  reflection  of  himself." — Laiizi. 

"  Daniele  da  Volterra's  Descent  from  the  Cross  is  one  of  the  cele- 
brated pictures  of  the  world,  and  has  very  grand  features.  The  body 
is  not  skillfully  sustained  ;  nevertheless  the  number  of  strong  men 
employed  about  it  makes  up  in  sheer  muscle  for  the  absence  of  skill. 
Here  are  four  ladders  against  the  cross,  stalwart  figures  standing, 
ascending,  and  descending  upon  each,  so  that  the  space  between  the 
cross  and  the  ground  is  absolutely  alive  with  magnihcent  lines.  The 
Virgin  lies  on  one  side,  and  is  like  a  grand  creature  struck  down  by  a 
sudden  death-blow.  She  has  fallen,  like  Ananias  in  Raffaelle's  car- 
toon, with  her  liead  bent  backwards,  and  her  arm  under  her.  The 
crown  of  thorns  has  been  taken  from  the  dead  brow,  and  rests  on  the 
end  of  one  of  the  ladders." — Lady  Easflake. 

The  third  chapel  on  the  right  contains  an  Assumption 
of  the  Virgin,  another  work  of  Dajiiele  da  Volterra.  Tlie 
fifth  chapel  is  adorned  with  frescoes  of  his  school.  The 
sixth  has  frescoes  of  the  school  of  Pcrughio.  The  frescoes 
in  the  right  transept  are  by  F.  Zuccaro  and  Pierino  del 
Vaga  ;  in  that  of  the  Procession  of  S.  Gregory  the  mauso- 
leum of  Hadrian  is  represented  as  it  appeared  in  the  time 
of  Leo  X. 

The  adjoining  Convent  of  the  Sucre  Cceur  is  much  fre- 
quented as  a  place  of  education.  The  nuns  are  all  persons 
of  rank.  When  a  lady  takes  the  veil,  her  nearest  relations 
inherit  her  property,  except  about  i,coo/.,  which  goes  to 
the  convent.  The  nuns  are  allowed  to  retain  no  personal 
property,  but  if  they  still  wish  to  have  the  use  of  their  books, 
they  give  them  to  the  convent  library.  They  receive  vis- 
itors every  afternoon,  and  quantities  of  people  go  to  them 
from  curiosity,  on  the  plea  of  seeking  advice. 

From  the  Trinita  the  two  popular  streets — Sistina  and 
Gregoriana — branch  off ;  the  former  leading  in  a  direct 
line  (though  the  name  changes)  to  S.  Maria  Maggiore,  and 
thence  to  S.  John  Lateran  and  S.  Croce  in  Gerusalemme. 
The  house  adjoining  the  Trinity,  was  that  of  Nicholas 
Poussin  ;  that  at  the  angle  of  the  two  streets,  called  the 
Te7?ipi€tto.,  was  once  inhabited  by  Claude  Lorraine.  The 
adjoining  house  (64  Sistina) — formerly  known  as  Palazzo 
deila  Regina  di  Polonia,  from  Maria  Casimira,  Queen  of 
Poland,  who  resided  there  for  some  years — was  inhabited  by 


THE    VIA   MARGUTTA. 


43 


the  Zuccari  family,  and  has  paintings  on  the  ground-floor 
by  jFederigo  Zuccaro.  One  of  the  rooms  on  the  second 
floor  was  adorned  Vv  ith  frescoes  by  modern  German  artists 
at  the  expense  of  the  Prussian  consul  Bartholdy,  viz.: 

Overbeck  :  The  Selling  of  Joseph. 

Veti  :  Joseph  and  Poliphar's  Wife. 

Cornelius  :  Meeting  of  Joseph  and  his  Brethren. 

Overbeck  :  The  Seven  Lean  Years. 

Sckadoia  :  Joseph  interprets  the  Dreams  in  Prison. 

Schadow  :  The  Brethren  bring  Joseph's  Coat  to  Jacob. 

Cornelius  :  Joseph  interprets  the  Dreams  of  Pharaoh. 

Veit :  The  Seven  Plentiful  Years. 


On  the  left  of  the  Piazza  del  Popolo,  the  Via  Babuino 
branches  off,  deriving  its  name  from  a  mutilated  figure  on 
a  fountain  halfway  down,  removed  since  the  fall  of  the 
Papal  government,  one  of  the  many  robberies  of  street  in- 
terest to  be  deplored.  On  the  right  is  the  Greek  Church 
of  S.  Atanasio,  attached  to  a  college  founded  by  Gregory 
XIII.,  in  1580.  In  No.  144  John  Gibson,  the  sculptor, 
died,  January  27,  1866. 

Behind  this  street  is  the  Via  Margictta,  almost  entirely 
inhabited  by  artists  and  sculptors. 

"  The  Via  Margutta  is  a  street  of  studios  and  stables,  crossed  at 
the  upper  end  by  a  little  roofed  gallery  with  a  single  window,  like  a 
shabby  Bridge  of  Sighs.  Horses  are  continually  being  washed  and 
currycombed  outside  their  stable  doors;  frequent  heaps  of  imiiiondezzajo 
make  the  air  unfragrant  ;  and  the  perspective  is  frequently  damaged 
by  rows  of  linen  suspended  across  the  road  from  window  to  wirdow. 
Unsightly  as  they  are,  however,  these  obstacles  in  no  wise  affect  the 
popularity  of  the  Via  Margutta,  either  as  a  residence  for  the  artist,  or 
a  lounge  for  the  amateur.  Fashionable  patrons  leave  their  carriages 
at  the  comer,  and  pick  their  way  daintily  among  the  gutters  and  dust 
heaps.  A  boar-hunt  by  Vallatti  compensates  for  an  unlucky  splash  ; 
and  a  Campagna  sunset  of  Desoulavey  glows  all  the  richer  for  the 
squalor  through  which  it  is  approached." — Baibaias  History. 

In  this  street  also  is  situated  the  Costuine  Academy. 

"  Imagine  a  great  barn  of  a  room,  with  dingy  walls  half  covered 
with  chalk  studies  of  the  figure  in  all  possible  attitudes.  Opposite  the 
door  is  a  low  platform  with  revolving  top,  and  beside  it  an  ecorche,  or 
plaster  figure  bereft  of  skin,  so  as  to  exhibit  the  muscles.  Ranges  of 
benches,  raised  one  above  the  other,  occupy  the  remainder  of  the 
room;  and  if  you  were  to  look  in  at  it  about  eight  o'clock  on  a  winters' 
evening,  you  would  find  them  tenanted  by  a  multitude  of  young  artists, 


44 


WALK'S  I.y  ROME. 


mostly  in  their  shirt-sleeves,  with  perhaps  three  or  four  ladies,  all  dis- 
DOsed  around  the  modL-1,  who  stands  upon  the  platform  in  one  of  the 
picturesque  costumes  of  Southern  Italy,  with  a  cluster  of  eight  lamps, 
intensified  by  a  powerful  reflector,  immediately  above  his  or  her  un- 
lucky head. 

"The  costumes  are  regulated  by  Church  times  and  seasons.  Dur- 
ing Lent  the  models  wear  medi.tval  dresses  ;  during  the  winter  and 
carnival,  Italian  costumes  of  the  present  day  :  and  with  Easter  begin 
mere  draperies,  pie^k-%  or  folds,  as  they  are  technically  called. 

'Every  evening  the  subject  for  the  next  night  is  chalked  up  on  a 
blackboard  beside  the  platform — for  the  next  tjvo  niglits  rather ;  for 
each  model  poses  for  two  evenings,  the  position  of  his  feet  being 
chalked  upon  the  platform,  so  as  to  secure  the  same  attitude  on  the 
second  evening.  Consequently,  four  hours  are  allowed  for  each 
drawing.  .  .  .  The  pieqhe  are  only  for  a  single  time,  as  it  would  be 
impossible  to  secure  the  same  folds  twice  over.  .  .  .  The  expense  of 
attending  the  Academy,  including  attendance,  each  person's  share  in 
the  model,  and  his  own  especial  lamp,  amounts  to  2\d.  an  evening,  or 
a  scudo  and  a  half  (about  6s.  6i/.)  a  month  ;  marvelously  cheap,  it 
must  be  confessed." — //.  HI.  B.,  in  Once  a  IVeck. 

The  Vicolo  d'Aliberii,  which  unites  the  Via  Margutta  to 
the  Babuino,  derives  its  name  from  having  contained  the 
celebrated  Teatro  delle  Dame,  built  by  M.  d'AIibert, 
equerry  to  Queen  Christina.  This  was  the  principal 
theater  of  the  eighteenth  century,  for  which  Metastasio 
wrote  his  plays,  and  where  the  compositions  of  Porpora, 
Leo,  Durante,  Galuppi,  Tommelli,  etc.,  were  first  given  to 
the  public. 

The  Babuino  ends  in  the  ugly  but  central  square  of  the 
Piazza  di  Spagna,  where  many  of  the  best  hotels  and  shops 
are  situated.  Hence  the  Trinita  is  reached  by  a  magnifi- 
cent flight  of  steps  (disgracefully  ill  kept),  which  was  built 
by  Alessandro  Specchi  at  the  expense  of  a  private  indi- 
vidual, M.  Gueffier,  secretary  to  the  French  embassy  at 
Rome,  under  Innocent  XIII. 

"  No  art-loving  visitor  to  Rome  can  ever  have  passed  the  noble 
flight  of  steps  which  leads  from  tlie  Piazza  di  Spagna  to  the  church  of 
the  I'rinita  de'  Monti  without  longing  to  transfer  to  his  sketch-liook 
the  picturesque  group  of  models  who  there  spend  their  day,  basking 
in  the  beams  of  the  wintry  sun,  and  eating  those  little  boiled  beans  whose 
yellow  husks  l^estrev.-  every  place  where  tlie  lower  class  Romans  con- 
gregate— ]raciicing,  in  short,  the  do/ce  far  nieiite.  Beppo,  the  cele- 
brated lame  beggar,  is  no  longer  lo  be  seen  there,  having  been  ban- 
ished to  the  steps  of  the  church  of  S.  Agostino  ;  but  there  is  old  Fe- 
lice, with  conical  hat,  brown  cloak,  and  bagpipes,  father  of  half  the 
models  on  the  steps.     He  has  been  seen  in  an  artist's  studio  in  Paris, 


PIAZZA    DI  SPAGNA. 


45 


and  is  reported  to  have  performed  on  foot  the  double  journey  be- 
tween Rome  and  that  capital.  There  are  two  or  three  younger  men 
in  blue  jackets  and  goat-skin  breeches  ;  as  many  women  in  folded  linen 
head-dresses  and  red  or  blue  skirts  ;  and  a  sprinkling  of  children  of 
both  sexes,  in  costumes  the  miniature  fac-similes  of  their  elders.  All 
these  speedily  learn  to  recognize  a  visitor  who  is  interested  in  that 
especial  branch  of  art  which  is  embodied  in  models,  and  at  every  turn 
in  the  street  such  a  one  is  met  by  the  flash  of  white  teeth,  and  the 
gracious  sweetness  of  an  Italian  smile." — H.  J\I.  B. 

"Among  what  may  be  called  the  cubs  or  minor  lions  of  Rome, 
there  was  one  that  amused  me  mightily.  It  is  always  to  be  found 
there  ;  and  its  den  is  on  the  great  lliglit  of  steps  that  lead  from  the 
Piazza  di  Spagna  to  the  Church  of  the  I'rinita  de'  Monti.  In  plain- 
er words,  these  steps  are  the  great  place  of  resort  for  the  artists' 
'  Models,'  and  there  they  are  constantly  waiting  to  be  hired.  The 
first  time  I  went  up  there  I  could  not  conceive  why  the  faces  seemed 
so  familiar  to  me  ;  why  they  appeared  to  have  beset  me,  for  years,  in 
every  possible  variety  of  action  and  costume  ;  and  how  it  came  to  pass 
that  they  started  up  before  me.  in  Rome,  in  the  broad  day,  like  so 
many  saddled  and  bridled  nightmares.  I  soon  found  that  we  had 
made  acquaintance,  and  improved  it,  for  several  years,  on  the  walls  of 
various  exhibition  galleries.  There  is  one  old  gentleman  with  long 
white  hair,  and  an  im.mense  beard,  who,  to  my  knowledge,  has  gone 
half  through  the  catalogues  of  the  Royal  Academy.  This  is  the  ven- 
erable or  patriarchal  model.  He  carries  a  long  staff  ;  and  every  knob 
and  twist  in  that  staff  I  have  seen,  faithfuLy  delineated,  innumerable 
times.  Tfiere  is  another  man  in  a  blue  cloak,  who  ahvvays  pretends 
to  be  asleep  in  the  sun  (when  there  is  any),  and  who,  I  need  not  say, 
is  always  very  wide  awake,  and  very  attentive  to  the  disposition  of  his 
legs.  This  is  the  dol.e  far  niente  model.  There  is  another  man  in  a 
brown  cloak,  who  leans  against  a  wall,  with  his  arms  folded  in  his 
mantle,  and  looks  out  of  the  corners  of  his  eyes,  wliich  are  just  visible 
beneath  his  broad  slouched  hat.  This  is  the  assassin  model.  There 
is  another  man,  who  constantly  looks  over  his  own  shoulder,  and  is 
always  going  away,  but  never  goes.  This  is  the  haughty  or  scornful 
model.  As  to  domestic  happiness,  and  holy  families,  ihey  should 
come  very  cheap,  for  there  are  heaps  of  them,  all  up  the  steps  ;  and 
the  cream  of  the  thing  is,  that  they  are  all  the  falsest  vagabonds  in  the 
world,  especially  made  up  for  the  purpose,  and  having  no  counter- 
parts in  Rome  or  any  other  part  of  the  habitable  globe." — Dickens. 

"Climb  these  steps  when  the  sun  is  setting.  From  a  hundred  bel- 
fries the  bells  ring  for  Ave  Maria,  and  there,  across  the  town,  and  in 
a  blaze  of  golden  glory,  stands  the  great  dome  of  S.  Peter's  ;  and  from 
the  terrace  of  the  Villa  Medici  you  can  see  the  whole  wonderful  viev.', 
faintly  penciled  Soracte  far  to  your  right,  and  below  you  and  around 
you  the  city  and  the  Seven  Hills." — Vera. 

The  house  on  the  right  of  the  steps,  marked  by  an  in- 
scription, is  that  in  whicli  the  poet  Keats  died,  February 
24,  1821, 

The  Barcaccia,  the   fountain  at   the   foot  of  the  steps, 


40  WALJi-S  LV  ROME. 

executed  by  Bernini,  is  a  stone  boat  cornmemorating  the 
naumachia  of  Domitian — naval  battles  which  took  place 
in  an  artificial  lake  surrounded  by  a  kind  of  theater,  which 
once  occupied  the  site  of  this  piazza.  In  front  of  the 
Palazzo  di  Spagna  (the  residence  of  the  Spanish  ambas- 
sador), which  gives  its  name  to  the  square,  stands  a  Column 
of  cipollino,  supporting  a  statue  of  the  Virgin,  erected  by 
Pius  IX.  in  1S54,  in  honor  of  his  new  dogma  of  the  Im- 
maculate Conception.  At  the  base  are  figures  of  Moses, 
David,  Isaiah,  and  Ezekiel. 

The  Piazza  di  Spagna  may  be  considered  as  the  center 
of  what  is  called  "  the  English  quarter  "  of  Rome,  of  wliich 
the  Corso  forms  the  boundary. 

"Every  winter  there  is  a  gay  and  pleasant  English  colony  in  Rome, 
of  course  more  or  less  remarkable  for  rank,  fashion,  and  agreeability, 
with  every  varying  year.  Tlirown  together  every  day,  and  niglit  after 
night;  flocking  to  the  same  picture  galleries,  statue  galleries,  Pincian 
drives,  and  church  functions,  the  Englisli  colonists  at  Rome  perforce 
become  intimate,  in  many  cases  frienciy.  "1  hey  have  an  English 
library  where  the  various  meets  for  the  week  are  placarded  :  on  such 
a  day  the  Vatican  galleries  are  open ;  the  next  is  the  feast  of  Saint  to- 
and  so;  on  Wednesday  there  \\\\\  be  music  and  vespers  in  the  Sistine 
Chapel;  on  Thursday  the  Pope  will  bless  the  animals — sheep,  hoises, 
and  what  not:  and  flocks  of  English  accordingly  rush  to  witness  the 
benediction  of  droves  of  donkeys.  In  a  word,  the  ancient  city  of  the 
Caesars,  the  august  fanes  of  the  popes,  with  their  splendor  and  cere- 
mony, are  all  mapped  out  and  arranged  for  English  diversion." — 
Tliackiray. 

The  Piazza  is  closed  by  the  Collcgio  di  Propaganda  Fede, 
founded  in  1622  by  Gregory  XV.,  but  enlarged  by  Urban 
VIII.,  who  built  the  present  edifice  from  plans  of  Bernini. 
Like  all  the  buildings  erected  by  this  pope,  its  chief  deco- 
rations are  the  bees  of  the  Barberini.  The  object  of  the 
college  is  the  education  of  youths  of  all  nations  as  mis- 
sionaries. 

"  Tile  origin  of  the  Propaganda  is  properly  to  be  sought  in  an  edict 
of  Gregory  XIII.,  by  which  the  direction  of  Eastern  missions  was 
confided  to  a  certain  number  of  cardinals,  who  were  commanded  to 
promote  the  printing  of  catechisms  in  the  less  known  tongues.  But 
the  institution  was  not  firmly  established;  it  was  unprovided  with  the 
requisite  means,  and  was  l)y  no  means  comprehensive  in  its  views. 
It  was  at  the  suggestion  of  the  great  preacher  Girolamo  da  Narni 
that  the  idea  was  first  conceived  of  extending  the  above-named  in- 
stitution.    At  his  suggestion,    a  congregation   was  established  in  all 


THE   RIP  ETTA.  47 

due  form,  and  by  this  body  regular  meetings  were  to  be  held  for  the 
guidance  and  conduct  of  missions  in  every  part  of  the  world.  The 
first  funds  were  advanced  by  Gregory;  his  nephew  contributed  from 
his  private  property;  and  since  this  institution  was  in  fact  adapted  to 
a  want,  the  pressure  of  which  was  then  felt,  it  increased  in  piosperity 
and  splendor.  Who  does  not  know  the  services  peiformed  by  the 
Propaganda  for  the  diffusion  of  philosophical  studies  ?  and  not  this 
only  ;  the  institution  has  generally  labored  (in  its  earliest  years,  most 
successfully,  perhaps)  to  fulfill  its  vocation  in  a  liberal  and  noble 
spirit  '" — Raiikc,  Hist,  of  the  Popes. 

'•Qa  y  recoit  des  jeunes  gens  nes  dans  les  pays  ultramontains  et 
orientaux,  oil  sont  les  infideles  et  les  heretiques;  ils  y  font  leur  educa- 
tion religieuse  et  civile,  et  retournent  dans  leur  pays  comme  mission- 
naires  pour  propager  la  foi." — A.  Du  Pays. 

"  Le  college  du  Propaganda  Fede,  ou  Ion  engraisse  des  mission- 
naires  pour  donner  a  manger  aux  cannibales.  C'est,  ma  foi,  un 
excellent  ragoiit  pour  eux,  que  deux  peres  franciscains  a  la  sauce 
rousse.  Le  capucin  en  daube  se  mange  aussi  comme  le  renard,  quand 
il  a  ete  gele.  II  y  a  a  la  Propagande  une  bibliotheque,  une  imprimerie 
fournie  de  toutes  sortes  de  caracteres  des  langues  orientales,  et  de 
petits  Chinois  qu'on  y  eleve  ainsi  que  des  alouettes  chanterelles,  pour 
en  attraper  d'autres." — De  Brasses. 

In  January  a  festival  is  held  here,  when  speeches  are  re- 
cited by  the  pupils  in  all  their  different  languages.  The 
public  is  admitted  by  tickets. 


The  Via  Ripetta  leaves  the  Piazza  del  Popolo  on  the 
right.  A  semicircular  space  on  the  right  presents  a  lively 
scene  every  Saturday  at  noon,  during  the  drawing  of  the 
Roman  lottery. 

"  In  the  middle  of  the  balcony,  on  the  rail,  is  fixed  a  glass  barrel, 
with  a  liandle  to  turn  it  round.  Behind  it  stand  three  or  four  officials, 
who  have  been  just  now  ushered  in  with  a  blast  from  two  trumpeters, 
also  stationed  in  the  balcony.  Immediately  behind  the  glass  barrel 
itself  stands  a  boy  of  some  twelve  or  thirteen  years,  dressed  in  the 
white  uniform  of  one  of  the  orphan  establishments,  with  a  huge  white 
shovel  hat.  Some  time  is  occupied  by  the  folding,  and  putting  into 
the  barrel,  pieces  of  paper,  inscribed  with  the  numbers,  from  one 
onwards.  Each  of  these  is  proclaimed,  as  folded  and  put  in,  by  one 
of  the  officials  who  acts  as  spokesman  or  crier.  At  last,  after  eighty- 
seven,  eighty-eight,  and  eighty-nine  have  been  given  out,  he  raises 
his  voice  to  a  chant,  and  sings  forth,  Nuincro  novaiita,  'numb:r 
ninety,'  this  completing  the  number  put  in. 

"  And  now,  or  before  this,  appears  on  the  balcony  another  character 
— no  less  a  person  than  a  Monsignore,  who  appears,  not  in  his  ordi- 
nary, but  in  his  more  solemn  official  costume  ;  and  this  connects  the 
ceremonial  directly  with  the  spiritual  authority  of  the  realm.  And 
now  commences  the  drav.dng.     The  barrel  having  been  for  some  tiir  ? 


48  IVALA'S  /.V   KOME. 

turned  rapidly  round  to  shuffle  the  numbers,  the  orphan  takes  off  his 
hat,  makes  the  bign  of  the  cross,  and  having  waved  his  open  hand  in 
the  air  to  shov;  that  it  is  empty,  inserts  it  into  the  barrel,  and  draws 
out  a  numl)er,  giving  it  to  the  Monsignore,  who  opens  it  and  iiands  it 
to  the  crier.  This  latter  then  proclaims  it — '  Prinia  estratla,  nwnero 
Vt-nii  cinque.'  Then  the  trumpets  blow  their  blast,  and  the  same  is 
repeated  four  times  more,  the  proclamation  varying  each  time,  Scconda 
estratta,  7'erza,  Quarta,  QuirJn,  etc.,  five  numbers  being  thus  the 
whole  drawn,  out  of  ninety  put  in.  This  done,  with  various  expres- 
sions of  surprise,  delight  or  disappointment  from  the  crowd  below, 
the  officials  disappear,  the  square  empties  itself,  and  all  is  as  usual  lUl 
the  next  Saturday  at  the  same  time.    .    .    . 

"  In  almost  every  street  in  Rome  are  shops  devoted  to  the  purchase 
of  lottery  tickets.  Two  numbers  purchased  with  the  double  chance 
of  those  two  numbers  turning  up  are  called  an  ainbo,  and  three  pur- 
chased with  the  treble  chance  of  those  three  turning  up,  are  called  a 
tei'iio,  and,  of  course,  the  higher  and  more  perilous  the  stake,  the 
richer  the  prize,  if  obtained." — Alfoi-d's  Letters  from  Abroad. 

"  Les  etrangers  qui  viennent  a  Rome  commencent  par  blamer 
severement  la  loterie.  Au  bout  de  quekiue  temps,  I'esprit  de  tole- 
rance qui  est  dans  I'air  penetre  peu-a-peu  jusqu'au  fond  de  leur  cer- 
veau  ;  ils  excusent  un  jeu  philanthropique  qui  fournit  au  pauvre  peu- 
ple  six  jours  d'esperances  pour  cinq  sous.  Bientot,  pour  se  rendre 
compte  du  mecanisme  de  la  loterie,  ils  entrent  eux-memes  dans  un 
bureau,  en  e'vitant  de  se  laisser  voir.  Trois  mois  apres,  ils  poursui- 
vent  ouvertement  une  combinaison  savante  ;  ils  out  une  iheorie 
mathematique  qu'ils  signeraient  volontiers  de  leur  nom  ;  ils  donnent 
des  lecons  aux  nouveaux  arrives  ;  ils  erigent  le  jeu  en  principe  et 
jurent  qu'un  homme  est  impardonnable  s'il  nc  laisse  pas  une  porta 
ouverte  a  la  Fortune." — About,  Koine  L'ontcmporoiue. 

The  Quay  of  the  Ripctta,  a  graceful  constrtiction  of 
Clement  XI.,  in  1707,  eqtially  admired  by  artists  and 
architects,  was  destroyed  by  the  present  Government  in 
1874,  to  make  way  for  a  hideotis  iron  bridge  over  the 
Tiber.  Hence  we  may  reach  a  v/alk  which  leads  to  S. 
Peter's  (by  Porta  Angelica)  through  the  fields  at  the  back 
of  S.  Angelo.  These  fields  are  of  historic  interest,  being 
the  Praia  Quinctia  of  Cincinnattis. 

"  L.  Quinctius  Cincinnatus,  the  only  hope  of  the  Roman  people, 
lived  beyond  the  Tiber,  opposite  the  place  where  the  Navalia  are, 
where  he  cuhivated  the  four  acres  of  ground  which  are  now  called  the 
Quinctian  meadows.  Tliere  ihe  messengers  of  the  senate  found  him 
leaning  on  his  spade,  either  digging  a  trench  or  plowing,  but  certaii  - 
ly  occupied  in  some  field  labor.  The  salutation,  '  May  it  be  well 
with  you  and  the  republic,'  was  given  and  returned  in  the  usual  form, 
and  he  was  requested  to  put  on  his  toga  to  receive  a  message  from  the 
senate.  Amazed,  and  asking  if  anything  was  wrong,  he  desired  hi'^ 
wife  Racilia  to  fetch  his  toga  from  the  cottage,  and  having  wipecJ  of! 


THE    CORSO. 


49 


the  sweat  and  dust  with  which  he  was  covered,  he  came  forward 
dressed  in  his  toga  to  the  messengers,  who  saluted  him  as  dictator, 
and  congratulated  him." — Livy,  iii.  26. 

The  churches  on  the  left  of  the  Ripetta  are,  first,  ^S^". 
Rocco  e  Martina,  built  1C57,  by  Antonia  de'  Rossi,  with  a 
hospital  adjoining  it. 

"  The  lying-in  hospital  adjoins  the  church  of  San  Rocco.  It  con- 
tains seventy  beds,  furnislied  with  curtains  and  screens,  so  as  to  sepa- 
rate them  effectually.  Females  are  admitted  without  giving  their 
name,  their  country,  or  their  condition  in  life  ;  and  such  is  the  deli- 
cacy observed  in  their  regard,  that  they  are  at  liberty  to  wear  a  veil, 
so  as  to  remain  unknown  even  to  their  attendants,  in  order  to  save 
the  honor  of  their  families,  and  prevent  abortion,  suicide,  or  infanti- 
cide. Even  should  death  ensue,  the  deceased  remains  unknown. 
The  children  are  conveyed  to  Santo  Spirito  ;  and  the  mother  who 
wishes  to  retain  her  offspring,  affixes  a  distinctive  mark,  by  which  it 
may  be  recognized  and  recovered.  To  remove  all  disquietude  from 
the  minds  of  tliose  who  may  enter,  the  establishment  is  exempt  from 
all  civil,  criminal,  and  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction,  and  its  threshold  is 
never  crossed  except  by  persons  connected  with  the  establishment." 
— Dr.  Donovan. 

Then,  opposite  the  bridge,  S.  Girolamo  degli  Schiavoni, 
built  for  Sixtus  V.  by  Fontana.  It  contains,  near  the 
altar,  a  striking  figure  of  S.  Jerome,  seated,  with  a  book 
upon  his  knees. 

We  will  now  follow  the  Corso,  which,  in  spite  of  its 
narrowness,  is  the  finest  street  in  Rome.  It  is  greatly  to 
be  regretted  that  this  street,  which  is  nearly  a  mile  long, 
should  lead  to  nothing,  instead  of  ending  at  the  steps  of 
the  Capitol,  which  would  have  produced  a  striking  effect. 
It  follows  the  line  of  the  ancient  Via  Flaminia,  and  in  con- 
sequence was  once  spanned  by  four  triumphal  arches — of 
Marcus  Aurelius,  Domitian,  Claudius,  and  Gordian — but 
all  these  have  disappeared.  The  Corso  is  perfectly  lined 
with  balconies,  which,  during  the  carnival,  are  filled  with 
gay  groups  of  maskers  flinging  confetti.  These  balconies 
are  a  relic  of  imperial  times,  having  been  invented  at 
Rome,  where  they  were  originally  called  "  Moeniana," 
from  the  tribune  Moenius,  who  designed  them  to  accom- 
modate spectators  of  processions  in  the  streets  below. 

"  The  Corso  is  a  street  a  mile  long  ;  a  street  of  shops,  and  palaces, 
and  private  houses,  sometimes  opening  into  a  broad  piazza.     There 


50 


WALKS  LV  ROME. 


are  verandas  and  balconies,  of  all  shapes  and  sizes,  to  almost  every 
house — not  on  one  story  alone,  but  often  to  one  room  or  another  on 
every  story — put  there  in  general  with  so  liule  order  or  regularity, 
that  if,  year  after  year,  and  season  after  seasoji,  it  had  rained  bal- 
conies, hailed  balconies,  snowed  balconies,  blown  balconies,  they 
could  scarcely  have  come  into  existence  in  a  more  disorderly  man- 
ner. " — Dickcus. 

On  the  left  of  the  Corso  is  the  Augustine  church  of 
Gesii  e  Maria,  with  a  fagade  by  Rijialdi.  Almost  oppo- 
site is  the  church  of  S.  Giacomo  degli  I)icurabili,  by  Carlo 
Maderno.  It  is  attached  to  a  surgical  hospital  for  350 
patients.  In  the  adjoining  Strada  S.  Giacomo  was  the 
studio  of  Canova,  recognizable  by  fragments  of  bas-reliefs 
engrafted  in  its  v/alls. 

Three  streets  beyond  this  (on  right)  is  the  Via  de"  Ponfe- 
fici  (so  called  from  a  series  of  papal  portraits,  nov/  de- 
stroyed, which  formerly  existed  on  the  walls  of  one  of  its 
houses),  where  (No.  57  r)  is  the  entrance  to  the  remains 
of  the  Mausoleum  of  Augustus. 

"  Hard  by  the  banks  of  the  Tiber,  in  the  grassy  meadows  where 
the  Roman  youths  met  in  athletic  and  martial  exercises,  there  rose  a- 
lofty  marble  tower  with  three  retiring  stages,  each  of  which  had  its 
ten^ace  covered  with  earth  and  planted  with  cypresses.  These  stages 
were  pierced  with  numerous  chambers,  destined  to  receive,  row  with- 
in row,  and  story  upon  story,  the  remains  of  every  member  of  the 
imperial  family,  with  many  thousands  of  tlieir  slaves  and  freedmen. 
In  the  center  of  that  massive  mound  the  great  founder  of  the  empire 
was  to  sleep  his  last  sleep,  while  his  statue  was  ordained  to  rise  con- 
spicuous on  its  summit,  and  satiate  its  everlasting  gaze  with  the  view 
of  his  beloved  city." — Merivale. 

The  first  funeral  here  was  that  of  Marcellus,  son  of 
Octavia,  the  sister  of  Augustus,  and  first  husband  of  his 
daughter  Julia,  who  died  of  inalaria  at  Baiac,  B.C.  23. 

"  Quantos  ille  viruni  magnam  Mavortis  ad  urbem 
Campus  aget  gemitus  !  vel  quae  Tiberine,  videbis 
Funera,  cum  tumulum  praeterlabere  recentem  ! 
Nee  puer  Iliaci  (juisquam  de  gente  Latinos 
In  tantum  spe  toilet  avos  ;  ncc  R'-'mula  quondam 
Ullo  se  tantum  teilus  jactabit  alumno. 
Heu  pietas,  heu  prisca  fides,  invictaque  bello 
Dextera  !  non  illi  se  quisquam  impune  tidisset 
Obvius  armato,  seu  quum  pedes  irct  in  hostem, 
Sen  spumantis  cqui  foderet  calcaribus  armos. 
Hen,  miscrancle  puer  !  si  qua  fata  aspera  rumpas, 
Tu  Marcellus  eris." 

Acncid,  vi.  873, 


MAUSOLEUM   OF  AUGUSTUS. 


5» 


The  next  member  of  the  family  buried  here  was  Agrip- 
j^^  the  second  husband  of  Julia,  ob.  12  B.C.  Then  came 
Oceavia,  sister  of  the  Emperor  and  widow  of  yVnthony, 
honored  by  a  public  funeral,  at  which  orations  were  deliv- 
ered by  Augustus  himself,  and  Drusus,  son  of  the  empress 
Livia.  Her  body  was  carried  to  the  tomb  by  Tiberius 
(afterward  emperor)  and  Drusus,  the  two  sons  of  the  em- 
press=  Drusus  (b.c.  9)  died  in  the  German  campaign  by 
a  fall  from  his  horse,  and  was  brought  back  hither  for  in- 
terment. In  A.D.  14  the  great  Augustus  died  at  Nola,  and 
his  body  was  burnt  here  on  a  funeral  pile  so  gigantic,  that 
the  widowed  Livia,  disheveled  and  ungirt,  with  bare  feet, 
attended  by  the  principal  Roman  senators,  had  to  watch 
it  for  five. days  and  nights,  before  it  cooled  sufficiently  for 
them  to  collect  the  ashes  of  the  emperor.  At  the  moment 
of  its  being  lighted  an  eagle  was  let  loose  from  the  summit 
of  the  pyre,  under  which  form  a  senator  named  Numerius 
Atticus,  was  induced,  by  a  gift  from  Livia  equivalent  to 
250,000  francs,  to  swear  that  he  saw  the  spirit  of  Augustus 
fly  away  to  heaven.  Then  came  Germanicus,  son  of  the 
first  Drusus,  and  nephew  of  Tiberius,  ob.  a.d.  19,  at 
Antioch,  were  he  was  believed  to  have  been  poisoned  by 
Piso  and  his  wife  Plancina.  Then  in  a.d.  23,  Drusus,  son 
of  Tiberius,  poisoned  by  his  w^ife,  Livilla,  and  her  lover, 
Sejanus  ;  then  the  empress  Livia,  who  died  a.d.  29,  at 
the  age  of  86.  Agrippina,  widow  of  Germanicus  (ob.  a.d. 
33),  starved  to  death,  and  her  tv/o  sons,  Nero  and  Drusus, 
also  murdered  by  Tiberius,  were  long  excluded  from  the 
family  sepulchre,  but  v/ere  eventually  brought  hither  by 
the  youngest  brother  Caius,  afterward  the  emperor  Calig- 
ula. Tiberius,  who  died  a.d.  37,  at  the  villa  of  Lucullus 
at  Misenum,  was  brought  here  for  burial.  The  ashes  of 
Caligula,  murdered  a.d.  41,  and  first  buried  in  the  Horti 
Lamiani  on  the  Esquiline,  were  transferred  here  by  his 
sisters.  In  his  reign  Antonia,  the  widow  of  Drusus  and 
mother  of  Germanicus,  had  died,  and  her  ashes  were  laid 
up  here.  The  Emperor  Claudius,  a.d.  54,  murdered  by 
Agrippina ;  his  son,  Britannicus,  a.d.  55,  murdered  by 
Nero  ;  and  the  Emperor  Nerva,  a.d.  98,  were  the  latest 
inmates  of  the  mausoleum. 

The  last  cremation  which  occurred  here  was  long  after 
the  mausoleum  had  fallen  into  ruin,  when  the  body  of  the 


52 


WALKS  I.V  ROME. 


tribune  Rienzi,  after  having  hung  for  two  days  at  S.  Mar- 
cello,  was  ordered  to  be  burnt  here  by  Jugurta  and  Scia- 
retta  and  was  consumed  by  a  vast  multitude  of  Jews  (out 
of  flattery  to  the  Colonna,  their  neighbors  at  the  Ghetto), 
"in  a  fire  of  dry  thistles,  till  it  was  reduced  to  ashes,  and 
no  fiber  of  it  remained." 

There  is  nothing  now  remaining  to  testify  to  the  former 
magnificence  of  this  building.  The  area  is  used  as  a 
theater,  where  amusing  little  plays  are  very  well  acted. 
Among  its  massive  cells  a  poor  washerwoman,  known  as 
"  Sister  Rose,"  established,  in  the  middle  of  the  present 
century,  a  kind  of  hospital  for  aged  women  (several  of 
them  centenarians),  whom  she  supported  entirely  by  her 
own  exertions,  having  originally  begun  by  taking  care  of 
one  old  woman,  and  gradually  adding  another  and  another. 
The  English  church  service  was  first  performed  in  Rome 
in  the  Palazzo  Correa,  adjoining  this  building. 

Opposite  the  Via  de'  Pontefici,  the  Via  Vittoria  leaves 
the  Corso.  To  the  Ursuline  convent  in  this  street  (founded 
by  Camilla  Borghese  in  the  seventeenth  century)  Madame 
Victoire  and  Madame  Adelaide  ("tantes  du  Roi  ")  fled  in 
the  beginning  of  the  great  French  revolution,  and  here  they 
died. 

The  Church  of  S.  Carlo  in  Corso  (on  right)  is  the  na- 
tional church  of  the  Lombards.  It  is  a  handsome  build- 
ing with  a  fine  dome.  The  interior  was  commenced  by 
Lung  hi  in  1614,  and  finished  by  Pictro  da  Cortona.  It 
contains  no  objects  of  interest,  unless  a  picture  of  the 
Apotheosis  of  S.  Carlo  Borromeo  (the  patron  of  the 
church),  over  the  high  altar,  by  Carlo  Maratia,  can  be 
called  so.  The  heart  of  the  saint  is  preserved  under  the 
altar. 

Just  beyond  this  on  the  left,  the  Via  Condoiti  (named 
from  the  aqueduct  of  Trevi,  which  runs  beneath  it) — almost 
lined  with  jewelers'  shops — branches  off  to  the  Piazza  di 
Spagna.  'Fhe  Trinicd  de'  Monti  is  seen  beyond  it.  The 
opposite  street.  Via  Fontanella,  leads  to  S.  Peter's,  and  in 
five  minutes  to  the  magnificent — 

Palazzo  Borghese^  begun  in  1 590  by  Cardinal  Deza,  from 
designs  of  Martino  Lunghi,  and  finished  by  Paul  V. 
(Camillo  Borghese,  1605-21),  from  those  of  Flaminio  Pon- 
zio.     The  cloistered  courtyard  has  a  beautiful  open  arcade 


PALAZZO   l.ORGHESE. 


53 


The  apartments  inhabited  by  the  family  arc  handsome, 
but  contain  few  objects  of  interest. 

"  In  the  leigii  of  Paul  V.  tlie  Borghese  became  llie  wealthiest  and 
most  powerful  family  in  Rome.  In  the  year  i6i£,  the  church  bene- 
fices already  conferred  upon  Cardinal  Scipione  Ijorghese  were  com- 
puted to  secure  him  an  income  of  150.000  scudi.  The  temporal 
offices  were  bestowed  on  Marc-Antonio  Borghese,  on  whom  the  Pope 
also  conferred  the  principality  of  Sulmona  in  Naples,  besides  giving 
him  rich  palaces  i.i  Rome  and  tlu  most  beautiful  villas  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. He  loaded  his  nephews  with  presents;  we  have  a  list  of 
them  through  his  whole  reign  down  to  the  year  1620.  They  are  some- 
times jewels  or  vessels  of  silver,  or  magnificent  furniture,  which  was 
taken  directly  from  the  stores  of  the  palace  and  sent  to  the  nephews; 
at  other  times  carriages,  rich  arms,  as  muskets  and  falconets,  were 
presented  to  them ;  but  the  principal  thing  was  the  round  sums  of 
hard  money.  These  accounts  make  it  appear  that  to  the  year  1620, 
they  had  received  in  ready  money  689,627  scudi,  31  baj ;  in  luoghi  di 
monte,  24,600  scudi,  according  to  their  nominal  value;  in  places,  com- 
p.iting  them  at  the  sum  their  sale  would  have  brought  to  the  treasury, 
268,176  scudi;  all  which  amounted,  as  in  tho  case  of  the  Aldobrandini, 
to  nearly  a  million. 

"  Nor  did  the  Borghese  neglect  to  invest  their  wealth  in  real  prop- 
erty. They  acquired  eighty  estates  in  the  Campagna  of  Rome;  the 
Roman  nobles  suffering  themselves  to  be  tempted  into  the  sale  of 
their  ancient  hereditary  domain  by  the  large  prices  paid  them,  and  by 
the  high  rate  of  interest  borne  by  the  luoghi  di  monte,  which  tliey 
purchased  with  the  money  thus  acquired.  In  many  other  parts  of  the 
Ecclesiastical  States,  the  Bjrghese  also  seated  themselves,  the  Pope 
facilitating  their  doing  so  by  the  grant  of  peculiar  privileges.  I11  some 
places,  for  example,  they  received  the  right  of  restoring  exiles  ;  in 
others,  that  of  holding  a  market,  or  certain  exemptions  were  granted 
to  those  who  became  their  vassals.  They  were  freed  from  various 
imposts,  and  even  obtained  a  bull,  by  virtue  of  which  their  posses- 
sions were  never  to  be  confiscated." — Raiike,  Hist,  of  the  Popes. 

"  Si  L'on  peut  reprocher  a  Paul,  avec  Muratori,  ses  liberalites 
envers  ses  neveux,  envers  le  Cardinal  Scipion,  envers  le  due  de  Sul- 
mone,  il  est  juste  d'ajouter  quelaplupart  desmembresde  cette  noble 
famille  rivali^erent  avec  le  pape  de  magnificence  et  de  generosite.  Or, 
chaque  annee,  Paul  V.  distribuait  un  million  d'ecus  d'or  aux  pelerins 
pauvres  et  un  million  et  demi  aux  autres  necessiteux.  C'est  a  lui  que 
remonte  la  fondation  de  la  banque  du  Saint-Esprit,  dont  les  riches 
immeubles  servirent  d'hypotheques  aux  depots  qui  lui  furent  confies. 
Mais  ce  fut  surtout  dans  les  constructions  qu'il  entreprit,  que  Paul  V. 
deploya  une  royale  magnificence." — Gournei ie. 

"  The  Palazzo  Borghese  is  an  immense  edifice  standing  round  the 
four  sides  of  a  quadrangle  ;  and  though  the  saile  of  rooms  comprising 
the  picture  gallery  forms  an  almost  interminable  vista,  they  occupy 
only  a  part  of  the  ground  floor  of  one  side.  We  enter  from  the  street 
into  a  large  court  surrounded  with  a  corridor,  the  arches  of  which 
support  a  second  series  of  arches  above.     The  picture-rooms  open 


j4  W^ILKS  IN  ROME. 

from  one  into  another,  and  have  many  points  of  magnificence,  being 
large  and  lofty,  with  vaulted  ceilings  and  beautiful  frescoes,  generally 
of  mylhological  subjects,  in  llie  ilal  central  parts  of  the  vault.  The 
cornices  are  gilded  ;  the  deep  embrasures  of  the  windows  are  paneled 
with  wood-work  ;  .the  doorways  are  of  polished  and  variegated  mar- 
ble, or  covered  with  a  composition  as  hard,  and  seemingly  as  durable. 
The  whole  has  a  kind  of  splendid  shabbiness  thrown  over  it,  like  a 
slight  coating  of  rust  ;  the  furniture,  at  least  the  damask  chairs,  being 
a  good  deal  v/orn  ;  though  there  are  marble  and  mosaic  tables  which 
may  ser\'e  to  adorn  another  palace,  v/hen  this  has  crumbled  away 
with  age." — Haiutlionie. 

The  Borghese  Picture  Gallery  is  the  best  private  col- 
lection in  Rome,  and  is  open  to  the  public  on  Mondays, 
Wednesdays,  and  Fridays,  from  9  to  3.  The  gallery  is 
entered  from  the  side  of  the  palace  toward  the  Piazza  Bor- 
ghese. It  contains  several  gems,  which  are  here  marked 
with  an  asterisk  ;  noticeable  pictures  are  : 

\st  Roo7n. — Schools  of  Milan  and  Perugia. 

1.  Saudro  BotlkcUi  :  Holy  Family. 

2.  Lorenzo  di  Crcdi  :  Holy  Family. 

3.  Paris  Alfani  :  Madonna  and  Angels. 

4.  Lorenzo  di  Credi  :  His  own  Portrait. 
27,  28.  li^noto  :  Petrarch  and  Laura. 

32.  Si  hoo!  0/  Leonardo  :  S.  Agatha. 

33.  School  of  Leonardo  :  The  Young  Christ. 

34.  School  of  Fi-7-ttgino  :  Madonna. 

35.  Naffaelle  :  Raffaelle  as  a  boy. 

36.  Ltppo  Lippi  :  Savonarola. 

43,  Francesco  Francia  ?  Madonna. 

44.  C.  CrivelU  ?  Calvario. 
43.   Peruf^tJto  :  S.  Sebastian. 

49.  57.  P/n/ioiechio  :  History  of  Joseph. 

59.    SkeLh  attributed  to  Raffael'e  when youn;^:  Presepio. 

61.  Francesco  Francia  :     S.  Antonio.* 

66.  Mazzolino  :  Presepio. 

67.  Ortolano  :  Adoration  of  the  Child  Jesus. 
69.   Pollajnolo  :  Holy  Family. 

2d  Room. — Chiefly  of  the  school  of  Garofalo. 

6.   Carofalo  :  Madonna  and  Cliild,witli  S.Joseph  and  S.  Michael. 

9.   Garofalo  :  The  Mourners  over  the  Dead  Christ."^ 
18.    Giulio  Romano,  after  Raffael'e  :  Portrait  of  Julius  II. 
21.   Bronzino?  caVed  Raffaelle  :  Portrait  of  a  Cardinal.* 
24.   School  of  Raffaelle  :  ■'  Madonna  col  divin'  amore."* 
26.  Bronzino  aUrilniicd  ij  Raffaelle  :  Portrait  of  Civsar  Borgia.*' 

'  All  authorities  acrree  that  this  beautiful  portrait  is  not  the  work  of  Rafiaeile 
Kugler  also  denies  t.nat  it  is  the  likeness  of  Caesar  Borgia. 


PALAZZO  BORGHESE.  e;s- 

«^  J 

29.  Bronzino  :  Portrait  of  a  (naked)  Woman. 
35.  Andrea  del  Sarto  :  Holy  Family. 
38.  Raffaelle  :  Entombment.* 

"  This  picture  was  the  last  work  of  Raffaelle  before  he  went  to 
Rome.  It  has  a  touching  story.  It  was  painted  for  Atalanta  Ba- 
giioni,  Ihe  mothei  of  the  young  chieftain  Grifone,  slain  in  a  street  con- 
flict in  the  streets  of  Perugia,  July  15,  1500.  Being  absent  in  the 
country  at  the  time,  Atalanta  was  recalled  to  her  dying  son,  with  his 
young  wife  Zenobia.  As  she  approached,  his  murderers  stood  aside, 
dreading  her  malediction,  but  were  surprised  by  her  exhorting  him  to 
pardon  them  with  his  dying  breath.  In  the  picture  Atalanta  after- 
wards '  laid  her  own  maternal  sorrows  at  the  feet  of  a  yet  higher  and 
holier  suffering.'  It  was  placed  by  her  in  a  chapel  in  S.  Francesco 
de'  Conventuali  at  Perugia  :  Paul  V.  bought  it  for  the  Borghese. 
The  '  Faith,  Hope,  and  Charity '  at  the  Vatican,  formed  a  predella  for 
this  picture. 

"  Raffaelle's  picture  of  '  Bearing  of  the  Body  of  Christ  to  the  Sepul- 
chi'e,'  though  meriting  all  its  fame  in  respect  of  drawing,  expression, 
and  knowledge,  has  lost  all  signs  of  reverential  feeling  in  the  persons 
of  the  bearers.  The  reduced  size  of  the  winding-sheet  is  to  blame 
for  this,  by  bringing  them  rudely  in  contact  with  their  precious  bur- 
den. Nothing  can  be  finer  than  their  figures,  or  more  satisfactory 
than  their  labor,  if  we  forget  what  it  is  they  are  carrying  ;  but  it  is 
the  weight  of  the  burden  only,  and  not  the  character  of  it,  which  the 
painter  has  kept  in  view,  and  we  feel  that  the  result  would  have  been 
the  same  had  these  figures  been  carrying  a  sack  of  sand.  Here,  from 
the  youth  of  the  figure,  the  bearer  at  the  feet  appears  to  be  St. 
John." — Lady  Eastlake. 

40.  Fra  Bartolomvieo :  Holy  Family. 

43.  Fr.  Francia  :    Madonna.* 

44.  Sodoma :    Madonna. 

51.   Francesco  F7-aiuia  :  S.  Stephen  (splendid  in  color).* 

59.  Mazzolino  :  Adoration  of  the  Magi. 

60.  Garofalo  :   Presepio. 

65.   Copy  of  the  Raffaelle  at  the  Palazzo  Barberini,  Ginlio  Romaito  ? 

The  Fornarina. 
69.    Copy  of  Raffaelle  by  Giulio  Romano  :  8.  John  Baptist  in  the 

Wilderness. 

^d  Room. — Chiefly  of  the  school  of  Andrea  del  Sarto. 
(The  works  of  this  painter  are  often  confounded  with  those 
of  his  disciple,  Domenico  Puligo.) 

1.  Andrea  Solaria:  Christ  bearing  the  Cross. 

2.  Parniigianino :  Portrait. 

5.   Bronzino j*    "Noli  me  tangere." 
II.  Dosso  Dossi  :  The  Sorceress  Circe.* 
13.   Solaiio?  Mater  Dolorosa. 
22.    School  of  Raffaelle  :  Holy  Family. 
21.  A.  del  Sarto  :  Madonna  and  Child,  with  three  children. 


£6  IVALICS  I.V  ROME. 

23.  A.  del  Sarto :  Madonna,  Child  and  S.  John. 
29.  Fierino  del  Vaga  :  Madonna,  Child,   S.  John,   and  S.  Eliza- 
beth. 
33.  Pierino  del  Vaga  :  Holy  Family. 

35.  A.   del  Sarto  :  Venus  and  Cupids. 

40.   Correggio :  Danae.*     In  the  corner  of  this  picture  are  the 

celebrated  Cupids  sharpening  an  arrow. 
42.   Bronzino  :  Cosimo  de'  Medici. 
46.   School  of  Correggio  :  The  Reading  Magdalene,  a  copy  of  the 

picture  at  Dresden. 

48.  Sebastian  del  Piombo  :  The  Flagellation.* 

49.  A.  del  Sarto  :  S.  M.  Magdalene. 

4I/1  RoojH. — Bolognese  school. 

1.  Ann.  Carracci :  Entombment.* 

2.  Domenichino :  S.  Cecilia,  usually  called  the  Cumaean  Sibyl.* 
15.    Guido  Cagnacei :  A  Sibyl. 

iS.  Cigoli :  S.  Francis. 

20.  Guido  Reni  :  S.  Joseph. 

23.  Ann.  Carracci :  S.  Francis. 

29.  Ann.  Carracci:  S.  Dominic. 

36.  Carlo  Dolce  :   Madonna. 

37.  Carlo  Dolce  :  Mater  Dolorosa. 

38.  41.  Fiuino:  Two  heads  for  an  Annunciation. 

42.  Carlo  Dolce :  Head  of  Christ. 

43.  Sassoferrato :  Madonna. 

5M  Ro07n. — 

II,  12,  13,  14.   Fr.  Albani :  The  Four  Seasons. 

"  The  Seasons,  by  Francesco  Albani,  were,  beyond  all  others,  my 
favorite  pieces  ;  the  beautiful,  joyous,  angel-children — the  Loves, 
were  as  if  creations  of  my  own  dreams.  How  deliciously  they  were 
staggering  about  in  the  picture  of  Spring  !  A  crowd  of  them  were 
sharpening  arrows,  whilst  one  of  them  turned  round  the  great  grind- 
stone, and  two  others,  floating  above,  poured  water  upon  it.  In  Sum- 
mer, they  flew  about  among  the  tree-branches,  which  were  loaded 
with  fruit,  which  they  plucked  ;  they  swam  in  the  fresh  water,  and 
played  with  it.  Autumn  brought  the  pleasures  of  the  chase.  Cupid 
sits,  with  a  torch  in  his  liand,  in  his  little  chariot,  which  two  of  his 
companions  draw  ;    while  Love    beckons  to  the    brisk  hunter,  and 

•  Domenichino  may  be  studied  at  Rome  better  than  anywhere  else.    His 

Erincipal  frescoes  include — the  fov:r  Evanfrelists  of  the  tribune  and  cupola  of 
.  Andrea  dclla  Valle,  the  four  allegorical  fijjures  at  S.  Carlo  a  Catinari,  the 
Martyrdom  of  S.  Andrew  at  S.  Grecfono,  the  Martyrdom  of  .S.  Sebastian  at  S. 
Maria  desH  Angcli,  the  ccilini^  of  the  principal  chapel  of  S.  Silvestro  a  Monte 
Cavallo,tlie  Assumption  on  the  ceiling-  of  S.  Maria  in  Trastevere,  the  episodes 
in  the  life  of  S.  Jerome  in  the  portico  of  S.  Onofrio,  the  frescoes  of  the  chapel  of 
S.  Cecilia  in  S.  Luiffi  dci  Fr.inccsi.  His  principal  pictures  include— the  Com- 
munion of  .S.  Jerome  at  the  Vatican,  the  Ecstasy  of  S.  Francis  at  the  Cappuccini, 
the  Deliverance  of  S.  Peter  at  S.  Pictro  in  Vincoli,  the  Bath  of  Diana  and  the 
Sibyl  at  the  Palazzo  Borghcse,  another  Sibyl  at  the  Capitol,  Saul  and  David  at 
the  Palazzo  Rospigliosi,  and  the  Terrestrial  Paradise  at  the  Palazzo  Barl)erini. 


PALAZZO   BORGHESE. 


57 


shows  him  the  place  where  they  can  rest  themselves  side  by  side. 
Winter  has  lulled  all  the  little  ones  to  sleep  ;  soundly  and  fast  they 
lie  slumbering  around.  The  Nymphs  steal  their  quivers  and  arrows, 
which  they  throw  on  the  fire,  that  there  may  be  an  end  of  the  dan- 
gerous weapons." — Andersen  in  The  Jmpiovisatore. 

15.  Dovtenichino :  La  Caccia  di  Diana,*  one  of  the  most  famous 

works  of  the  master  from  profane  history. 
25.  F.  Zitcclicro :  The  Deposition,  with  Angels. 

6//^  Room. — 

I.  Giiercino :  Madonna. 

5.  Gnercino  :  Return  of  the  Prodigal  Son. 

7.  Pietro  da  Cortona  :  Portrait  of  G.  Ghislieri. 

10.  Ribera :  S.  Stanislaus  with  the  Child  Jesus,*  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  works  of  the  master. 

12.  Valentin :  Joseph  interpreting  the  Dreams  in  Prison. 

13.  An  indifferent  copv  from  Titiaiihy  Sassoferrato  :  The  Three 

Ages  of  Man.l 
l8.    Sassoferrato :  Madonna. 
22.  Baroccio  :  Flight  of  Aeneas  from  Troy. 

1th  Room. — Richly  decorated  with  mirrors,  painted  with 
Cupids  by  Girofi,7'i^  and  wreaths  of  flowers  by  Mario  de 
Fiori. 

Wi  Room. — Contains  nothing  of  importance,  except  a 
mosaic  portrait  of  Paul  V.  by  Marcello  Provenzali. 

gth  Roo7n. — Contains  several  interesting  frescoes. 

1.  The  Nuptials  of  Alexander  and  Roxana. 

2.  The  Nuptials  of  Vertumnus  and  Pomona. 

3.  "II  Bersaglio  dei  Dei." 

"  These  three  frescoes  were  brought  hither  from  the  Casino  of  Raf- 
faelle,  in  the  Villa  Borghese  (destroyed  in  the  siege  of  Rome  in  1849), 
and  are  supposed  to  have  been  painted  by  some  of  Raffaelle's  pupils 
from  his  designs.  The  other  frescoes  in  this  room  are  by  Gittlio  Ro- 
mano, and  were  removed  from  the  Villa  Lante,  when  it  was  turned 
into  a  convent." 

\oth  Room. — 

2.    Titian  :  Cupid  blindfolded  by  Venus. 

4.  School  of  Titian  :  Judith. 

9.  Lorenzo  Lotto  {Pordetione  in  the  Catalogue):  Portrait. 

13.  Gio?-^ione  :  David  with  the  head  of  Goliath.* 

14.  Paul   Veronese :  S.  John  the  Baptist  preaching  (unfinished). 

16.  Titian  :  S   Domenic. 
Ig.  Giao.  Bassano  :  Portrait. 

21.    Titian  :  "Sacred  and  Profane  Love."* 

»  See  Ku^ler,  ii.  449. 


58  WALK'S  IX  ROME. 

"  La  Fahle  et  la  Verite  ferait  un  meilleur  litre,  mais  le  litre  exact 
devrait  etre  la  Nature  et  la  Civilisation." — E.  AIoiiL'gut. 

"Out  of  Venice  there  is  nothing  of  Titian's  to  compare  to  his 
Sacred  and  Profane  Love.  It  represents  two  figures:  one,  a  heavenly 
and  youthful  form,  unclothed,  except  with  a  light  drapery  ;  the  other, 
a  lovely  female,  dressed  in  the  most  splendid  attire  ;  both  are  sitting 
on  the  brink  of  a  well,  into  which  a  little  winged  Love  is  groping, 
apparently  to  find  his  lost  dart.  .  .  .  Description  can  give  no  idea  of 
the  consummate  beauty  of  this  composition.  It  has  all  Titian's  match- 
less warmth  of  coloring,  with  a  correctness  of  design  no  other  painter  of 
the  Venetian  school  ever  attained.  It  is  nature,  but  not  individual 
nature  :  it  is  ideal  beauty  in  all  its  perfection,  and  breathing  life  in 
all  its  truth,  that  we  behold." — Eaton's  Rome. 

"  Two  female  forms  are  seated  on  the  edge  of  a  sarcophagus-shaped 
fountain  ;  the  one  in  a  rich  \'enetian  costume,  with  gloves,  flowers  in 
her  hands,  and  a  plucked  rose  beside  her,  is  in  deep  meditation,  as  if 
solving  some  difficult  question.  The  other  is  unclothed  ;  a  red  dra- 
pery is  falling  behind  her,  while  she  exhibits  a  form  of  the  utmost 
beauty  and  delicacy  ;  she  is  turning  towards  the  other  figure  with  the 
sweetest  persuasiveness  of  expression.  A  Cupid  is  playing  in  the 
fountain  ;  in  the  distance  is  a  rich,  glowing  landscape." — Kugler. 

iith  Room. — Veronese  school. 

1.  Lorenzo  Lotto :  mdviii.  :    Madonna  with  S.  Onofrio  and  S. 

Augustine. 

2.  P.   Veronese?  S.  Anthony  preaching  to  the  Fishes. 
II.  Ltica  Gambia  so  :  Venus  and  Cupid  on  Dolphins. 

14.  Aud.  Schiavone :  Last  Supper. 

15.  Bonifazio  :  Christ  and  the  Mother  of  Zebedee's  Children. 

16.  Bonifazio  :  Return  of  the  Prodigal  Son.* 

17.  Titian  :  Samson. 

18.  Bonifazio:  Christ  and  the  Woman  taken  in  Adultery. 

19.  Giovanni  dei   Libri  {Raima   Vccchio  in  the  catalogue):  Ma- 

donna and  Saints.  In  this  picture  the  donors  are  intro- 
duced— the  head  of  the  man  is  grandly  devout  and  beau- 
tiful. 

20.  P.   Veronese:  Venus  with  a  Satyr  and  Amorino. 
25.    Titian?  Portrait  of  Himself. 

27.  Antonello  da  Messina  :  Portrait. 

31.  Giov.  Bellini  :  Madonna  and  S.  Peter. 

32.  Raima  Vecchio :  Holy  Family. 

33.  Bart.  IJcino  da  Pordcnonc  :  Portrait  of  the  Family  of  Licini 

da  Pordenone. 

12///  Room. — Dutch  and  German  school. 

1.    Vandyke  :  Crucifixion. 

7.  Vandyke  :  Entombment. 

8.  Teniers  :  Tavern  Scene. 

9.  Broiierer  :  A  Surgical  Operation. 

19.  Albert  Diircr?  Louis  VI,  of  Bavaria. 

20.  Jlolbein  :  Portrait. 


PALAZZO  RUSPOLI.  59 

"        21.    Wou'i'erinanti  :  Landscape  and  Horses. 
22.  Paul  Potter  :  Cattle  piece. 
24.   Holbein:  Portrait. 

26.  Berghem  :  Skating  (in  brown). 

27.  Vandyke:  Portrait. 

44.   Ltccas  Cranach  :  Venus  and  Cupid. 

"Sous  I'ombre  opaque  d'une  foret,  les  pieds  dans  une  herbe  epaisse 
et  mouillee,  se  dresse,  comme  un  fantome  diabolique,  une  grande 
femme  nue,  aux  chairs  blanches,  a  la  tete  blonde,  coiffee  d'une  toque 
seigneuriale  de  velours.  C'est  un  grand  ver  humain  ne  de  I'humidite 
de  la  terre,  une  fille  de  I'ombre  et  des  solitudes  verdoyantes." — Emile 
Moiitegnt. 

The  Palazzctto  Borghese  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
piazza,  originally  intended  as  a  dower-house  for  the  family, 
is  now  let  in  apartments.  It  is  this  house  which  is  described 
as  the  "  Palazzo  Clementi,"  in  Afademoiselle  Mori. 

At  the  corner  of  the  Via  Fontaneila  and  the  Corso  is 
the  handsome /'rt/d:;:^^  ^//j^^//,  built  in  1586  (when  the 
situation  was  almost  in  the  open  iields),  by  Ammanati, 
for  one  of  the  Ruccellaj  family,  on  the  site  of  the  gardens 
called  Orti  Ruccellaj.  It  soon  passed  into  the  hands  of 
the  Caetani,  and  the  central  entrance  toward  the  Corso 
was  walled  up  where  one  of  the  Caetani  was  killed  by  one 
of  the  Orsini  upon  the  threshold,  and  has  never  been  used 
since.  The  palace  was  lost  by  the  Caetani  in  the  last  cent- 
ury, in  part  payment  of  a  gambling  debt,  to  the  banker 
Ruspoli  of  Siena.  Vittoria,  the  banker's  daughter,  mar- 
ried a  Mariscotti  of  Bologna,  and  received  a  regal  dowry 
from  her  father  on  condition  that  her  husband  should  take 
the  name  of  Ruspoli,  and  that  her  descendants  should 
never  aspire  to  a  higher  title  than  that  of  a  marquis.  In 
violation  of  this  her  son  Francesco  purchased  from  the 
Orsini  the  fief  of  Cervetri,  and  never  relaxed  his  efforts 
till  he  was  created  a  prince.  The  famous  Giustiniani 
collection  of  sculpture  described  by  Venuti  was  long 
shown  in  this  palace.  Each  step  of  the  staircase  of  155 
steps  is  formed  of  a  solid  block  of  Parian  marble,  and  cost 
80  gold  scudi  at  the  time  it  was  built.  Beyond  this  are 
the  insignificant  palaces,  Fiano,  Verospi,  and  Teodoli. 

"  Les  palais  de  Rome,  bien  que  n'ayant  pas  un  caractere  original 
comme  ceux  de  Florence  ou  de  Venise,  n'en  sont  pas  moinscependant 
un  des  traits  de  la  ville  des  papes.  lis  n'appartiennent  ni  au  moyen 
age,  ni  a  la  renaissance  (le  Palais   de  Venise  seul  rappelle   les  con" 


6o  IVALA'S  /.V  AWM/:. 

structions  massives  de  Florence) ;  ils  sont  des  modeles  d'architecture 
civile  moderne.  Les  Biamanle,  les  Sangallo,  Its  Balthazar  Peruzzi. 
qui  les  ont  batis,  sont  des  maitres  qu'on  ne  se  lasse  pas  d'etudier.  La 
magiiiiicence  de  ces  palais  reside  principalemeut  dans  leur  architect- 
ure et  dans  les  collections  artistiques  que  quelques-uns  contiennent. 
Un  certain  nombre  sont  malheureusemcnt  dans  un  tnste  etat  d'aban- 
don.  De  plus,  a  I'exceplion  d'un  tres-petit  nombre,  ils  sont  restes 
inacheves.  Cela  se  con9oit  ;  presque  tons  sont  le  produit  du  luxe 
ceKbataire  des  papes  ou  des  cardinaux  ;  tres-peu  de  ces  person nages 
ont  pu  voir  la  fin  de  ce  qu'ils  avaient  commence.  Leurs  heritiers, 
pour  la  plupart,  se  souciaient  fort  pen  de  jeter  les  richesses  qu'ils 
venaient  d'acquerir  dans  les  edifices  de  luxe  et  de  vanite.  A  I'inte- 
rieur,  le  plus  souvent,  est  un  mobilier  rare,  suranne,  et  mesquin." — 
A.  dn  Fays.' 

The  Palazzo  Bernini  (151  Corso),  on  the  left,  has,  inside 
its  entrance,  a  curious  statue  of  "Calumny"  by  Berfuni, 
with  an  inscription  relative  to  his  own  sufferings  from 
slander. 

On  the  right,  the  small  Piazza  of  S.  Lorenzo  opens  out 
of  the  Corso.  Here  is  the  Church  of  S.  Lore?izo  in  Liicina, 
founded  in  the  fifth  century,  but  rebuilt  in  its  present  form 
by  Paul  V.  in  1606.  The  campanile  is  of  an  older  date, 
and  so  are  the  lions  in  the  portico. 

"  When  the  lion,  or  other  wild  beast,  appears  in  the  act  of  j^reying 
on  a  smaller  animal  or  on  a  man,  is  implied  the  severity  of  the  Church 
towards  the  impenitent  or  heretical ;  but  when  in  the  act  of  sporting 
with  another  creature,  her  benignity  towards  the  neopliite  and  the 
docile.  -At  the  portal  of  S.  Lorenzo  in  Lucina,  this  idea  is  carried  out 
in  the  figure  of  a  mannikin  affectionately  stroking  the  head  of  the 
terrible  creature  who  protects,  instead  of  devouring  him." — Ncnians' 
Christian  Art. 

No  one  should  omit  seeing  the  grand  picture  of  Guido 
Reni,  over  the  high  altar  of  this  church — the  Crucifixion, 
seen  against  a  wild,  stormy  sky.  Nicolas  Poussin,  ob. 
1660,  is  buried  here,  and  one  of  his  best-known  Arcadian 
landscapes  is  reproduced  in  a  bas-relief  upon  his  tomb, 
which  was  erected  by  Chateaubriand,  with  the  epitaph  : 

"  Parce  piis  lacrj'mis,  vivit  Pussinus  in  urna, 
Vivus  qui  dederat,  nescius  ipse  mori. 
Ilic  tamen  ipse  silet ;  si  vis  audire  loqucntem, 
Mirum  est,  in  tabulis  vivit,  et  eloquitur." 

In  "The  Ring  and  the  Book"  of  Browning,  this  church 

'  Of  the  many  Handbooks  for  Italy  which  have  appeared,  perhaps  that  of  Du 
Pays  iin  one  volume)  is  the  most  comprehensive,  and — as  far  as  its  very  con- 
densed form  allows— much  the  most  interesting. 


S.    LORENZO  IX  LUCIA' A.  6t 

is  the  scene  of  Pompilia's  baptism  and  marriage.     She  is 
made  to  say  : 

— "  This  S.  Lorenzo  seems 
My  own  particular  place,  I  always  say. 
I  used  to  wonder,  when  I  stood  scarce  high 
As  the  bed  here,  what  the  marble  lion  meant, 
Eating  the  figure  of  a  prostrate  man." 

Here  the  bodies  of  her  parents  are  represented  as  being 
exposed  after  the  murder  : 

— "beneath  the  piece 
Of  Master  Guido  Reni,  Christ  on  Cross, 
Second  to  naught  observable  in  Rome." 

On  the  left,  where  the  Via  della  Vite  turns  out  of  the 
Corso,  an  inscription  in  the  wall  records  the  destruction, 
in  1665,  of  the  triumphal  arch  of  Marcus  Aurelius,  which 
existed  here  till  that  time.  The  magnificence  of  this 
arch  is  attested  by  the  bas-reliefs  representing  the  history 
of  the  emperor,  which  were  removed  from  it,  and  are  pre- 
served on  the  staircase  of  the  palace  of  the  Conservators. 

"  Les  Barbares  n'en  savaient  pas  assez  et  n'avaient  pas  assez  de 
patience  pour  demolir  les  monuments  remains  ;  mais,  avec  les  res- 
sources  de  la  science  moderne  et  a  la  suite  d'une  administration  re'gu- 
liere,  on  est  venu  a  bout  de  presque  tout  ce  que  le  temps  avait  epargne. 
II  y  avait,  par  exemple,  au  commencement  du  xvi<=.  siecle,  quatre  arcs 
de  triomphe  qui  n'existent  plus  ;  le  dernier,  celui  de  Marc-Aurele,  a 
ete  enleve  par  le  pape  Alexandre  VII.  On  lit  encore  dans  le  Corso 
I'inconcevable  inscription  dans  laquelle  le  pape  se  vante  d'avoir  de- 
barrasse  la  promenade  publique  de  ce  monument,  qui,  vu  sa  date, 
devait  etre  d'un  beau  style." — Ampere,    Voyage  Danlesijue. 

A  little  further  down  the  Corso,  on  the  left,  the  Via  delle 
Convertite  leads  to  S.  Silvestro  in  Capite,  one  of  three 
churches  in  Rome  dedicated  to  the  sainted  pope  of  the 
time  of  Constantine.  This,  like  S.  Lorenzo,  has  a  fine 
mediaeval  campanile.  The  day  of  S.  Sylvester's  death, 
December  31  (a.d.  335),  is  kept  here  with  great  solemnity, 
and  is  celebrated  by  magnificent  musical  services.  This 
pope  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Priscilla,  whence  his 
remains  were  removed  to  S.  Martino  al  Monte.  The  title 
"  In  Capite  "  is  given  to  this  church  on  account  of  the 
head  of  S.  John  Baptist,  which  it  professes  to  possess,  as 
is  narrated  by  an  inscription  engrafted  into  its  walls. 


62  JVALA'S  IV  ROME. 

The  convent  attached  to  this  church  was  founded  in 
1 318,  especially  for  noble  sisters  of  the  house  of  Colonna 
who  dedicated  themselves  to  God.  Here  it  was  that  the 
celebrated  Vittoria  Colonna,  Marchesa  di  Pescara,  came  to 
reside  in  1525,  when  widowed  in  her  thirty-sixth  year,  and 
here  she  began  to  write  her  sonnets,  a  kind  of  *'  In  Memo- 
riam,"  to  her  husband.  It  is  a  curious  proof  of  the  value 
placed  upon  her  remaining  in  the  world,  that  Pope  Clem- 
ent VII.  was  persuaded  to  send  a  brief  to  the  abbess  and 
nuns,  desiring  them  to  offer  her  "  all  spiritual  and  temporal 
consolations,"  but  forbidding  them,  under  pain  of  the  great- 
er excommunication,  to  permit  her  to  take  the  veil  in  her 
affliction. '  The  buildings  of  this  convent  are  now  used  as 
the  Post  Office. 

(At  the  end  of  this  street,  continued  under  the  name  of 
Via  di  Mercede  [No.  1 1  was  the  residence  of  Bernini,  and 
is  also  marked  by  a  tablet  as  the  house  where  Sir  W.  Scott 
stayed  when  in  Rome],  and  behind  the  Propaganda,  is  the 
Church  of  S.  Andrea  delle  Fraite,  whose  brick  cupola  by 
Borromini  is  so  picturesque  a  feature.  The  bell-tower 
beside  it  swings  when  the  bells  are  rung.  In  the  second 
chapel  on  the  right  is  the  beautiful  modern  tomb  of  Made- 
moiselle Falconnet,  by  Ivliss  Hosmer.  The  opposite  chajjcl 
is  remarkable  for  a  modern  miracle  (?)  annually  commemo- 
rated here. 

"  M.  Ratisbonne,  iin  juif,  nppartenant  a  une  tres-riche  fatnille 
d'Alsace,  qui  se  trouvait  accidentellement  a  Rome,  se  promenant  dans 
I'eglise  de  S.  Andrea  delle  Fratte  pendant  qu'on  y  faisait  les  prepar- 
atifs  pour  les  obseques  de  M.  de  la  Ferronays  s'y  est  convcrli  subile- 
nient.  II  se  trouvait  debout  en  face  d'une  chapelle  dediee  a  I'ange 
ijardien,  a  quelques  pas,  lorsque  tout-a-coup  il  a  eu  une  apparition 
iumineuse  de  ia  Sainte  Vierge  qui  lui  a  fait  signe  d'aller  vers  cettc 
chapelle.  Une  force  irresistible  I'y  a  entrainc,  il  y  est  tombe  a  ge- 
noux,  et  il  a  ete  i  I'instant  chretien.  Sa  premiere  parole  a  celui  qui 
I'avait  accompagne  a  ete,  en  relevant  son  visage  inonde  de  larmes  : 
'  II  faut  que  C2  monsieur  ait  beaucoup  prie  pour  moi.'  " — Rccit  d'uue 
Soeiii: 

"Era  un  istante  ch'  io  mi  stava  in  chiesa  allora  che  di  colpo  mi 
sentii  preso  da  inesprimibile  coaturbamento.  Alzai  gli  occlii  tutto 
r  edifizio  s  era  dileguato  a'  miei  sguardi  ;  sola  una  cappella  aveva 
come  in  se  raccolta  tutla  la  luce,  e  di  mezzo  di  raggianti  splendori  s' 
e  mostrata  diritta  sull'  altare,  grande,  sfolgoreggiante,  plena  di 
macsta,  e  di  dolcezza,  la  Vergine  Maria.      Una  forza  irresistible  m' 

'  See  Trollope's  Life  cf  Vittoria  Cchnna^ 


PIAZZA    COLONNA.  63 

ha  sospinto  verso  di  lei.  La  Vergine  m'  ha  fatto  della  mano  segno 
d'  iiiginocchiarmi  ;  pareva  volermi  dire,  '  Bene  ! '  Ella  non  mi  ha 
parlato  ma  io  ho  inteso  tutto." — Recital  of  A  Iplwiisc  Ratisbotine} 

M.  dela  Ferronays,  whose  character  is  now  so  well  known 
from  the  beautiful  family  memoirs  of  Mrs.  Augustus  Craven, 
is  buried  beneath  the  altar  where  this  vision  occurred.  In 
the  third  chapel  on  the  left  is  the  tomb  of  Angelica  Kauff- 
mann  ;  in  the  right  aisle  that  of  the  Prussian  artist, 
Schadow.  The  two  angels  in  front  of  the  choir  are  by 
Bernini^  who  intended  them  for  the  bridge  of  S.  Angelo.) 

Returning  to  the  Corso,  the  Via  S.  Claudio  (left)  leads 
to  the  pretty  little  church  of  that  name,  adjoining  the 
Palazzo  Parisani.  Behind  is  the  Church  of  S.  Maria  in 
Via. 

At  the  corner  of  the.  Piazza  Colonnais  the  Palazzo  Chigi, 
begun  in  1526,  by  Giacomo  della  Porta,  and  finished  by 
Carlo  Maderno.  It  contains  several  good  pictures  and  a 
fine  library,  which  is  seldom  shown." 

The  most  remarkable  members  of  the  great  family  of 
Chigi  have  been  the  famous  banker  Agostino  Chigi,  who 
lived  so  sumptuously  at  the  Farnesina,  and  Fabio  Chigi, 
who  mounted  the  papal  throne  as  Alexander  VII.,  ana 
who  long  refused  to  have  anything  to  do  with  the  aggran- 
dizement of  his  family,  saying,  that  the  poor  were  the  only 
relations  he  would  acknowledge,  and,  like  Christ,  he  did 
not  wish  for  any  nearer  ones.  To  keep  himself  in  mind  of 
the  shortness  of  earthly  grandeur,  this  pope  always  kept 
a  coffin  in  his  room,  and  drank  out  of  a  cup  shaped  like  a 
skull. 

At  the  sides  of  the  Piazza  Colonua,  are  the  Piombino 
and  Ferrajuoli  palaces,  of  no  interest.  In  the  center  is 
placed  the  fine  Colunm,  which  was  found  on  the  Monte 
Citorio  in  1709,  having  been  originally  erected  by  the 
senate  and  people  a.d.  174,  to  the  Emperor  Marcus  Aure- 
lius  Antoninus  (adopted  son  of  the  Emperor  Hadrian — 
husband  of  his  niece,  Annia  Faustina — father  of  the  Em- 
peror Commodus).     It  is  surrounded  by  bas-reliefs,  rep- 

^  See  Un  Figlh'.or  di  Maria,  ossia  un  Nuovo  nostra  Fratcilo,  edited  by  the  Baron 
di  Bussiere.     1842. 

^  It  is  more  worth  while  to  visit  the  Palazzo  Chigi  at  Lariccia,  near  Albano, 
which  retains  its  stamped  leather  hangings,  and  much  of  its  old  furniture.  Here 
may  be  seen,  assembled  in  one  room,  the  portraits  of  the  twelve  nieces  of  Alex- 
ander Vil.,  who  were  so  enchanted  when  their  uncle  was  made  pope,  that  they 
all  look  the  veil  immediately  to  please  him  ! 


64  IV A  LA'S  IN  ROME. 

resenting  the  conquest  of  the  Marcomanni.  One  of  these 
has  long  been  an  especial  object  of  interest  from  being 
supposed  to  represent  a  divinity  (Jupiter  ?)  sending  rain  to 
the  troops,  in  answer  to  the  prayers  of  a  Christian  legion 
from  Mytilene.  Eusebius  gives  the  story,  stating  that  the 
piety  of  these  Christians  induced  the  emperor  to  ask  their 
prayers  in  his  necessity,  and  a  letter  in  Justin  Martyr  (of 
which  the  authenticity  is  much  doubted),  in  which  Aurelius 
allows  the  fact,  is  produced  in  proof.  The  statue  of  S. 
Paul  on  the  top  of  the  column  was  erected  by  Sixtus  V.; 
the  pedestal  also  is  modern. 

Behind  the  Piazza  Colonna  is  the  Piazza  Monte  Citorio, 
containing  an  obelisk  which  was  discovered  in  broken  frag- 
ments near  the  church  of  S.  Lorenzo  in  Lucina.  It  was 
repaired  with  pieces  of  the  column  of  Antoninus  Pius,  the 
pedestal  of  which  may  still  be  seen  in  the  Vatican  garden. 
Its  hieroglyphics  are  very  perfect  and  valuable,  and  show 
that  it  was  erected  more  than  600  years  before  Christ,  in 
honor  of  Psammeticus  I.  It  was  brought  from  Heliopolis 
by  Augustus,  and  erected  by  him  in  the  Campus  Martius, 
where  it  received  the  name  of  Obeliscus  Solaris,  from  being 
made  to  act  as  a  sun-dial. 

"  E!,  qui  est  in  campo,  divus  Augustus  addidit  mirabilem  usum  ad 
deprehendendas  solis  umbras,  dierumque  ac  noctium  ita  magnitudincs, 
strato  lapide  ad  magnitudinem  obelisci,  cui  par  fieret  umbra,  brumae 
confectae  die,  sexta  hora  ;  paulatimque  per  regulas  (quae  sunt  ex  die 
exclusae)  singulis  diebus  decresceret  ac  rursus  augescerct  :  digna  cog- 
nitu  res  et  ingenio  foecundo.  Manilius  mathematicus  apici  auralam 
pilam  addidit,  cujus  umbra  vertice  colligeretur  in  se  ipsa  alias  enor- 
miter  jaculante  apice  ratione  (ut  ferunt)  a  capite  hominis  intellecta. 
Haec  observatio  triginta  jam  fereannos  non  congruit,  sive  solis  ipsius 
dissono  cursu,  et  coeli  aliqua  ratione  mutato,  sive  universa  tellure  a 
centro  suo  aliquid  emota  ut  deprehendi  et  in  aliis  locis  accipio  :  sive 
urbis  tremoribus  ibi  tantum  gnomone  intorto,  sive  inundationibus 
Tibcris  sedimento  molis  facto  :  quanquam  ad  altitudinem  impositi 
oneris  in  terram  quoquedicanturacta  fundamenta." — PUn.Nat.  Hist. 
lib.  ixxvi.  15. 

The  Palace  of  the  Monte  Citorio  (designed  by  Bernini) 
has  been  used,  since  the  united  kingdom  of  Italy,  as  the 
Camera  dei  Deputali.  The  base  of  the  pillar  of  Antoninus 
Pius,  now  in  the  Vatican  gardens,  was  found  near  this  in 
the  garden  of  the  Casa  della  Missione. 

Proceeding  up  the  Corse,  the  Viadi  Pietra  (right)  Je.Tds 


FOUNTAIN  OF    THE VI. 


65 


into  the  small  Piazza  di  Pielra,  one  side  of  which  is  occu- 
pied by  the  eleven  remaining  columns  sometimes  called  the 
Te/nplc  of  Neptune,  and  sometimes  that  of  Hadrian,  built 
up  by  Innocent  XII.  into  the  walls  of  a  buildin.;  long  used 
as  the  Custom-house.  It  is  worth  while  to  enter  the  court- 
yard in  order  to  look  back  and  observe  the  immense  masses 
of  stone  above  the  entrance — part  of  the  ancient  temple — 
which  are  here  uncovered. 

Close  to  this,  behind  the  Palazzo  Cini,  in  the  Piazza 
Orfanelli,  is  the  Teatro  Capranica,  occupying  part  of  a 
palace  of  c.  1350,  with  Gothic  windows.  The  opposite 
church,  S.  Maria  in  Aqiiiro,  recalls  by  its  name  the  column 
of  the  Equiria,  celebrated  in  ancient  annals  as  the  place 
where  certain  games  and  horse-races,  instituted  by  Romu- 
lus, were  celebrated.  Ovid  describes  them  in  his  Fasti. 
The  church  was  founded  c  400,  but  was  rebuilt  under 
Francesco  da  Vol  terra  in  1590. 

A  small  increase  of  width  in  the  Corso  in  now  dignified 
by  the  name  of  the  Piazza  Sciarra.  The  street  which 
turns  off  hence,  under  an  arch  (Via  de'  Muratte,  on  the 
left),  leads  to  the  Fountain  of  Trevi,  erected  in  1735  by 
Niccolo  Salvi  for  Clement  XII.  The  statue  of  Neptune 
is  by  Pietro  Bracci. 

"  The  fountain  of  Trevi  draws  its  precious  water  from  a  source  far 
beyond  the  walls,  whence  it  flows  hitherward  through  old  subterra- 
nean aqueducts,  and  sparkles  forth  as  pure  as  the  virgin  who  first  led 
Agrippa  to  its  well-springs  by  her  father's  door.  In  the  design  of  the 
fountain,  some  sculptor  of  Bernini's  school  has  gone  absolutely  mad, 
in  marble.  It  is  a  great  palace  front,  with  niches  and  many  bas- 
reliefs,  out  of  which  look  Agrippa's  legendary  virgin,  and  several  of 
the  allegoric  sisterhood  :  while  at  the  base  appears  Neptune  with  his 
floundering  steeds  and  tritons  blowing  their  horns  about  him,  and 
twenty  other  artificial  fantasies,  which  the  calm  moonlight  soothes 
into  better  taste  than  is  native  to  them.  And,  after  all,  it  is  as  mag- 
nificent a  piece  of  work  as  ever  human  skill  contrived.  At  the  foot  of 
the  palatial  facade,  is  strown,  with  careful  art  and  ordered  regularity, 
a  broad  and  broken  heap  of  massive  rock,  looking  as  if  it  might  have 
lain  there  since  the  deluge.  Over  a  central  precipice  falls  the  water, 
in  a  semicircular  cascade  ;  and  from  a  hundred  crevices,  on  all  sides, 
snowy  jets  gush  up,  and  streams  spout  out  of  the  mouths  and  nostrils 
of  stone  monsters,  and  fall  in  glistening  drops  ;  v/liile  other  rivulets, 
that  have  run  wild,  come  leaping  from  one  rude  step  to  another,  over 
stones  that  are  mossy,  shining  and  green  with  sedge,  because,  in  a 
century  of  theii  wild  play,  nature  has  adopted  the  fountain  of  Trevi, 
with  all  its  elaborate  devices,  for  her  own.  Finally  the  water,  tum- 
bling, sparkling,  and  dashing,  with  joyous   haste,    and  never  ceasing 


66  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

murmur,  pours  itself  into  a  great  marble  basin  and  reservoir,  and  fills 
it  with  a  quivering  tide,  on  whicii  is  seen  continually  a  snowy  semi- 
circle of  momentary  foam  from  the  principal  cascade,  as  well  as  a 
multitude  of  snow-points  from  smaller  jets.  The  basin  occupies  the 
whole  breadth  of  the  piazza,  whence  flights  of  steps  descend  to  its 
border.  A  boat  might  float,  and  make  mmiic  voyages,  on  this  artifi- 
cial lake.' 

"  In  the  daytime  there  is  hardly  a  livelier  scene  in  Rome  than  the 
neighborhood  of  the  fountain  of  Trevi ;  for  the  piazza  is  then  filled 
with  stalls  of  vegetable  and  fruit  dealers,  chestnut-roasters,  cigar- 
venders,  and  other  people  whose  petty  and  wandering  traffic  is  trans- 
acted in  the  open  air.  It  is  likewise  thronged  with  idlers,  lounging 
over  liie  iron  railing,  and  with  forestieri,  who  come  hither  to  see  the 
famous  fountain.  Here,  also,  are  men  with  buckets,  urchins  with 
cans,  and  maidens  (a  picture  as  old  as  the  patriarchal  times)  bearing 
their  pitchers  upon  their  heads.  For  the  water  of  Trevi  is  in  request, 
far  and  wide,  as  the  most  refreshing  draught  for  feverish  lips,  the 
pleasantest  to  mingle  with  wine,  and  the  wholesomest  to  drink,  in  its 
native  puriiy,  that  can  anywhere  be  found.  But,  at  midnight,  the 
piazza  is  a  sc^litude  ;  and  it  is  a  delight  to  behold  this  untameable 
water,  sporting  by  itself  in  the  moonshine,  and  compelling  all  tlie 
elaborate  trivialities  of  art  to  assume  a  natural  aspect,  in  accordance 
with  its  own  powerful  simplicity.  Tradition  goes,  that  a  parting 
draught  at  the  fountain  of  Trevi  insures  a  traveler's  return  to  Rome, 
whatever  obstacles  and  improbabilities  may  seem  to  beset  him." — 
Hawthorne. 

"  Le  bas-relief,  place  au-dessus  de  cette  fontaine,  represente  la 
jeune  fille  indiquant  la  source  precieuse,  commc  dans  I'antiquite  une 
peinture  representait  le  mcm.e  evenement  dans  une  chapelle  construite 
au  lieu  oil  il  s'etait  passe." — Ainpcre,  Emp.  i.  264. 

In  this  piazza  is  the  rather  handsome  front  of  ^.  Maria 
in  Trivia,  fonnerly  S.  Maria  in  Fornica,  erected  by  Car- 
dinal Mazarin,  on  the  site  of  an  older  church  built  by 
Belisarius — as  is  told  by  the  inscription  : 

"  Hanc  vir  patricius  Belisarius  urbis  amicus 
Ob  culpae  veniam  condidit  ecclesiam. 
Hanc,  idcirco,  pedem  qui  sacram  ponis  in  aedem 
Ut  miseretur  eum  saepe  precare  Deum." 

The  fault  which  Belisarius  wished  to  expiate,  was  the  exile 
of  Pope  Sylverius  (a.d.  536),  who  was  starved  to  death  in 
the  island  of  Ponza.  The  crypt  of  the  present  building, 
being  the  parish  church  of  the  Quirinal,  contains  the  en- 
trails of  twenty  popes  (removed  for  embalment) — from 
Sixtus  V.   to  Pius  VIII. — who  died  in  the  Quirinal  Pal- 


'  The  fountain  has  been  deprived  of  this  magnificent  luxuriance  of  water  since 
the  fall  of  the  papacy. 


PALAZZO   SCIARRA. 


67 


The  little  church  near  the  opposite  corner  of  the 
piazza  is  that  of  The  Crociferi,  and  was  served  till  quite 
lately  by  the  Venerable  Don  Giovanni  Merlini,  Father 
General  of  the  Order  of  the  Precious  Blood,  and  the  per- 
sonal friend  of  its  founder,  Gaspare  del  Buffalo. 

The  Fountain  of  Trevi  occupies  one  end  of  the  gigan- 
tic Palazzo  Poll.  At  the  other  end  is  the  shop  of  the 
famous  jeweler,  Castellani,  v^^ell  worth  visiting,  for  the  sake 
of  its  beautiful  collection  of  Etruscan  designs,  both  in 
jewelry  and  in  larger  works  of  art. 

"Castellani  est  I'homme  qui  a  ressiiscite  la  bijouterie  romaine.  Son 
escalier,  tapisse  d'inscriplioiis  et  de  bas-reliefs  antiques,  fait  croire  que 
nous  entrons  dans  un  musee.  Un  jeune  marchand  aussi  erudit  que 
les  archeologues  fait  voir  une  collection  de  bijoux  anciens  de  toutes 
les  epoques,  depuis  les  origines  de  I'Etrurie  jusqu'au  siecle  de  Con- 
stantin.  C'est  la  source  ou  Castellani  puise  les  elements  d'un  art 
nouveau  qui  detronera  avant  dix  ans  la  pacotille  du  Palais-Royal." — 
About,  Route  Conhiiiporaine . 

"  C'est  en  s'inspirant  des  parures  retrouvees  dans  les  tombes  de 
I'Etrurie,  des  bracelets  et  des  colliers  dont  se  paraient  les  femmes 
etrusques  et  sabines,  que  M.  Castellani,  guide  par  le  gout  savant  et 
ingenieux  d'un  homme  qui  porte  dignement  I'ancien  nom  de  Caetani, 
a  introduit  dans  la  bijouterie  un  style  a  la  fois  classique  et  nouveau. 
Parmi  les  artistes  les  plus  originaux  de  Rome  sont  certainement  les 
orfevres  Castellani  et  D.  Miguele  Caetani,  due  de  Sermoneta." — Am- 
pere, Hist.  Roi7i.  i.  388. 

The  Palazzo  Sciarra  (on  left  of  the  Corso),  built  in  1603 
from  designs  of  Flaminio  Ponzio,  with  an  admirable  por- 
tico, contains  a  gallery  of  pictures.  Its  six  celebrated 
gems  are  marked  with  an  asterisk.     We  may  notice  : 

1st  Rooni.-^- 

5.  Valentin:  Death  of  S.  John  Baptist. 
13.  Iiinocenza  da  Imola  :  Holy  Family. 
15.    Valentin:  Rome  Triumphant. 

20.    Titian:  Madonna. 

23.   Carlo  Veneziano  :  S.  Francesca  Romana. 

2d  Room- — 

17.  Claude  Lorraine  :  Flight  into  Egypt, 

18.  Claude  Lorraine  :  Sunset. 

'ifd  Room. — 

6.  Francia  :  Holy  Family. 
9.   Garofalo  :  Boar  Hunt. 

II.  Andra  del  Sarto  :  Holy  Family. 


68  WALK'S  L\  ROME. 

17.  Gam/enzio  Ferrari :  A  Monk  led  liy  an  Angel  to  the  Heaven- 
ly Spheres. 

26.  Gcuv-fitlo  :  The  Vestal  Claudia  drawing  a  boat  with  the  statue 
of  Ceres  up  the  Tiber. 

2g.    Tenicrs  :  Tavern  Scene . 

33.    Copy  of  Raffaclle  by  Giiilio  /Romano  :  Tlie  Fornarina. 

36.   Lucas  Cranach,  1504:     Holy  Family  with  Angels. 

4//i  R 00771. — 

I.   Fra  Bartolotiintco  :  Holy  Family." 

"  The  glow  and  freshness  of  coloring  in  this  admirable  painting, 
the  softness  of  the  skin,  the  beauty  and  sweetness  of  tlie  expression, 
the  look  with  which  the  mother's  eyes  are  bent  upon  the  baby  she 
holds  in  her  arms,  and  the  innocent  fondness  with  which  the  other 
child  gazes  up  in  her  face,  are  worthy  of  the  painter  whose  works 
Raffaelle  delighted  to  study,  and  from  which,  in  a  great  measure,  he 
formed  his  principles  of  coloring." — Eaton's  Rome. 

5.  Guercino  :  S.  John  the  Evangelist. 

6.  Raffaelle :    The   Violin    Player  (the    improvisatore    Andrea 

Marone  of  Brescia?).* 

"The  Violin  Player  is  a  youth  holding  the  bow  of  a  violin  and  a 
laurel  wreath  in  his  hand,  and  looking  at  the  spectators  over  his 
shoulder.  The  expression  of  his  countenance  is  sensible  and  decided, 
and  betokens  a  character  alive  to  the  impressions  of  sense,  yet  severe. 
The  execution  is  excellent — inscribed  with  the  date  1518." — Kugler. 

7.  Guercino :  S.  Mark. 

8.  Guetcino  :  Daughter  of  Hcrodias. 
12.    Agostino  Caracci  :  Conjugal  Love. 

16.  Caravaggio  :  The  Gamblers.* 

"  This  is  a  masterpiece  of  the  painter.  A  sharper  is  playing  at 
cards  with  a  youth  of  family  and  fortune,  whom  his  confederate, 
while  pretending  to  be  looking  on,  is  assisting  to  cheat.  The  subject 
will  remind  you  of  the  Flemish  School,  but  this  painting  bears  no  re- 
semblance to  it.  Here  is  no  farce,  no  caricature.  (Character  was 
never  more  strongly  marked,  nor  a  tale  more  inimitably  told.  It  is 
'life  itself,  and  you  almost  forget  it  is  a  picture,  and  expect  to  see  the 
game  goon.     The  coloring  is  beyond  all  praise." — Eaton's  Rome. 

17.  Leonardo  da  Vinci :  Modesty  and  Vanity.* 

"  One  of  Leonardo's  most  beautiful  ]3ictures  is  in  Rome,  in  the 
Sciarra  Palace — two  female  half  figures  of  Modesty  and  Vanity.  The 
former,  with  a  veil  over  her  head,  is  a  particularly  pleasing,  noble  pro. 
file,  with  a  clear,  open  expression  ;  she  beckons  to  her  sister,  who 
stands  fronting  the  spectator,  beautifully  arrayed,  and  with  a  sweet 
seducing  smile.  This  picture  is  remarkably  powerful  in  coloring,  and 
wonderfully  finished,  but  unfortunately  has  become  rather  dark  m  the 
shadows." — A'uzler. 


PALAZZO    SCIARRA.  69 

19.   Giiido  Reni  :   Magdalen. 

24.  Tiiian  :  Family  Portrait. 

25.  Bronzino  :  Portrait. 

26.  Pertigino  :  S.  Stbastian. 

29.  Titian:  "  Bella  Donna."  *  Sometimes  supposed  to  repre- 
sent Donna  Laura  Eustachio,  the  peasant  Duchess  of  Al- 
phonso  I.  of  Ferrara. 

"  Cette  creature  magnifique  n'exprime  rien  ;  pas  un  rayon,  pas  u;i 
supcon  dame,  ne  s'aper9oivent  sur  ce  visage,  et  il  est  irresistible  en 
depit  de  sa  nuUite.  II  est  plus  qu'irresistibie,  il  est  redoutable.  Si 
beaute  est  tellement  incontestable  qu'elle  n'est  imperieuse.  Ces  yeux 
si  profondement  calmes  menacent,  cette  bouche  muette  lance  I'inso- 
lence  ;  cette  physionomie  tres  douce  est  fatalement  altiere.  Cette  belle 
personne  est  hautaine  non  volontairement,  mais  par  ce  fait  seul  qu'elle 
existe. " — Emilt'  Montci^iit. 

"  When  Titian  or  Tintoret  look  at  a  human  being,  they  see  at  a 
glance  the  whole  of  its  nature,  outside  and  in  ;  all  that  it  has  of  form, 
of  color,  of  passion,  or  of  thought  ;  saintliness  and  loveliness  ;  fleshly 
power,  and  spiritual  power  ;  gr.ice,  or  strength,  or  softness,  or  what- 
soever other  quality,  those  men  will  see  to  the  full,  and  so  paint,  that, 
when  narrower  people  come  to  look  at  what  they  have  done,  every 
one  may,  if  he  chooses,  find  his  own  special  pleasure  in  the  work. 
The  sensualist  will  find  sensuality  in  Titian  ;  the  thinker  will  find 
thought  ;  the  saint,  sanctity  ;  the  colorist,  color  ;  the  anatomist,  form  ; 
and  yet  the  picture  will  never  be  a  popular  one  in  the  full  sense,  for 
none  of  these  narrower  people  will  find  their  special  taste  so  alone 
consulted,  as  that  the  qualities  which  would  insure  their  gratification 
shall  be  sifted  or  separated  from  others  ;  they  are  checked  by  the 
presence  of  the  other  qualities,  which  insure  the  gratification  of  other 
men.  .  .  .  Only  there  is  a  strange  undercurrent  of  everlasting  mur- 
mur about  the  name  of  Titian,  which  means  the  deep  consent  of  all 
great  men  that  he  is  gceater  than  they." — Ruskiiis  T'uo Paths,  lect.  ii. 

31.  Albert  Diirer :  Death  of  the  Virgin. 

32.  Giiido  Reni  :  Maddalena  della  Radice.* 

"  The  two  Magdalens  by  Guido  are  almost  duplicates,  and  yet  one 
is  incomparably  superior  to  the  other.  She  is  reclining  on  a  rock, 
and  her  tearful  and  uplifted  eyes,  the  whole  of  her  countenance  and 
attitude,  speak  the  overwhelmmg  sorrow  that  penetrates  her  soul. 
Her  face  might  charm  the  heart  of  a  stoic  ;  and  the  contrast  of  her 
youth  and  enchanting  loveliness,  with  the  abandonment  of  grief,  the 
resignation  of  all  earthly  hope,  and  the  entire  devotion  of  herself 
to  penitence  and  heaven,  is  most  affecting." — Eaton's  Rome. ' 

Near  the  Piazza  Sciarra,  the  Corso  (as  Via  Flaminia) 
was  formerly  spanned  by  the  Arch  of  Claudius,  removed 
in  1527.  Some  reliefs  from  this  arch  are  preserved  in  the 
portico  of  the  Villa  Borghese,  and,  though  much  mutilated 

'  This  gallery  has  been  closed  since  the  Sardinian  occupation,  and  it  is  con- 
fidently asserted  that  some  of  its  finest  pictures  have  been  privately  sold  lO 
foreigners. 


yo  li'ALK'S  IN  ROME. 

are  of  fine  workmanship.  The  inscription,  which  com- 
memorated the  erection  of  the  arch  in  honor  of  the  con- 
quest of  Britain,  is  preserved  in  the  courtyard  of  the  Bar- 
berini  Palace. 

On  the  right  of  the  Piazza  Sciarra  is  the  Via  della  Cara- 
vita,  containing  the  small  but  popular  Church  of  the  Cara- 
vita,^  used  for  the  peculiar  religious  exercises  of  the  Jesuits, 
especially  for  their  terrible  Lenten  "  flagellation  "  services, 
which  are  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  sights  afforded  by 
Catholic  Rome. 

"  The  ceremony  of  pious  whippings,  one  of  the  penances  of  the 
convents,  still  takes  place  at  the  time  of  vespers  in  the  oratory  of  the 
Padre  Caravita  and  in  another  church  in  Rome.  It  is  preceded  by  a 
short  exhortation,  during  which  a  bell  rings,  and  whips,  that  is,  strings 
of  knotted  whipcord,  are  distributed  quietly  amongst  such  of  the 
audience  as  are  on  their  knees  in  the  nave.  On  a  second  bell,  the 
candles  are  extinguished — a  loud  voice  issues  from  the  altar,  which 
pours  forth  an  exhortation  to  think  of  unconfessed,  or  unrepented,  or 
unforgiven  crimes.  This  continues  a  sufficient  time  to  allow  the 
kneelers  to  strip  off  their  upper  garments  ;  the  tone  of  the  preacher  is 
raised  more  loudly  at  each  word,  and  he  vehemently  exhorts  his 
hearers  to  recollect  that  Christ  and  the  martyrs  suffered  much  more 
than  v.hipping.  '  Show,  then,  your  penitence — show  your  sense  of 
Christ's  sacrifice — show  it  with  the  whip.'  The  flagellation  begins. 
The  darkness,  the  tumultuous  sound  of  blows  in  every  direction — 
'  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  pray  for  us  ! '  bursting  out  at  intervals ;  the 
persuasion  that  you  are  surrounded  by  atrocious  culprits  and  maniacs, 
who  know  of  an  absolution  for  every  crime,  so  far  from  exciting  a 
smile,  fixes  you  to  the  spot  in  a  trance  of  restless  horror,  prolonged 
beyond  bearing.  The  scourging  continues  ten  or  fifteen  minutes." — 
Lord  Bnuighion. 

"Each  man  on  entering  the  church  was  supplied  with  a  scourge. 
After  a  short  interval  the  doors  were  barred,  the  lights  extinguished  ; 
and  from  praying,  the  congregation  proceeded  to  groaning,  crying, 
and  finally,  being  worked  up  into  a  kind  of  ecstatic  fury,  a]iplicd  the 
scourge  to  their  uncovered  shoulders  without  mercy." — 11  hiiesiiie's 
Italy  ill  the  Nineteenth  Century. 

Beyond  the  Caravita  is  the  Church  of  S.  Iguado,  built 
by  Cardinal  Ludovisi.  The  facade,  of  1685,  is  by  Algardi. 
It  contains  the  tomb  of  Gregory  XIV.  (Nicolo  Sfondrati, 
1590-91),  and  that  of  S.  Ludovico  Gonzaga,  both  sculpt- 
ured by  Le  Gros. 

"  In  S.  Ignazio  is  the  chapel  of  San  Luigi  Gonzaga,  on  whom  not  a 
few  of  the  young  Roman  damsels  look  with  something  of  the  same 

'  So  called  from  the  Jesuit  father  of  that  name,  who  lived  in  the  seventeenth 
century. 


S.    MARCELLO.  71 

kind  of  admiration  as  did  Clytie  on  Apollo,  whom  he  and  S.  Sebastian, 
those  two  young,  beautiful,  graceful  saints,  very  fairly  represent  in 
Christian  mythoiogy.  His  festa  falls  in  June,  and  Uien  his  altar  is 
embosomed  in  flowers  arranged  with  exquisite  taste  ;  and  a  pile  of 
letters  may  be  seen  at  its  foot,  written  to  the  saint  by  young  men  and 
maidens,  and  directed  to  Paradiso.  They  are  supposed  to  be  burnt 
unread,  except  by  San  Luigi,  who  must  find  singular  petitions  in  these 
pretty  little  missives,  tied  up  now  with  a  green  ribbon,  expressive  of 
hope,  now  with  a  red  one,  emblematic  of  love,  or  whatever  other 
significant  color  the  writer  may  prefer." — Mademoiselle  Mori. 

The  frescoes  on  the  roof  and  tribune  are  by  the  Padre 
Pozzi. 

"  Amid  the  many  distinguished  men  whom  the  Jesuits  sent  forth  to 
every  region  of  the  world,  I  cannot  recollect  the  name  of  a  single 
artist,  unless  it  be  the  Father  Pozzi,  renowned  for  his  skill  in  per- 
spective, and  who  used  his  skill  less  as  an  artist  than  a  conjuror,  to 
produce  such  illusions  as  make  the  vulgar  stare — to  make  the  impal- 
pable to  the  grasp  appear  as  palpable  to  the  vision  ;  the  near  seem 
distant,  the  distant  near  ;  the  unreal,  real  ;  to  cheat  the  eye  ;  to  dazzle 
the  sense  —all  this  has  Father  Pozzi  most  cunningly  achieved  in  the 
Gasu  and  the  Sant"  Ignazio  at  Rome  ;  but  nothing  more,  and  noth- 
ing better  than  this.  I  wearied  of  his  altar-pieces  and  of  his  v/onder- 
ful  roofs  which  pretend  to  be  no  roofs  at  all.  Scheme,  tricks,  and 
deceptions  in  art  should  all  be  kept  for  the  theater.  It  appeared  to  me 
nothing  less  than  profane  to  introduce  shams  into  the  temples  of 
God." — Mrs.  Jameson. 

On  the  left  of  the  Corse — opposite  the  handsome  Palazzo 
Simonetti — is  the  Church  of  S.  Marcello  (Pope  30S-10),  ' 
containing  some  interesting  modern  monimients.  Among 
them  are  those  of  Pierre  Gilles,  the  traveler  (ob.  1555),  and 
of  the  English  Cardinal  Weld.  Here  also  Cardinal  Con- 
salvi,  the  famous  and  liberal  minister  of  Pius  VII.,  is  buried 
in  the  same  tomb  with  his  beloved  younger  brother,  the 
Marchese  Andrea  Consalvi.  Their  monument,  by  Rinaldi, 
tells  that  here  repose  the  bodies  of  two  brothers — 

"  Qui  cum  singular!  amove  dum  vivebant 

Se    mutuo    dilexissent 

Corpora  etiam  sua 

Una  eademque  urna  condi  voluere." 

Here  are  the  masterpieces  which  made  the  reputation  of 
Pierino  del  Vaga  (i 501-1547).  In  the  chapel  of  the  Vir- 
gin are  the  cherubs,  whose  graceful  movements  and  ex- 
quisite flesh-tints  Vasari  declares  to  have  been  unsurpassed 

'  The  name  of  Pope— Pi^/.i—orig^inally  belonging  to  all  teacliers,  was  first  ap- 
pliei  to  Pope  P<Inrcenus,  in  the  letter  of  a  deacon  ;  but  it  was  not  till  400  that  the 
Bishop ;  of  Rome  took  ii  formally . 


72 


WALKS   IX  ROME. 


by  any  artist  in  fresco.     In  the  chapel  of  the  Crucifix  is 
the  Creation  of  Eve,  which  is  even  more  beautiful. 

"  The  perfectly  beautiful  figure  of  the  naked  Adam  is  seen  lying 
overpowered  by  sleep,  while  Eve,  filled  with  life,  and  wiih  folded 
hands,  rises  to  receive  the  blessing  of  her  Maker — a  most  grand  and 
solemn  figure  standing  erect  in  heavy  drapery." — Vasari,  iv. 

This  Church  is  said  to  occupy  the  site  of  a  house  of  the 
Christian  matron  Lucina,  in  which  Marcellus  died  of 
wounds  incurred  in  attempting  to  settle  a  quarrel  among 
his  Christian  followers.  It  was  in  front  of  it  that  the  body 
of  the  tribune  Rienzi,  after  his  murder  on  the  Capitol 
steps,  was  hung  up  by  the  feet  for  two  days  as  a  mark  fcr 
the  rabble  to  throw  stones  at. 

The  next  street  to  the  right  leads  to  the  Collegia  Romano, 
founded  by  S.  Francis  Borgia,  Duke  of  Gandia  (a  descend- 
ant of  Pope  Alexander  VI.),  who,  after  a  youth  spent 
amid  the  splendors  of  the  Court  of  Madrid,  retired  to 
Rome  in  1550,  in  the  time  of  Julius  III.,  and  became  the 
successor  of  Ignatius  Loyola  as  general  of  the  Jesuits. 
The  buildings  were  erected,  as  we  now  see  them,  by  Am- 
manati,  in  1582,  for  Gregory  XIII.  The  college  is  en- 
tirely under  the  superintendence  of  the  Jesuits.  The 
library  is  large  and  xaluable.  The  Museo  Kircheriauo,  on 
the  third  floor,  entered  from  27  Via  del  Collegio  Romano, 
is  chiefly  interesting  to  antiquaries.  It  is  visible  from  10 
to  3,  on  Mondays,  Thursdays,  and  Saturdays — admission  i 
fr.  It  contains  a  number  of  antiquities,  illustrative  of  Ro- 
man and  Etruscan  customs,  and  many  beautiful  ancient 
bronzes.  The  most  important  object  is  the  "  Cista  Mis- 
tica, "  a  bronze  vase  and  cover,  which  was  given  as  a  prize 
to  successful  gladiators,  and  which  was  originally  fitted  up 
Avith  everything  useful  for  their  profession.  In  the  Chris- 
tian collection  is  the  curious  graphite  of  the  Crucifixion, 
found  on  the  Palatine,  and  described  in  Chapter  VI.  The 
little  cortile  at  the  left  of  the  entrance  to  the  museum  con- 
tains many  interesting  architectural  fragments,  especially 
the  base  of  the  statue  of  Valens,  which  stood  on  the  Pons 
Cestias,  with  an  inscription. 

The  Observatory  of  the  Collegio  Romano  has  obtained  a 
European  reputation  from  the  important  astronomical  re- 
searches of  its  late  famous  director,  the  Padre  Secchi,  who 
died  February  26,  1878. 


S.    MARIA    IX    VIA    LATA. 


73 


The  CoIIegio  Romano  has  produced  eight  popes — 
Urban  VIII.,  Innocent  X.,  Clement  IX.,  Clement  X.,  In- 
nocent XII.,  Clement  XL,  Innocent  XIII.,  and  Clement 
XII.  Among  its  other  pupils  have  been  S.  Camillo  de 
Lellis,  the  Blessed  Leonardo  di  Porto- Maurizio,  the  Ven- 
erable Pietro  Berna,  and  others. 

"  IgnacC:  Fran5ois  Borgia,  ont  passe  par  ici.  Leur  souvenir  plane, 
comme  un  encouiagement  et  une  benediction,  sur  ces  salles  ou  ils 
presiderent  aux  etudes,  sur  ces  chaires  ou  peut-etre  retentit  leur  pa- 
role, sur  ces  modestes  cellules  qu'ils  ont  habitees.  A  la  fin  du  sei- 
zieme  siecle,  les  eleves  du  college  Romain  perdirent  un  de  leurs  con- 
disciples  que  sa  douce  anienittf  et  ses  vertus  angeliques  avaient  rendu 
I'objet  d'un  affectucux  respect.  Ce  jeune  homme  avait  ete  page  de 
Philippe  II.;  il  etait  allie  aux  mai^ons  royalcs  d'Autriche,  de  Bourbon 
et  de  Lorraine.  Mais  au  milieu  de  ces  illusions  d'une  grande  vie,  sous 
ce  brillant  costume  de  cour  qui  semblait  lui  promettre  honneurs  et  for- 
tune, il  ne  voyait  jamais  que  la  pieuse  figure  de  sa  mere  agenouillee 
au  pied  des  autels,  et  priant  pour  lui.  A  peine  age  de  seize  ans,  il 
s'echappe  de  Madrid,  il  vient  frapper  a  la  porte  du  college  Romain,  et 
demande  place,  au  dortoir  et  a  I'etude,  pour  Louis  Gonzague,  fils  du 
comte  de  Castiglione.  Pendant  sept  ans,  Louis  donna  dans  cette 
maison  le  touchant  example  d'une  vie  celeste  ;  puis  ses  jours  dt'cline- 
rent,  comme  parle  I'Ecriture  ;  il  avait  assez  vecu." — Gourr.eric,  Rome 
Chrcticntii',  ii.  211. 

^Ve  now  reach  (on  right)  the  Church  of  S.  Maria  in 
Via  Lata,  which  was  founded  by  Sergius  L,  in  the  eighth 
century,  but  twice  rebuilt,  the  second  time  under  Alex- 
ander VII.,  in  1 662,  when  the  facade  was  added  by  Pietro 
da  Cortona. 

In  this  church  "  they  still  shov/  a  little  chapel  in  which,  as  hath 
been  handed  down  from  the  first  ages,  S.  Luke  the  Evangelist  wrote 
and  painted  the  effigy  of  the  Virgin  Mother  of  God." — See  Jameson'-: 
Sacred  Art,  p.  155. 

The  subterranean  church  is  shown  as  the  actual  house 
in  which  S.  Paul  lodged  when  he  was  in  Rome.  It  be- 
longed to  Martialis,  whom  a  beautiful  tradition  identifies 
with  the  child  who  was  especially  blessed  by  the  Divine 
Master,  when  He  said,  "  Suffer  little  children  to  come 
unto  me,"  and  who,  ever  after  a  faithful  follower  of  Christ, 
bore  the  basket  of  bread  and  fishes  in  the  wilderness,  and 
served  at  table  during  the  Last  Supper. 

"  And  when  we  came  to  Rome,  the  centurion  delivered  the  prison- 
ers to  the  captain  of  the  guard  ;  but  Paul  was  suffered  to  dv.ell  by 
himself  with  a  soldier  that  kept  him. 


>j^  irALA'S  I.V  ROME. 

"  And -A'hen  they  had  appointed  him  a  day,   there  came  many  to 
liim  into  his  lodging  ;  to  whom  he  expounded  and  testified  the  king- 
dom of  God,  persuading    them  concerning    Jesus,  both    out  of    the 
law  of  Moses  and  out  of    the    prophets,  from    morning    till    even 
ing.     .     .     . 

"And  Paul  dwelt  two  whole  years  in  his  own  hired  house,  and 
received  all  that  came  in  unto  him,  preaching  the  kingdom  of  God, 
and  teaching  those  things  wliich  concern  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
with  all  confidence,  no  man  forbidding  him." — Acts  xxviii.  16,  23, 
?o.  31. 

"  St.  Paul,  after  his  arrival  in  Rome,  having  made  his  usual  effort, 
in  the  first  place,  for  the  salvation  of  his  own  countrymen,  and,  as 
usual,  having  found  it  vain,  turned  to  the  Gentiles,  and  during  two 
whole  years,  in  which  he  was  a  prisoner,  received  all  that  came  to 
him,  preaching  the  kingdom  of  God.  It  was  thus  that  God  overruled 
his  imprisonment  for  the  furtherance  of  the  gospel,  so  tliat  his  bonds 
in  Christ  were  manifest  in  the  palace,  and  in  all  other  places,  and 
many  of  the  brethren  in  the  Lord,  waxing  confident  by  his  bonds, 
were  much  more  bold  to  speak  the  word  without  fear.  Even  in  the 
palace  of  Nero,  tlie  most  noxious  atmosphere,  as  we  should  have  con- 
cluded, for  the  growth  of  divine  truth,  his  bonds  were  manifest,  the 
Lord  Jesus  was  preached,  and,  more  than  this,  was  received  to  the 
saving  of  many  souls ;  for  we  find  the  apostle  \Ariting  to  his  Philip- 
pian  converts  :  '  All  the  saints  salute  you,  chiefly  they  vi'hich  are  of 
Ccesar's  household."" — Blunt' s  Lectures  on  S.  Paul. 

"  In  writing  to  Philemon,  Paul  chooses  to  speak  of  himself  as  the 
captive  of  Jesus  Christ.  Yet  he  went  whither  he  would,  and  was  free 
to  receive  those  v.'ho  came  to  him.  It  is  interesting  to  remember, 
amid  these  solemn  vaults,  the  different  events  of  S.  Paul's  apostolate, 
during  the  two  years  that  he  lived  here.  It  was  here  that  he  con- 
verted Onesimus,  that  he  received  the  presents  of  tlie  Philippians, 
brought  by  Epaphroditus  ;  it  was  hence  that  he  wrote  to  Philemon, 
to  Titus,  to  the  inhabitants  of  Philippi  and  of  Colosse  ;  it  was  here 
that  he  preached  devotion  to  the  cross  with  that  glowing  eagerness, 
with  that  startling  eloquence,  which  gained  fresh  power  from  contest, 
and  which  inspiration  rendered  sublime. 

"  Peter  addressed  himself  to  the  uncircumcised  :  P.iul  to  the  Gen- 
tiles'— to  their  silence  that  he  might  confound  it,  to  their  reason  that 
he  might  humble  it.  Had  he  not  already  converted  tlie  j^roconsul 
Sergius  Paulus  and  Dionysius  the  Areopagite?  At  Rome  his  word  is 
equally  powerful,  and  among  the  courtiers  of  Nero,  peniaps  even 
amongst  his  relations,  are  those  who  yield  to  the  power  of  God,  v/ho 
reveals  himself  in  each  of  the  teachings  of  his  servant.^  Around  the 
apostle  his  eager  disciples  group  themselves — Onesiph.orus  of  Ephesus, 
who  was  not  ashamed  of  his  chain  ;'  Epaphras  of  Colosse,  who  was 
captive  with  him,  concaptivus  mens  ;'^  Timothy,  v/ho  w.is  one  with  his 
master  in  a  holy  union  of  every  thought,  and  who  v/ar  attached  to  him 
l\]i.e  a  %or\.  s:c::t  patri  /i.'ins  /"  Ilermas.  Aristarchus.  Marcus,  Demas 
•«-'and  Luke  the  physician,  the  faithful  co  nparion  of  the  Apostle,  his 

*  Calat.  ii   7  ■-  Philipp.  iv.  22.  •^  "  Timothy  i.  16. 

*  Philemon.  21.  '  Philipp.  ii.  22. 


5.    MARIA   IN    VIA    LATA. 


75 


well-beloved  disciple — '  Lucas  medicuscarissimus. " — Front  Gournerie, 
Rome  Ch7'c'lit'>!i!e, 

"  1  honor  Rome  for  this  reason  ;  for  though  I  could  celebrate  her 
praises  on  many  other  accounts — for  her  greatness,  for  her  beauty,  for 
her  power,  for  her  wealth,  and  for  her  warlike  exploits — yet,  passing 
over  all  these  things,  I  glorify  her  on  this  account,  that  Paul  in  his 
lifetime  wrote  to  tiie  Romans  and  loved  them,  and  was  present  with 
and  conversed  with  them,  and  ended  his  life  amongst  them.  Where- 
fore the  city  is  on  this  account  renowned  more  than  on  all  others — on 
this  account  I  admire  her,  not  on  account  of  her  gold,  her  columns, 
or  her  other  splendid  djcorations."— 5.  /o/i/i  Chrysostom,  Homily  on 
the  Ep.  to  the  Romans. 

"  The  Roman  Jews  expressed  a  wish  to  hear  from  S.  Paul  himself 
a  statement  of  his  religious  sentiments,  adding  that  the  Christian  sect 
was  everywhere  spoken  against.  ...  A  day  was  fixed  for  the  meeting 
at  his  private  lodging. 

"The  Jews  came  in  great  numbers  at  the  appointed  time.  Ther 
followed  an  impressive  scene,  like  that  at  Troas  (Acts  xxi.) — -the 
Apostle  pleading  long  and  earnestly,  bearing  testimony  concerning 
the  kingdom  of  God,  and  endeavoring  to  persuade  them  by  arguments 
drawn  from  their  own  Scriptures — ■"  from  morning  until  evening.' 
The  result  was  a  division  among  the  auditors — 'not  peace,  but  a 
sword,' — the  division  which  has  resulted  ever  since,  when  the  truth 
of  God  has  encountered,  side  by  side,  earnest  conviction  with  worldly 
indifference,  honest  investigation  witli  bigoted  prejudice,  trustful 
faith  with  the  pride  of  skepticism.  After  a  long  and  stormy  discus- 
sion, the  unbelieving  portion  departed  ;  but  not  until  S.  Paul  had 
warned  them,  in  one  last  address,  that  they  were  bringing  upon  them- 
selves that  awful  doom  of  judicial  blindness,  which  was  denounced  in 
their  own  Scriptures  against  obstinate  unbelievers  ;  that  the  salvation 
which  they  rejected  would  be  withdrawn  from  them,  and  the  inherit- 
ance they  renounced  w'ould  be  given  to  the  Gentiles.  The  sentence 
with  which  he  gave  emphasis  to  this  solemn  warning  was  that  passage 
in  Isaiah,  which,  recurring  thus  with  solemn  force  at  the  very  close  of 
the  Apostolic  history,  seems  to  bring  very  strikingly  together  the  Old 
Dispensation  and  tlie  New,  and  to  connect  the  ministry  of  Our  Lord 
with  that  of  His  Apostles  :  '  Go  unto  this  people  and  say  :  hearing 
ye  shall  hear  and  shall  not  understand,  and  seeing  ye  shall  see  and 
shall  not  perceive  :  for  the  heart  of  this  people  is  waxed  gross,  and 
their  ears  are  dull  of  hearing,  and  their  eyes  have  they  closed  :  lest 
they  should  see  with  their  eyes,  and  hear  with  their  ears,  and  under- 
stand with  their  heart,  and  should  be  converted,  and  I  should  heal 
them.' 

..."  During  the  long  delay  of  his  trial  S.  Paul  was  not  reduced, 
as  he  had  been  at  Caesarea,  to  a  forced  inactivity.  On  the  contrar}', 
he  was  permitted  the  freest  intei'course  with  his  friends,  and  was 
allowed  to  reside  in  a  house  of  sufficient  size  to  accommodate  the  con- 
gregation which  flocked  together  to  listen  to  his  teaching.  The  freest 
scope  was  given  to  his  labors,  consistent  with  the  military  custody 
under  which  he  was  placed.  We  are  told,  in  language  peculiarly  em- 
phatic, that  his  preaching  was  subjected  to   no  restraint   whatever. 


76  WALK'S  r.V  ROME. 

And  that  which  seemed  at  first  to  impede,  must  really  have  deepened 
the  impression  of  his  eloquence  ;  for  who  could  see  without  emotion 
that  venerable  form  subjected  by  iron  links  to  the  coarse  control  of 
the  soldier  who  stood  beside  him?  how  often  must  the  tears  of  the 
assembly  have  been  called  forth  by  the  upraising  of  that  fettered 
hand,  and  the  clanking  of  the  chain  which  checked  its  energetic 
action. 

"  We  shall  see  hereafter  that  these  labors  of  the  imprisoned  Con- 
fessor were  not  fruitless  ;  in  his  own  words,  he  '  begot  many  children 
in  his  chains.'  Meanwhile  he  had  a  wider  sphere  of  action  than  even 
the  metropolis  of  the  world.  Not  only  '  the  crowd  which  pressed 
upon  him  daily,'  but  also  '  the  care  of  all  the  churches  '  demanded  his 
constant  vigilance  and  exertion.  .  .  .  To  enable  him  to  maintain 
this  superintendence,  he  manifestly  needed  many  faithful  messengers  ; 
men  who  (as  he  says  of  one  of  them)  '  rendered  him  profitable  serv- 
ice;' and  by  some  of  whom  he  seems  to  have  been  constantly  ac- 
companied, wheresoever  he  went.  Accordingly  we  find  him,  during 
this  Roman  imprisonment,  surrounded  by  many  of  his  oldest  and 
most  valued  attendants.  Luke,  his  fellow-traveler,  remained  with 
him  during  his  bondage  ;  Timotheus,  his  beloved  son  in  the  faith, 
ministered  to  him  at  Rome,  as  he  had  done  in  Asia,  in  Macedonia, 
and  in  Achaia.  Tychicus,  who  had  formerly  borne  him  company 
from  Corinth  to  Ephesus,  is  now  at  hand  to  carry  his  letters  to  the 
shores  which  they  had  visited  together.  But  there  are  two  names 
amongst  his  Roman  companions  which  excite  a  peculiar  interest, 
though  from  opposite  reasons — the  names  of  Demas  and  of  Mark. 
The  latter,  when  last  we  heard  of  him,  was  the  unhappy  cause  of  the 
separation  of  Barnabas  and  Paul.  He  was  rejected  by  Paul,  as  un- 
worthy to  attend  him,  because  he  had  previously  abandoned  tlic  work 
of  the  gospel  out  of  timidity  or  indolence.  It  is  delightful  to  find 
him  now  ministering  obediently  to  the  very  Apostle  who  had  then 
repudiated  his  services  ;  still  more,  to  know  that  he  persevered  in 
this  fidelity  even  to  the  end,  and  was  sent  for  by  S.  Paul  to  cheer  his 
dying  hours.  Demas,  on  the  other  hand,  is  now  a  faithful  '  fellow- 
laborer'  of  the  Apostle  ;  but  in  a  few  years  we  shall  find  that  he  had 
'forsaken'  him,  having  'loved  this  present  world.' 

"  Amongst  the  rest  of  S.  Paul's  companions  at  this  time,  there  were 
two  whom  he  distinguishes  by  the  honorable  title  of  his  '  fellow-prison- 
ers.' One  of  these  is  Aristarchus,  the  other  Epaphras.  With  regard 
to  the  former,  we  know  that  he  was  a  Macedonian  of  Thessalonica, 
one  of  '  Paul's  companions  in  travel,'  whose  life  was  endangered  by 
the  mob  at  Ephesus,  and  who  embarked  with  S.  Paul  at  Caesarea 
when  he  set  sail  for  Rome.  The  other,  Epaphras,  was  a  Colossian, 
who  must  not  be  identified  with  the  Philippian  Epaphroditus,  another 
of  S.  Paul's  fellow-laborers  during  this  time.  It  is  not  easy  to  say  in 
what  exact  sense  these  t"0  disciples  were  peculiarly  fellow-friscners 
of  S.  Paul.  Perhaps  it  only  implies  that  they  dwelt  in  his  house, 
which  was  also  liis  prison. 

"  But  of  all  the  disciples  now  rnitistering  to  S.  Paul  at  Rome,  none 
has  a  greater  interest  than  the  fugitive  Asiatic  slave  Oncsimus.  He 
belonged  to  a  Christian  named  Philemon,  a  member  of  the  Colossian 


PALAZZO  DORIA. 


11 


Church.  But  he  had  robbed  his  master,  and  fled  from  Colosse.  and 
at  last  found  his  way  to  Rome.  Here  he  was  converted  to  the  faith  of 
Christ,  and  had  confessed  to  S.  Paul  his  sins  against  his  master. " — 
Co:iyb:are  and  Howson,  Life  of  S.  Paul. 

A  fountain  in  the  crypt  is  shown,  as  having  miraculously 
sprung  up  in  answer  to  the  prayers  of  S.  Paul,  that  he 
might  have  wherewithal  to  baptize  his  disciples.  At  the 
end  of  the  crypt  are  some  large  blocks  of  peperino,  said  to 
be  remains  of  the  arch  erected  by  the  Senate  in  honor  of 
the  Emperor  Gordian  III.,  and  destroyed  by  Innocent 
VIII.  By  some  these  remains,  and  others  under  the  Pa- 
lazzo Doria,  are  supposed  to  be  remains  of  the  Septa  of 
Hadrian,  covered  arcades  built  for  the  use  of  the  Roman 
populace. 

On  the  side  of  the  Via  Lata,  opposite  the  church,  is 
a  quaint  little  fountain  of  a  man  with  a  barrel,  whence 
pours  the  water;  removed  from  the  Corso  in  1872. 

Far  along  the  right  side  of  the  Corso  now  extends  the 
facade  of  the  immense  Palazzo  Doria,  built  by  Valvasoir 
(the  front  toward  the  CoUegio  Romano  being  by  Pietro  da 
Cortona,  and  that  toward  the  Piazza  Venezia  by  Amati). 
Entering  the  courtyard,  one  must  turn  left  to  reach  the 
Picture  Gallery  (which  is  open  on  Tuesdays  and  Fridays, 
from  ten  till  two) — a  vast  collection,  which  contains,  amid 
a  chaos  of  pictorial  rubbish,  some  grand  portraits  and 
a  few  other  fine  paintings. 

The  ist  Room  entered  is  a  great  hall,  to  which  pictures 
are  removed  for  copying.  It  contains  four  fine  sarcophagi, 
with  reliefs  of  the  Hunt  of  Meleager,  the  story  of  Marsyas, 
Endymion  and  Diana,  and  a  Bacchic  procession.  Of  two 
ancient  circular  altars,  one  serves  as  the  pedestal  of  a 
bearded  Dionysius.  The  pictures  are  chiefly  landscapes, 
of  the  schools  of  Poussin  and  Salvator  Rosa— that  of  the 
Deluge  is  by  Ippolito  Scarsellino. 

2d  Room. — In  the  center  a  Centaur  (restored),  of  basalt 
and  rosso-antico.  On  either  side  groups  of  boys  playing. 
The  pictures  are  not  hung  in  the  order  of   their  numbers. 

Pictures  : — 

4.  Valentin  :  Caritas  Romana. 

5.  Giov.  Bellini?  Circumcision. 

13.  Holbein  :  The  Wife  of  the  Painter. 

15.    Scuola  di  Mantepia  :  Temptations  of  S.  Anthony. 


78  WALKS  I.V  ROME. 

19.  Guercino  ?  S.  John  in  the  Desert. 
35.    Vittore  Pisauello  :  Birth  of  S.  John. 

21.  V.  Pisanello  :  Spozalizio. 

23.  Pesellii'.o  :  S.  Sylvester  before  Maximin  II. 

24.  F.  Francia  ?  Madonna  and  Child. 

28.  Fil.  IJppi  :  Annunciation.* 

29.  Pesellino  {ste   the  account  of  S.  Maria  Liberatrice) :  S.  Syl- 

vester and  the  Dragon. 
33.    Guercino  :  S.  Agnes  on  the  Burning  Pile. 
42.   Holbein  :  Portrait  of  the  Artist,  holding  a  carnation.      1545. 

4//^  Ro07}l. — 

Bernini :  A  bust  of  Innocent  X.  (with  whose  ill-acquired 
wealth  this  palace  was  built)  in  rosso-antico,  with  a  bronze 
head. 

^ih  Room. — 

22.  Titian  :  Holy  Family  and  S.  Catherine. 

25.  Guercino  :  S.  Joseph. 

School  of  Bernini :  In  the  center,  a  group,  of  Jacob  wrest- 
ling with  the  Angel. 

6tA  Room. — 

13.  Carlo  MaraUa  :  Madonna. 

30.  Jncog7tito  :  Sketch  of  a  Boy. 

From  this  room  we  enter  a  small  cabinet,  hung  with 
pictures  of  Breughel  and  Fiajnmingo,  and  containing  a  bust 
by  Algardi,  of  Olympia  Maldacchini-Pamfili,  the  sister-in- 
law  of  Innocent  X.,  who  ruled  Rome  in  his  time,  and 
built  the  Villa  Doria  Pamfili  for  her  son. 

'jth  Room, 

8.    Salvator  Rosa  :  Belisarius  in  the  Desert. 
19,  A/azzolino  :  Slaughter  of  the  Innocents. 

Passing  through  two  more  rooms,  we  enter  the  galleries 
which  begin  toward  the  left — 

ist  Gallery. — 

2.  Garofalo  :  Holy  Family  in  glory,  and  two  Franciscan  Saints 

adoring. 

3.  Aniiibale  Caracci  :  Magdalen. 

8.  Qiirntin  Matsys  :  Two  Heads. 

9.  Sassofcrrato  :  Holy  Family.* 

10.   School  of  Al'iert  Diircr :  Story  of  the  Conversion  of  S.  Eus- 
tachio  (see  the  description  of  his  church). 

14.  Titian  :  A  Portrait. 


PALAZZO  DOR/A. 


79 


15.  Andrea  del  Sarlo  :  Holy  Family. 

20.  Titian  (probably  a  first  composition  for  a  picture  afterwards 

executed)  :  The  Three  Ages  of  Man.* 

21.  Guercino  :  Return  of  the  Prodigal  Son. 

25.  Claude  Lorraine  :  Landscape  with  the  Flight  into  Egj'pt. 

26.  Garofalo  :  The  meeting  of  Mary  and  Elizabeth. 

32.  Saracini  :  The  Repose  in  Egypt. 

38.  Foussin  :  Copy  of  the  ''  Nozze  Aldobrandini." 

39.  Tintoret :  Portrait. 

45.  Gtiido  Reni  :  Madonna.* 

51.  Dosso  Dossi  :  The  Expulsion  of  the  Money  Changers. 

2d  Gallery. — 

6.  Fran.  Francia  :  Holy  Family. 
17.    Titian  :  Portrait. 
21.    Va7tdyke  :  Portrait  of  Widow. 
26.    Titian  :  Sacrifice  of  Isaac. 

Bronzino  :  Portrait  of  Giannetto  Doria. 

33.  Vandyke  :  Portrait  of  a  Pamfili. 

34.  Lorenzo  Lotto  :  Portrait. 

37.  Rubens  :  The  Wife  of  Rubens. 

A  grand  bust  of  Andrew  Doria. 
50.   Rubens  :  Portrait  of  a  Monk  who  was  the  Confessor  of  the 

Artist. 
53.    School  of  Leonardo  dd   Vinci:  Joanna  of  Arragon.* 

Lucas  von  Leyden  :  Portrait  of  a  "  Litterato. "  * 
61.    Gio.  Bait.  Benvenuti  ("  I'Ortolano"):  Adoration  of  the  Infant 

Jesus. 
69.   Corregmo  :  Glory  crowning  Virtue  (a  sketch). 

Breughel :  A  number  of  pictures  of  the  Creation. 

T,d  Gallery. — 

I,    6,   28,   34.   Ann.    Caracci :    Landscapes  (with  figures  intro- 
duced). 

10.  Titian  :  Titian's  Wife. 

11.  Bronzino:  "  Niccolaus  Macchiavellus  Historiar.  Scriptor." 

12.  Claude  Lorraine :  "The  Mill."* 

"The  foreground  of  the  picture  of  '  the  Mill '  is  a  piece  of  very 
lovely  and  perfect  forest  scenery,  with  a  dance  of  peasants  by  a  brook- 
side  ;  quite  enough  subject  to  form,  in  the  hands  of  a  master,  an  im- 
pressive and  complete  picture.  On  the  other  side  of  the  brook,  how- 
ever, we  have  a  piece  of  pastoral  life  ;  a  man  with  some  bulls  and 
goats  tumbling  head  foremost  into  the  water,  owmg  to  some  sudden 
paralytic  affection  cf  all  their  legs.  Even  this  group  is  one  too  many  ; 
the  shepherd  had  no  business  to  drive  his  flock  so  near  the  dancers, 
and  the  dancers  will  certainly  frighten  the  cattle.  But  when  we  look 
farther  into  the  picture,  our  feelings  receive  a  sudden  and  violent 
shock,  by  the  unexpected  appearance,  amidst  things  pastoral  and 
musical,  of  the  military  ;  a  number  of  Roman  soldiers  riding  in  on  hob- 
by-horses, with  a  leader  on  foot,  apparently  encouraging  them  to  make 


8o  WALK'S  IX  ROME. 

an  immediate  and  decisive  charge  on  the  musicians.  Beyond  the 
soldiers  is  a  circular  temple,  in  exceedingly  bad  repair ;  and  close  be- 
side it,  Iniilt  against  its  very  walls,  a  neat  water-mill  in  full  work  ;  by 
the  mill  flows  a  large  river  with  a  weir  across  it.  .  .  .  At  an  incon- 
venient distance  from  the  water-side  stands  a  city,  composed  of  twenty- 
five  round  towers  and  a  pyramid.  Beyond  the  city  is  a  handsome 
bridge  ;  beyond  the  bridge,  part  of  the  Campagna,  with  fragments  of 
aqueducts  ;  beyond  the  Campagna  the  chain  of  the  Alps  ;  on  the 
left,  the  cascades  of  Tivoli. 

'' Tills  is  a  fair  example  of  what  is  commonly  called  an  'ideal' 
landscape  ;  i.e.,  a  group  of  the  artist's  studies  from  nature,  individually 
spoiled,  selected  with  such  opposition  of  character  as  may  insure  their 
neutralizing  each  other's  effect,  and  united  with  sufficient  unnatural- 
ness  and  violence  of  association  to  insure  their  producing  a  general 
sensation  of  the  impossible." — Ruskht's  Modern  Painters. 

"  Many  painters  take  a  particular  spot,  and  sketch  it  to  perfection  ; 
but  Claude  was  convinced  that  taking  nature  as  he  found  it  seldom 
produced  beauty.  Neither  did  he  like  exhibiting  in  his  pictures  acci- 
dents of  nature.  He  professed  to  portray  the  style  of  general  nature, 
and  so  his  pictures  were  a  composition  of  the  various  draughts  which 
he  had  previously  made  from  beautiful  scenes  and  prospects." — Sir 
J.  Reynolds. 

l8.   Ann.  Caracci  :  Pieta. 

23.    Claude  Lorraine  :  Landscape,  with  the  Temple  of  Apollo.* 
26.  Mazzolino  :  Portrait. 

35.  JJosso  Dossi  :  Portrait,  said  to  represent  Vanozza,  mother  of 
Lucrezia  and  Caesar  Borgia. 

At  the  end  of  this  gallery  is  a  small  cabinet,  containing 
the  gems  of  the  collection  : 

Raffaelle :  Bartolo  and  Baldo.* 

Sebastian  del  Pionibo. — Celebrated  for  his  great  power  of  making 
use  of  all  the  tints  of  the  same  color,  which  is  especially 
shown  in  this  picture  :  Portrait  of  Andrea  Doria. 

Quentin  Matsys  :  The  Misers.* 

Barocci :  Portrait  of  S.  Filippo  Neri,  as  a  boy. 

Velasquez :  Portrait  of  Innocent  X.  ;  Gio.  Battista  Pamfili 
(1644-55). 

John  Emeliw^k  :  Entombment. 

The  4ih  Gallery  is  decorated  with  mirrors,  and  with 
statues  of  no  especial  merit. 

"  In  the  whole  immense  range  of  rooms  of  the  Palazzo  Doria,  I  saw 
but  a  single  fire-place,  and  that  so  deep  in  the  wall  that  no  amount  of 
blaze  would  raise  the  atmospliere  of  the  room  ten  degrees.  If  the 
builder  of  the  palace,  or  any  of  his  successors,  have  committed  crimes 
worthy  of  Tophet,  it  would  be  a  still  worse  punishment  to  him  to 
wander  perpetually  through  this  suite  of  rooms,  on  the  cold  floors  of 
polished  brick  tiles,  or  mari)le,  or  mosaic,  growing  a  little  chiller  and 


PALAZZO    COLONNA.  8 1 

chiller  through  every  moment  of  eternity — or  at  least,  till  the  palace 
crumbles  down  upon  him." — Hawthorne,  Notes  on  Italy. 

Opposite  the  Palazzo  Doria  is  the  Palazzo  Salviati. 
The  next  two  streets  on  the  left  lead  into  the  long  narrow- 
square  Piazza  Santi  ApostoU  (where  General  Oudinot  re- 
turned public  thanks  after  the  capture  of  Rome  by  the 
French,  June  29,  1849),  containing  several  handsome 
palaces.  That  on  the  right  is  the  Palazzo  OdescalcJii, 
built  by  Bernini,  in  1660,  for  Cardinal  Fabio  Chigi,  to 
whose  family  it  formerly  belonged.  It  has  some  fine 
painted  and  carved  wooden  ceilings.  This  palace  is  sup- 
posed to  be  the  scene  of  the  latest  miracle  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church.  The  Princess  Odescalchi  had  long  been 
bedridden,  and  was  apparently  dying  of  a  hopeless  disease, 
when,  while  her  family  were  watching  what  they  considered 
her  last  moments,  the  pope  (Pius  IX.)  sent,  by  the  hands 
of  a  nun,  a  little  loaf  (panetello),  which  he  desired  her  to 
swallow.  With  terrible  effort,  the  sick  woman  obeyed, 
and  was  immediately  healed,  and  on  the  following  day  the 
astonished  Romans  saw  her  go  in  person  to  the  Pope,  at 
the  Vatican,  to  return  thanks  for  her  restoration  ! 

The  building  at  the  end  of  the  square  is  the  Palazzo  Va- 
kfiiim,  now  the  Prefettura,  which  once  contained  a  collec- 
tion of  antiquities. 

Near  this,  on  the  left,  but  separated  from  the  piazza  by 
a  courtyard,  is  the  vast  Palazzo  Colonna,  begun  in  the 
fifteentia  century,  by  Martin  V.,  and  continued  at  various 
later  periods.  Julius  II.  at  one  time  made  it  his  residence, 
and  also  Cardinal  (afterward  San  Carlo)  Borromeo.  Part 
of  it  is  now  the  residence  of  the  French  ambassadors.  The 
palace  is  built  very  near  the  site  of  the  ancient  fortress  of 
the  Colonna  family — so  celebrated  in  times  of  mediaeval 
warfare  with  the  Orsini — of  which  one  lofty  tower  still  re- 
mains, in  a  street  leading  up  to  the  Quirinal. 

The  Gallery  is  shown  every  day,  except  Sundays  and 
holidays,  from  eleven  to  three.  It  is  entered  by  the  left 
wing.  The  first  room  is  a  fine,  gloomy  old  hall,  contain- 
ing the  family  dais,  and  hung  with  decaying  Colonna  por- 
traits. Then  come  three  rooms  covered  with  tapestries, 
the  last  containing  a  pretty  statue  of  a  girl,  sometimes 
called  Niobe.  Hence  we  reach  the  pictures.  The  \st 
Room  has  an  interesting  collection  of  the  early  schools,  in- 


82  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

eluding  Madonnas  of  Filippo  Lippi,  Liica  Longhi,  Botticelli^ 
Gentile  da  Fabriano,  Innoce/iza  da  Imola  ;  a  curious  Cruci- 
fixion, by  Jacopo  a  Ava^izo ;  and  a  portrait  by  Giovanni 
Sanzio,  father  of  Raffaelle. 

The  ceiling  of  the  31/  Jioo?n  has  a  fresco,  by  Baitoni  and 
Luti,  of  the  apotheosis  of  Martin  V.  (Oddone  Colonna, 
14 1 7-2  0 — the  Colonnas  rise  from  the  grave  bearing  the 
column,  the  heraldic  emblem  of  their  race.  Among  its  pict- 
ures are,  S.  Bernard,  Giovanin  Bellini j  Onuphrius  Pavi- 
nius,  Titian;  Holy  Family,  Bro?izino j  Peasant  Dining, 
Annibale  Caraccij  S.  Jerome,  Spagna  j  Portrait,  Paul  Ve- 
ronese J  Holy  Family,  Boni/azio. 

Hence  we  enter  the  Great  Hall,  a  truly  grand  room, 
hung  with  mirrors  and  painted  with  flowers  by  Mario  de' Fio- 
7'i,  and  with  genii  by  Maratta.  The  statues  here  are  un- 
important. The  ceiling  is  adorned  with  paintings,  by  Colt 
and  Glierardi,  of  the  battle  of  Lepanto,  Oct.  8,  1571, 
which  Marc-Antonio  Colonna  assisted  in  gaining.  The 
best  pictures  are  the  family  portraits  :  Federigo  Colonna, 
Sustennatms ;  Don  Carlo  Colonna,  Vandyke;  Card.  Pom- 
peio  Colonna,  Lorenzo  Lotto  ;  Vittoria  Colonna,  Muziano  ; 
Lucrezia  Colonna,  Vandyke  (the  best  work  of  the  artist  in 
Rome)  ;  Pompeio  Colonna,  Agostino  Caracci ;  Giacomo 
Sciarra  Colonna,  Giorgione.  We  may  also  notice  an  extra- 
ordinary picture  of  the  Madonna  rescuing  a  child  from  a 
demon,  by  Niccolo  d'Alunno,  with  a  double  portrait,  by 
Ti?itoret,  on  the  right  wall,  and  a  Holy  Family  of  Palma 
Vecchio  at  the  end  of  the  gallery.  Near  the  entrance  are 
some  glorious  old  cabinets,  inlaid  with  ivory  and  lapis-la- 
zuli.  On  the  steps  leading  to  the  upper  end  of  the  hall  is 
a  bomb  left  on  the  spot  Vv'here  it  fell  during  the  siege  of 
Rome  in  1848. 

(Through  the  palace  access  may  be  obtained  to  the 
beautiful  Colonna  Gardens ;  but  as  they  are  generally 
visited  from  the  Quirinal,  they  will  be  noticed  in  the  de- 
scription of  that  hill.) 

"  On  parle  d'un  Pierre  Colonna,  depouille  de  tous  .ses  biens  en  IIOO 
par  le  pape  Pascal  II.  II  fallait  que  la  faniille  fiit  dcja  passnblement 
ancienne,  car  les  grandes  fortunes  ne  s'clevent  pas  en  un  jour." — 
About. 

"Si  n'etoit  le  different  des  Ursins  et  des  Colonnois  [Orsini  and 
Colonna]  la  terra  dc  I'Eglise  seroit  la  plus  heureuse  habitation  pour 


THE   SANTI  AFOSTOLI.  83 

les    subjects,    qui   soit   en   tout   le   raonde." — Philippe  de    Comines, 
1500. 

"  Gloriosa  Colonna,  in  cui  s'  appoggia 

Nostra  speranza,  e  'i  gran  nome  latino, 
Ch'  ancor  non  torse  dal  vero  cammino 
L'  ira  di  Giove  per  ventosa  pioggia." 

Fetrarca,  Sonetto  x. 

Adjoining  the  Palazzo  Colonna  is  the  fine  Church  of  the 
Santi  Apostoli,  founded  in  the  sixth  century,  rebuilt  by 
Martin  V.,  in  1420,  and  modernized,  c.  1602,  by  Fontana. 
The  portico  contains  a  magnificent  bas-relief  of  an  eagle 
and  an  oak  wreath  (frequently  copied  and  introduced  in 
architectural  designs). 

"  Entrez  sous  le  portique  de  I'eglise  des  Saints-Apotres,  et  vous 
trouverez  la,  encadre  par  hasard  dans  le  mur,  un  aigle  qu'entoure  une 
couronne  d'un  magnifique  travail.  Vous  reconnaitrez  facilement  dans 
cat  aigle  et  cette  couronne  la  representation  d'une  enseigne  romaine, 
telle  que  les  tas-reliefs  de  la  colonne  Trajane  vous  en  ont  montre 
plusieurs  ;  seulement  ce  qui  etait  la  en  petit  est  ici  en  grand." — Am- 
pere, Emp.  ii.  i63. 

Beneath  the  eagle  is  a  quaint  thirteenth-century  lion — 
''opus  raagistri  Bassallecti,"  removed,  since  the  change  of 
Government,  from  the  front  of  the  church  toward  the 
piazza.  Also  in  the  portico,  is  a  monument,  by  Canova,  to 
Volpato,  the  engraver.  Over  the  sacristy  door  is  the 
tomb  of  Pope  Clement  XIV.  (Giov.  Antonio  Ganganelli, 
1769-74),  also  by  Canova,  executed  in  his  twenty-fifth 
year. 

"  La  mort  de  Clement  XIV.  est  du  22  Septembre,  1 774.  A  cette 
epoque,  Alphonse  de  Liguori  etait  eveque  de  Sainte-Agathe  des 
Goths,  au  royaume  de  Naples.  Le  22  Septembre,  au  matin,  I'eveque 
tomba  dans  une  espece  de  sommeil  lethargique  apres  avoir  dit  la 
messe,  et,  pendant  vingt-quatre  heures,  il  demeura  sans  mouvement 
dans  son  fauteuil.  Ses  serviteurs  s'etonnant  de  cet  etat,  le  lendemain, 
avec  lui  :  'Vous  ne  savez  pas,'  leur  dit-il,  'que  j'ai  assiste  le  pape 
qui  vient  de  mourir.'  Peu  apres,  la  nouvelle  du  deces  de  Clement 
arriva  a  Sainte-Agathe." — Gournerie,  Rome  Chrt'tienne,  ii.  362. 

In  1873  the  traditional  grave  of  S.  Philip  and  S.  James 
the  Less,  the  "  Apostoli  "  to  v/hom  this  church  is  dedicated, 
was  opened  during  its  restoration.  Two  bodies  were 
found,  inclosed  in  a  sarcophagus  of  beautiful  transparent 
marble,  and  have  been  duly  enshrined. 

In  the  choir  are  monuments  of  the  fifteenth  century,  to 
two  relations  of  Pope  Sixtus  IV.,  Pietro  Riario,  and  Car- 


84  WALKS  /y  ROME. 

dinal  Raffaello  Riario.  To  the  right  is  the  tomb  of  Gerard 
Anseduno,  who  married  a  niece  of  Pope  JuUus  II.,  and 
was  maitre  d'hotel  ("  famihae  praefectus  ")  toCharljs  VIII. 
and  Louis  XII.  of  France.  The  tomb  of  Cardinal  Bes- 
sarion  was  removed  from  the  church,  in  1702,  to  the  clois- 
ters of  the  adjoining  Convent^  which  is  the  residence  of 
the  General  of  the  Order  of  "  Minori  Conventuali '  (Black 
Friars).  The  altarpiece,  by  Muratori,  represents  the 
martyrdom  of  SS.  Philip  and  James. 

The  heart  of  Maria  Clementina  Sobieski  (buried  in  S. 
Peter's),  wife  of  James  III.,  called  the  Old  Pretender,  is 
preserved  here,  as  is  shown  by  a  Latin  inscription. 

"  Le  roi  d'Angleterre  est  devot  a  I'exces  ;  sa  matinee  se  passe  en 
prieres  aux  Saints- Apotres,  pres  du  tombeau  dc  sa  femme. "  — Z>^ 
Brasses,  I739. 

In  1552  this  church  was  remarkable  for  the  sermons  of 
the  monk  Felix  Peretti,  afterward  Sixtus  V. 

"  Suivant  un  manuscrit  de  la  bibliotheque  Alfieri,  un  jour,  pendant 
qu'il  etait  dans  la  chaire  des  Saints-Apotres,  un  billet  cachete  lui  fut 
remis  ;  Frere  Felix  louvre  et  y  lit,  en  face  d'un  certain  nombre  de 
propositions  que  Ton  disait  etre  extraits  de  ses  discours,  ce  mot  ecrit 
en  gros  caracteres  ;  Mentiris  (tu  mens).  Le  fougueux  orateur  eut 
peine  a  contenir  son  emotion  ;  il  termina  son  sermon  en  quelques  pa- 
roles, et  courut  au  palais  de  I'lnquisition  presenter  le  billet  mysterieux, 
et  demander  qu'on  examinat  scrupuleusement  sa  doctrine.  Cet  ex- 
amen  lui  fut  favorable,  et  il  lui  valut  I'amitie  du  grand  inquisiteur, 
Michel  Ghislieri,  qui  comprit  aussitot  tout  le  parti  qu'on  pouvait  tirer 
d'un  homme  dont  les  moindres  actions  etaient  empreintes  d'une  in- 
ebranlable  force  de  caractere." — Goifnierie. 

In  this  church  is  buried  the  young  Countess  Savorelli, 
the  story  of  whose  love,  misfortunes,  and  death,  has  been 
celebrated  by  About,  under  tlie  name  of  Tolla  (the  Lello  of 
the  story  having  been  one  of  the  Doria-Pamlili  family). 

'  The  convent  which  Tolla  had  sanctified  by  her  death  sent  three 
embassies  in  turn  to  beg  to  preserve  her  relics  :  already  the  people 
spoke  of  her  as  a  saint.  But  Count  Feraldi  (Savorelli)  considered 
that  it  was  due  to  his  honor  and  to  liis  vengeance  to  bear  her  remains 
with  pomp  to  the  tomb  of  his  fatnily.  He  had  sufficient  influence  to 
obtain  that  for  which  permission  is  not  granted  once  in  ten  years  :  the 
right  of  transporting  her  uncovered,  upon  a  bed  of  white  velvet,  and 
of  sparing  her  the  horrors  of  a  coffin.  The  beloved  remains  were 
wrapped  in  the  white  muslin  robe  which  she  wore  in  the  garden  on 
the  day  when  she  exchanged  her  sweet  vows  with  Lello.  The  Mar- 
chesa  Trasimeni,  ill  and  wasted  as  she  was,  came  herself  to  arrange  her 


PALAZZO    TORLONIA.  85 

hair  in  the  manner  she  loved.  Every  garden  in  Rome  despoiled  itself 
to  send  her  its  flowers  ;  it  was  only  necessary  to  choose.  The  funeral 
procession  quitted  the  church  of  S.  Antonio  Abbate  on  Thursday 
evening  at  7  30  for  the  Santi  Apostoli,  where  the  Feraldi  are  buried 
The  body  was  preceded  by  a  long  file  of  the  black  and  white  confra- 
ternities, each  bearing  its  banjier.  The  red  light  of  the  torches 
played  upon  the  countenance  of  the  beautiful  dead,  and  seemed  to 
animate  her  afresh.  The  piazza  was  tilled  with  a  dense  and  closely 
packed  but  dumb  crowd  ;  no  discordant  sound  troubled  the  grief  of 
the  relations  and  friends  of  Toila,  who  wept  together  at  the  Palazzo 
Feraldi.    .   .   . 

"  The  Church  of  the  Apostoli  and  the  tomb  of  the  poor  loving  girl, 
become  at  certain  days  of  the  year  an  object  of  pilgrimage,  and  more 
than  one  young  Roman  maiden  adds  to  her  evening  litany  the  words, 
'  St    Tolla,  virgin  and  martyr,  pray  for  us.'  " — About, 

Just  beyond  the  church  is  the  Palazzo  Muti-Pappazzuri 
or  SavorelU  (the  home  of  Tolla,  "Palazzo  Feraldi"),  long 
the  residence  of  Prince  Charles  Edward  ("the  young  Pre- 
tender ),"  who  died  here  in  1788.  Sir  Horace  Mann  men- 
tions in  one  of  his  letters  (May  2,  1772),  that  the  Romans 
used  to  call  the  wife  of  Charles  Edward  "  Regina  aposto- 
lorum,"  from  the  situation  of  her  palace. 

Returning  to  the  Corso,  we  pass  (right)  Palazzo  Bona- 
parte, built  by  Giovanni  dei  Rossi  in  1660.  There  is  a 
gigantic  statue  of  Napoleon  I.  opposite  the  foot  of  the 
staircase.  Here  Laetitia  Bonaparte — "  Madame  Mere  " — 
the  mother  of  Napoleon  I.,  died  February  2,  1836.  The 
Roman  Princes  Bonaparte  represent  the  fusion  of  the  two 
lines  of  Joseph  and  Lucien,  brothers  of  Napoleon  I.  The 
present  head  of  the  fatnily  is  Cardinal  Lucien-Louis  Bona- 
parte, son  of  Prince  Charles  (son  of  Lucien)  and  of  Prin- 
cess Zenal'de,  daughter  of  King  Joseph  of  Spain.  His 
only  surviving  brother  is  Prince  Charles. 

This  palace  forms  one  corner  of  the  Piazza  di  Venezia, 
which  contains  the  ancient  castellated  Palace  of  the  Repub- 
lic of  Venice,  built  in  1468  by  Giuliano  da  Majano  (with 
materials  plundered  from  the  Coliseum)  for  Paul  H.,  who 
was  of  Venetian  birth.  On  the  ruin  of  the  republic  the 
palace  fell  into  the  hands  of  Austria,  and  is  still  the  resi- 
dence of  the  Austrian  ambassador,  to  whom  it  was  specially 
reserved  on  the  cession  of  Venice  to  Italy. 

Opposite  this,  on  a  line  with  the  Corso,  is  the  Palazzo 
Torlonia,  built  by  Fontana  in  1650,  for  the  Bolognetti 
familv. 


86  WALK'S  IN    ROME. 

"  Nobility  is  certainly  more  the  fruit  of  wealth  in  Italy  than  in 
England.  Here,  where  a  title  and  estate  are  sold  together,  a  man 
who  can  buy  the  one  secures  tlie  other.  From  the  station  of  a  lackey, 
an  Italian  who  can  amass  riches,  may  rise  to  that  of  duke.  Thus, 
Torlonia,  the  Roman  banker,  who  purchased  the  title  and  estate  of 
the  Duca  di  Bracciano,  fitted  up  the  '  Palazzo  Nuovo  di  Toilonia' 
with  all  the  magnificence  that  v/ealth  commands  ;  and  a  marble  gal- 
lery, with  its  polished  floors,  modern  statues,  painted  ceilings  and 
gilded  furniture,  far  outshines  the  faded  splendor  of  the  halls  of  the 
old  Roman  nobility." — Eaton^s  Rome. 

"  Un  ancien  domestique  de  place,  devenu  speculateur  et  banquier, 
achete  un  marquisat,  puis  une  principaute.  II  cree  un  majorat  pour 
son  fils  aine  et  une  seconde  geniture  en  faveur  de  I'autre.  L'un 
epouse  une  Sforza-Cesarini  et  marie  ses  deux  fils  a  une  Chigi  et  une 
Ruspoli  ;  I'autre  obtient  pour  femmeune  Colonna-Doria.  C'est  ainsi 
que  la  famille  Torlonia,  par  la  puissance  de  i'argent  et  la  faveur  du 
saint-pere,  s'est  elevee  presque  subitement  a  la  hauteur  des  plus 
grandes  maisons  nepotiques  et  feodales." — About, 

The  most  interesting  of  the  antiquities  preserved  in  this 
palace  is  a  bas-reHef,  representing  a  combat  between  men 
and  animals,  brought  hither  from  the  Palazzo  Orsini,  and 
probably  portraying  the  famous  dedication  of  the  theater 
of  Marcellus  on  that  site,  celebrated  by  the  slaughter  of 
six  hundred  animals. 

The  end  of  the  Corso — narrowed  by  a  projecting  wing 
of  the  Venetian  Palace — is  known  as  the  Ripresa  dci  Bar- 
beri,  because  there  the  horses,  which  run  in  the  races  during 
the  Carnival,  are  caught  in  large  folds  of  drapery  let  down 
across  the  street  to  prevent  their  dashing  themselves  to 
pieces  against  the  opposite  wall. 

Close  to  the  end  of  this  street,  built  into  the  wall  of  a 
house  in  the  Viadi  Marforio,  is  one  of  the  few  relics  of  re- 
publican times  in  the  city — a  Doric  to7nl>,  bearing  an  in- 
scription, which  states  that  it  was  erected  by  order  of  the 
people  on  land  granted  by  the  Senate  to  Caius  Publicius 
Bibulus,  the  plebeian  aedile,  and  his  posterity.  Petrarch 
mentions  in  one  of  his  letters  that  he  wrote  a  sonnet  lean- 
ing against  this  tomb. 

The  tomb  has  a  secondary  interest  as  marking  llie  com- 
mencement of  the  Via  Flaminia,  as  it  stood  just  outside  the 
Porta  Ratumena,  from  whence  that  road  issued.  There 
a-e  some  obscure  remains  of  another  tomb  on  the  other 
side  of  the  street.  The  Via  Flaminin,  like  the  Via  Appia, 
was  once  fringed  Avith  tombs.  In  the  court  of  No.  i8  Via 
del  Ghetarello,  which  opens  out  of  the  Via  di  Marforio,  are 


IL    GESU  87 

some  remains  of  the  outer  wall  of  the  forum  of  Julius 
Caesar. 

From  the  Ripresa  dei  Barberi,  a  street  passing  under  an 
arch  on  the  right  leads  to  the  back  of  the  Venetian  Palace, 
where  is  the  Church  of  S.  Marco,  originally  founded  in  the 
time  of  Constantine,  but  rebuilt  in  833,  and  modernized  by 
Cardinal  Quirini  in  1744.  Its  portico,  which  is  lined  with 
early  Christian  inscriptions,  contains  a  fine  fifteenth-cent- 
ury doorway  surmounted  by  a  figure  of  S.  Mark.  The 
interior  is  in  the  form  of  a  basilica,  its  naves  and  aisles 
separated  by  twenty  columns,  and  ending  in  an  apse.  The 
best  pictures  are  S.  Marco,  "  a  pope  enthroned,  by  Carlo 
Criveiii,  resembling  in  sharpness  of  finish  and  individuality 
the  works  of  Bartolomeo  Viviani,"  '  and  a  Resurrection  by 
Pahna  Giovane. 

"The  mosaics  of  S.  Marco,  executed  under  Pope  Gregory  IV- 
(a.d.  827-844),  with  all  their  splendor,  exhibit  the  utmost  poverty  of 
expression.  Above  the  tribune,  in  circular  compartments,  is  the  por- 
trait of  Christ  between  the  symbols  of  the  Evangelists,  and  further 
below  SS.  Peter  and  Paul  (or  two  prophets)  with  scrolls  ;  within  the 
tribune,  beneath  a  hand  extended  with  a  wreath,  is  the  standing  figure 
of  Christ  with  an  open  book,  and  on  either  side  S.  Angelo  and  Pope 
Gregory  IV.  Furtlier  on,  but  still  belonging  to  the  dome,  are  the 
thirteen  lambs,  forming  a  second  and  quite  uneven  circle  round  the 
figures.  The  execution  is  here  especially  rude,  and  of  true  Byzantine 
rigidity,  while,  as  if  the  artist  knew  that  his  long  lean  figures  were 
anything  but  secure  upon  their  feet,  he  has  given  them  each  a  separate 
littl.e  pedestal.  The  lines  of  tlie  drapery  are  chiefly  straight  and 
parallel,  while,  with  all  this  rudeness,  a  certain  play  of  color  has  been 
contrived  by  the  introduction  of  high  lights  of  another  color.  "^ 
Kugler. 

This  church  is  said  to  have  been  originally  founded  in 
honor  of  the  Evangelist  in  337  by  Pope  Marco,  but  the 
pope,  being  himself  canonized,  is  also  honored  here,  and  is 
buried  under  the  high  altar.  On  April  25,  St.  Mark's 
Day,  a  grand  procession  of  clergy  starts  from  hence. 

Behind  the  Palazzo  Venezia  is  the  vast  Church  of  II 
Gesii,  begun  in  1568  by  the  celebrated  Vignola,  but  the 
cupola  and  facade  completed  in  1575  by  his  scholar  Gia- 
como  della  Porta.  In  the  interior  is  the  monument  of 
Cardinal  Bellarmin,  and  various  pictures  representing 
events  in  the  lives  or  deaths  of  the  Jesuit  saints — that  of 
the  death  of  S.  Francis  Xavier  is  by  Carlo  Maratta.     The 

-  '  KMgler. 


8S  IVALjVS  I\    ROME. 

high  altar,  by  Giacomo  del'a  Porta,  has  fine  columns  of 
giallo-antico.  The  altar  of  S.  Ignatius  at  the  end  of  the 
left  transept  is  of  gaudy  magnificence.  It  was  designed 
by  Padre  Pozzi,  the  group  of  the  Trinity  being  by  Ber- 
nardino Ludovisi ;  the  globe  in  the  hand  of  the  Almighty 
is  said  to  be  the  largest  piece  of  lapis-lazuli  in  existence. 
Beneath  this  altar,  and  his  silver  statue,  lies  the  body  of  S. 
Ignatius  Loyola,  in  an  urn  of  gilt  bronze,  adorned  with 
precious  stones.  A  great  ceremony  takes  place  in  this 
church  on  July  31,  the  feast  of  S.  Ignatius,  and  on  Decem- 
ber 31  a  Te  Deum  is  sung  here  for  the  mercies  of  the  clos- 
ing year — a  really  solemn  and  impressive  service. 

The  Convent  of  the  Gesii  is  the  residence  of  the  General 
of  the  Jesuits  ("  His  Paternity  "),  and  the  center  of  relig- 
ious life  in  their  Order.  The  rooms  in  which  S.  Ignatius 
lived  and  died  are  of  the  deepest  historic  interest.  They 
consist  of  four  chambers.  The  first,  now  a  chapel,  is  that 
in  which  he  wrote  his  "Constitutions."  The  second,  also 
a  chapel,  is  that  in  which  he  died.  It  contains  the  altar 
at  which  he  daily  celebrated  mass,  and  the  autograph  en- 
gagement to  live  under  the  same  laws  of  obedience,  pov- 
erty, and  chastity,  signed  by  Laynez,  Francis  Xavier,  and 
Ignatius  Loyola.  On  its  walls  are  two  portraits  of  Loyola, 
one  as  a  young  knight,  the  other  as  a  Jesuit  father,  and 
portraits  of  S.  Carlo  Borroraeo  and  S.  Filippo  Neri.  It 
was  in  this  chamber  also  that  S.  Francis  Borgia  died.  The 
third  room  was  that  of  the  attendant  monk  of  S.  Ignatius  ; 
ihe  fourth  is  now  a  kind  of  museuo  of  relics,  containing 
portions  of  his  robe  and  small  article  0  which  belonged  to 
him  and  to  other  saints  of  the  Order. 

Facing  the  Church  of  the  Gesu  is  the  Palazzo  Altieri, 
built  by  Cardinal  Altieri  in  1670,  from  designs  of  Giov. 
Antonio  Rossi. 

"Quand  le  palais  Allien  fut  achevc.  les  Altieri,  neveux  de  Clement 
X.,  inviterent  leur  oncle  a  le  venir  voir.  II  s'y  fit  porter,  et  d'aussi  loin 
qu'il  aper9Ut  la  magnificence  et  I'etendue  de  cette  superbe  fabrique,  il 
rebroussa  chemin  le  coeur  serre,  sans  dire  un  seul  mot,  et  mourut  pen 
apres  " — De  Brasses. 

"  On  the  staircase  of  the  Palazzo  Altieri  is  an  ancient  colossal  m.&X' 
\Aq  finger,  of  such  extraordinary  size,  that  it  is  really  worth  a  visit." 
— Mrs.  Eaton. 

This   palace    was  the    residence   of   the   noble-hearted 


PIAZZA    DEL    GESV. 


89 


vicar-general,  Cardinal  Altieri,  who  died  a  martyr  to  his  de- 
votion to  his  flock  (as  Bishop  of  Albano)  during  the  terri- 
ble visitation  of  cholera  at  Albano,  in  1867. 

The  Piazza  del  Gesu  is  considered  to  be  the  most 
draughty  place  in  Rome.  The  legend  runs  that  the  devil 
and  the  wind  were  one  day  taking  a  walk  together.  When 
they  came  to  this  square,  the  devil,  who  seemed  to  be  very 
devout,  said  to  the  wind,  "  Just  wait  a  minute,  mio  caro, 
while  I  go  into  this  church."  So  the  wind  promised,  and 
the  devil  went  into  the  Gesu,  and  has  never  come  out 
again — and  the  wind  is  blowing  about  in  the  Piazza  del 
Gesu  to  this  day. 


CHAPTER    III. 

THE    CAPITOLINE. 

The  Story  of  Ihe  Hill — Piazza  del  Campidoglio — Palace  of  the  Sena- 
tor— View  from  the  Capitol  Tower — The  Tabularium — The 
Museo  Capitolino — Gallery  of  Statues — Palace  of  the  Conservators 
— Gallery  of  Pictures — Palazzo  Caffarelli — Tarpeian  Rock — Con- 
vent and  Church  of  Ara-Coeli — Mamertine  Prisons. 

THE  Capitoline  was  the  hill  of  the  kings  and  the  re- 
public, as  the  Palatine  was  of  the  empire. 
Entirely  composed  of  tufa,  its  sides,  now  concealed  by 
buildings  or  by  the  accumulated  rubbish  of  ages,  were 
abrupt  and  precipitous,  as  are  still  the  sides  of  the  neigh- 
boring citadels  of  Corneto  and  Cervetri.  It  was  united  to 
the  Quirinal  by  an  isthmus  of  land  cut  away  by  Trajan, 
but  in  every  other  direction  was  isolated  by  its  perpendicu- 
lar cliffs  : 

"Arduus  in  valles  et  fora  clivus  erat. " 

Ovid,  Fast.  i.  964. 

Up  to  the  time  of  the  Tarquins,  the  hill  bore  the  name 
of  Mons  Saturnius,^  from  the  mythical  king  Saturn,  who  is 
reported  to  have  come  to  Italy  in  the  reign  of  Janus,  and 
to  have  made  a  settlement  here.  His  name  was  derived 
from  sowing,  and  he  was  looked  upon  as  the  introducer  of 
civilization  and  social  order,  both  of  which  are  inseparably 
connected  witli  agriculture.  His  reign  here  was  thus  con- 
sidered to  be  the  golden  age  of  Italy.  His  wife  was  Ops, 
the  representative  of  plenty.' 

"  C'est  la  tradition  d'un  age  de  paix  represente  par  le  regne  paisible 
de  Satume  ;  avant  qu'il  y  eut  une  Roma,  ville  de  la  force,  il  y  eut  uns 
Salurnia,  ville  de  la  paix." — Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  i.  86. 

Virgil  represents  Evander,  the  mythical  king  of  the  Pala- 
tine, as  exhibiting  Saturnia,  already  in  ruins,  to  Aeneas. 

'  Varro,   De  Lin^.  La!,   v.  42,  '■'  Smith's  Roman  MyHu^l.^gy. 

00 


THE    STORY    OF    THE   HILL.  pi 

"  Haec  duo  praelerea  disjectis  oppida  muris, 

Reliqiiias  veterumque  vides  monumenta  virorum. 
Hanc  Janus  pater,  banc  Saturnus  condidit  arcem  : 
Janiculum  huic,  illi  fuerat  Saturnia  nomen." 

Acn.  viii.  355. 

When  Romulus  had  fixed  his  settlement  upon  the  Pala- 
tine, he  opened  an  asylum  for  fugitive  slaves  upon  the  then 
deserted  Saturnius,  and  here,  at  a  sacred  oak,  he  is  said  to 
have  offered  up  the  spoils  of  the  Caecinenses,  and  their 
after  Acron,  who  had  made  a  war  of  reprisal  upon  him, 
king  the  rape  of  their  women  in  the  Campus  Martius  ; 
here  also  he  vowed  to  build  a  temple  to  Jupiter  Feretrius, 
where  spoils  should  always  be  offered.  But  in  the  mean- 
time the  Sabines,  under  Titus  Tatius,  besieged  and  took 
the  hill,  having  a  gate  of  its  fortress  (said  to  have  been  on 
the  ascent  above  the  spot  where  the  Arch  of  Severus  now 
stands)  opened  to  them  by  Tarpeia,  who  gazed  with  long- 
ing upon  the  golden  bracelets  of  the  warriors,  and,  obtain- 
ing a  promise  to  receive  that  which  they  wore  upon  their 
arms,  was  crushed  by  their  shields  as  they  entered.  Some 
authorities,  however,  maintain  that  she  asked  and  obtained 
the  hand  of  king  Tatius.  From,  this  tim.e  the  hill  was 
completely  occupied  by  the  Sabines,  and  its  name  became 
partially  merged  in  that  of  Mom  Tarpeia,  which  its  south- 
ern side  has  ahvays  retained.  Niebuhr  states  that  it  is  a 
popular  superstition  that  the  beautiful  Tarpeia  still  sits, 
sparkling  with  gold  and  jewels,  enchanted  and  motionless, 
in  a  cave  in  the  center  of  the  hill. 

After  the  death  of  Tatius,  the  Capitoline  again  fell  under 
the  government  of  Romulus,  and  his  successor,  Numa  Pom- 
pilius,  founded  here  a  Temple  of  Fides  Publica,  in  which 
the  flamens  were  always  to  sacrifice  with  a  fillet  on  their 
right  hands,  in  sign  of  fidelity.  To  Numa  also  is  attributed 
the  worship  of  the  god  Terminus,  who  Ihad  a  temple  here 
in  very  early  ages. 

Under  Tarquinius  Superbus,  B.C.  535,  the  magnificent 
Temple  of  Jupiter  Capitolinus,  which  had  been  vov/ed  by 
his  father,  was  built  with  money  taken  from  the  Volscians 
in  war.  In  digging  its  foundations,  the  head  of  a  man  was 
found,  still  bloody,  an  omen  v>'hich  was  interpreted  by  an 
Etruscan  augur  to  portend  that  Rome  would  become  the 
head  of  Italy.     In  consequence  of  this,  the  name  of  the 


92 


WALKS  I.V  HOME. 


hill  was  once  more  changed,  and  has  ever  since  been  MofU 
Capitolinus,  or  Capitoliuni. 

The  site  of  this  temple  has  always  been  one  of  the  vexed 
questions  of  history.  At  the  time  it  was  built,  as  now,  the 
hill  consisted  of  two  peaks,  with  a  level  space  between 
them.  Niebuhr  and  Gregorovius  place  the  temple  on  the 
south-eastern  height,  but  Canina  and  other  authorities, 
with  more  probability,  incline  to  the  north-eastern  emi- 
nence, the  present  site  of  Ara-Coeli,  because,  among  many 
other  reasons,  the  temple  faced  the  south,  and  also  the 
Forum,  which  it  could  not  have  done  upon  the  south- 
eastern summit ;  and  also  because  the  citadel  is  always  rep- 
resented as  having  been  nearer  to  the  Tiber  than  the  tem- 
ple :  for  when  Herdonius,  and,  at  a  later  time,  the  Gauls, 
arriving  by  the  river,  scaled  the  heights  of  the  Capitol,  it 
was  the  citadel  which  barred  their  path,  and  in  which,  in 
the  latter  case,  Manlius  was  awakened  by  the  noise  of  the 
sacred  geese  of  Juno. 

The  temple  of  Jupiter  occupied  a  lofty  platform,  the 
summit  of  the  rock  being  leveled  to  receive  it.  Its  fayade 
was  decorated  with  three  ranges  of  columns,  and  its  sides 
by  a  single  colonnade.  It  was  nearly  square,  being  200 
Roman  feet  in  length,  and  185  in  width.'  The  interior 
was  divided  into  three  cells  ;  the  figure  of  Jupiter  occupied 
that  in  the  center,  Minerva  was  on  his  right,  and  Juno  on 
his  left.  The  figure  of  Jupiter  was  the  work  of  an  artist  of 
the  Volscian  city  of  Fregellae,"  and  was  formed  of  terra- 
cotta, painted  like  the  statues  which  we  may  still  see  in  the 
Etruscan  museum  at  the  Vatican,  and  clothed  with  the 
tunica  palmata,  and  the  toga  picta,  the  costume  of  victo- 
rious generals.  In  his  right  hand  was  a  thunder-bolt,  and 
in  his  left  a  spear. 

"Jupiter  angusta  vix  lotus  stabat  in  aede  ; 
Inque  Jovis  dextra  fictile  fulmen  erat." 

Ovid,  Fast.  i.  202. 

At  a  later  period  the  statue  was  formed  of  gold,  but  this 
figure  had  ceased  to  exist  at  the  time  of  Pliny. ^  When 
Martial  wrote,  the  statues  of  Jupiter,  Juno,  and  Minerva 
were  all  gilt. 

"  Scriplus  es  acterno  nunc  primum,  Jupiter,  auro, 

Et  soror,  et  summi  (Ilia  tola  patris." — Martial,  xi.  Ep.  5. 

1  Vitruvius,  iv.  7.  i.  '  Pliny,  .\.x-\v.  12.  '  Pliny,  vii.  39. 


TEA/PLE   OF  JUPITER   CAPITOLIN US.  93 

In  the  wall  adjoining  the  cella  of  Minerva,  a  nail  was 
fastened  every  year,  to  mark  the  lapse  of  time.'  In  the 
center  of  the  temple  was  the  statue  of  Terminus. 

"  The  sumptuous  fane  of  Jupiter  Capitolinus  had  peculiar  claims  on 
the  veneration  of  the  Roman  citizens  ;  for  not  only  the  great  lord  of 
the  earth  was  worshiped  in  it,  but  the  conservative  principle  of  prop- 
erty itself  found  therein  its  appropriate  symbol.  \\  hile  the  statue  of 
Jupiter  occupied  the  usual  place  of  the  divinity  in  the  furthest  recess 
of  the  building,  an  image  of  the  god  Terminus  was  also  placed  in  the 
center  of  the  nave,  which  was  open  to  the  heavens.  A  venerable 
legend  affirmed,  that  when,  in  the  time  of  the  kings,  it  was  requisite 
to  clear  a  space  on  the  Capitoline  to  erect  on  it  a  temple  to  the  great 
father  of  the  gods,  and  the  shrines  of  the  lesser  divinities  were  to  be 
removed  for  the  purpose,  Terminus  alone,  the  patron  of  boundaries, 
refused  to  quit  his  place,  and  demanded  to  be  included  in  the  walls  of 
the  new  edifice.  Thus  propitated,  he  was  understood  to  declare  that 
henceforth  the  bounds  of  the  republic  should  never  be  removed  ;  and 
the  pledge  was  more  than  fulfilled  by  the  ever  increasing  circuit  of 
her  dominion." — Merivale,  Romans  Under  the  Empire. 

The  gates  of  the  temple  were  of  gilt  bronze,  and  its 
pavement  of  mosaic  ;  '^  in  a  vault  beneath  were  preserved 
the  Sibylline  books  placed  there  by  Tarquin.  The  build- 
ing of  Tarquin  lasted  400  years,  and  was  burnt  down  in  the 
civil  wars,  B.C.  83.  It  was  rebuilt  very  soon  afterward  by 
Sulla,  and  adorned  with  columns  of  Pentelic  marble,  which 
he  had  brought  from  the  temple  of  Jupiter  Olympius  at 
Athens.^  Sulla,  however,  did  not  live  to  rededicate  it,  and 
it  was  finished  by  Q.  Lutatius  Catulus,  B.C.  62.  This 
temple  lasted  till  it  was  burnt  to  the  ground  by  the  soldiers 
of  Vitellius,  who  set  fire  to  it  by  throwing  torches  upon  the 
portico,  A.D.  69,  and  dragging  forth  Sabinus,  the  brother  of 
Vespasian,  murdered  him  at  the  foot  of  the  Capitol,  fiear 
the  Mamertine  Prisons."  Domitian,  the  younger  son  of 
Vespasian,  was,  at  that  time,  in  the  temple  with  his  uncle, 
and  escaped  in  the  dress  of  a  priest ;  in  commemoration  of 
which  he  erected  a  chapel  to  Jupiter  Conservator,  close  to 
the  temple,  with  an  altar  upon  which  his  adventure  was 
sculptured.  The  temple  was  rebuilt  by  Vespasian,  who 
took  so  great  an  interest  in  the  work,  that  he  carried  away 
some  of  the  rubbish  on  his  own  shoulders  ;  but  his  temple 
was  the  exact  likeness  of  its  predecessor,  only  higher,  as 
the  aruspices  said  that  the  gods  would  not  allow  it  to  be 

'  Livy,  vii.  3.      "  Pliny  xx.xiii.  t8.      ^  Pliny,  xxxvi.  5.        <  Tacitus,  Hist.  iii.  74. 


94 


IV A  LA'S  /.V   ROME. 


altered.'  In  this  building  Titus  and  Vespasian  celebrated 
their  triumph  after  the  fall  of  Jerusalem.  i  he  ruin  of  the 
temple  began  in  a.d.  404,  during  the  short  visit  of  tlie 
youthful  Emperor  Honorius  to  Rome,  when  the  plates  of 
gold  which  lined  its  doors  were  stripped  off  by  Stilicho/ 
It  was  finally  plundered  by  the  Vandals,  in  a.d.  455,  when 
its  statues  were  carried  off  to  adorn  the  African  palace  of 
Genseric,  and  half  its  roof  was  stripped  of  the  gilt  bronze 
tiles  which  covered  it  ;  but  it  is  not  known  precisely 
when  it  ceased  to  exist — the  early  fathers  of  the  Christian 
Church  speak  of  having  seen  it.  The  story  that  the  bronze 
statue  of  Jupiter,  belonging  to  this  temple,  was  transformed 
by  Leo  I.  into  the  famous  image  of  S.  Peter,  is  very 
doubtful. 

Close  beside  this,  the  queen  of  Roman  temples,  stood 
the  temple  of  Fides,  said  to  have  been  founded  by  Numa, 
where  the  senate  were  assembled  at  the  time  of  the  murder 
of  Tiberius  Gracchus,  B.C.  133,  who  fell  in  front  of  the 
temple  of  Jupiter,  at  the  foot  of  the  statues  of  the  kings — • 
his  blood  being  the  first  spilt  in  Rome  in  a  civil  war.^ 
Near  this,  also,  were  the  twin  temples  of  Mars  and  Venus 
Erycina,  vowed  after  the  battle  of  Thrasymene,  and  con- 
secrated, B.C.  215,  by  the  consuls  Q.  Fabius  Maximus  and 
T.  Otacilius  Crassus.  Near  the  top  of  the  Ciivus  was  the 
temple  of  Jupiter  Tonans,  built  by  Augustus,  in  conse- 
quence of  a  vow  which  he  made  in  an  expedition  against 
the  Cantabri,  when  his  litter  was  struck,  and  the  slave  who 
preceded  him  w^as  killed  by  lightning.  This  temple  was  so 
near,  that  it  was  considered  as  a  porch  to  that  of  Jupiter 
Capitolinus,  and,  in  token  of  that  character,  Augustus  hung 
some  bells  upon  its  pediment. 

On  the  Arx,  or  opposite  height  of  the  Capitol,  was  the 
temple  of  Honor  and  Virtue,  built  B.C.  103,  by  Marius, 
with  the  spoils  taken  in  the  Cimbric  wars.  This  temple 
was  of  sufficient  size  to  allow  of  the  senate  meeting  there, 
to  pass  the  decree  for  Cicero's  recall.'  Here  Nardini 
places  the  ancient  temple  of  Jupiter  Feretrius,  in  which 
Romulus  dedicated  the  first  spolia  opima.  Here,  on  the 
site  of  the  house  of  Manlius,  v/as  built  the  temple  of  Juno 
Moneta,  B.C.  345,  in   accordance  with  a  vow  of  L.  Furius 

1  Tacitus,  Hist.  iv.  53.        "  Zosimus,  lib.  v.  c.  38.        "  Valerius  Maximus,  ii.  3,  3. 
^  Vitruvius,  iii.  2,  5  ;  Propcrtius,  iv.  ii,  45  ;  Cic.  pro  Plane.  32. 


TARPEIAN  ROCK. 


95 


Camillus.*  On  this  height,  also,  was  the  altar  of  Jupiter 
Pistor,  which  commemorated  the  stratagem  of  the  Romans 
who  threw  down  loaves  into  the  camp  of  the  besieging 
Gauls,  to  deceive  them  as  to  the  state  of  their  supplies.'' 

"  Nomine,  quam  pretio  celebratior,  arce  Tonantis, 
Dicam  Pistoris  quid  veiit  ara  Jovis." 

Ovid,  Fast.  vi.  349. 

It  was  probably  also  on  this  side  of  the  hill  that  the 
gigantic  statue  of  Jupiter  stood,  which  was  formed  out  of 
the  armor  taken  from  the  Samnites,  B.C.  293,  and  which  is 
stated  by  Pliny  to  have  been  of  such  a  size  that  it  was 
visible  from  the  top  of  Monte  Cavo. 

Two  cliffs  are  now  rival  claimants  to  be  considered  as 
the  Tarpeian  Rock  ;  but  it  is  most  probable  that  the  whole 
of  the  hill  on  this  side  of  the  Intermontium  was  called  the 
Mons  Tarpeia,  and  was  celebrated  under  that  name  by 
the  poets. 

"  In  summo  custos  Tarpeiae  Maniius  arcis 
Stabat  pro  templo,  et  Capitolia  celsa  tenebat : 
Romuleoque  recens  horrebat  regia  culmo. 
Atque  hie  auratis  volitans  argenteus  anser 
Porticibus,  Gallos  in  limine  adesse  canebat." 

Virgil,  A  en.  viii.  652. 

"  Aurea  Tarpeia  ponet  Capitolia  rupe, 
Et  junget  nostro  templorum  culmina  coelo." 

Sil.  Hal.  iii.  623. 

.     .     .     "  juvat  inter  tecta  Tonantis 
Cernere  Tarpeia  pendentes  rupe  Gigantes." 

Claud,  vi.  Cons.  Hon.  44. 

Among  the  buildings  upon  the  Intermontium,  or  space 
between  the  two  heights,  were  the  Tabularium,  or  Record 
Office,  part  of  which  still  remains ;  a  portico,  built  by 
Scipio  Nasica,'  and  an  arch  which  Nero  built  here  to  his 
own  honor,  the  erection  of  which,  upon  the  sacred  hill 
hitherto  devoted  to  the  gods,  was  regarded  even  by  the 
subservient  senate  as  an  unparalleled  act  of  presumption.' 

In  mediaeval  times  the  revolutionary  government  of 
Arnold  of  Brescia  established  itself  on  this  hill  (i  144),  and 
Pope  Lucius   II.,  in    attempting   to   regain  his  temporal 

'  Livy,  vi.  20.  2  Livy,  v.  48. 

'  Velleius  Paterc.  ii.  3.  ^  See  Merivale,  Hist.  0/ the  Romans,  vol.  vi. 


96 


WALKS  LV  ROME. 


power,  was  slain  with  a  stone  in  attacking  it.  Here  Pe- 
trarch  received  his  lavn-el  crown  ( 1 341 ) ;  and  here  the  tribune 
Rienzi  promulgated  the  laws  of  the  "good  estate."  At 
this  time  nothing  existed  on  the  Capitol  but  the  church  and 
convent  of  Ara-Coeli  and  a  few  ruins.  Yet  the  cry  of  the 
people  at  the  coronation  of  Petrarch,  "  Long  life  to  the 
Capitol  and  the  poet  !  "  shows  that  the  scene  itself  was 
then  still  more  present  to  their  minds  than  the  principal 
actor  upon  it.  But,  when  the  popes  returned  from  Avig- 
non, the  very  memory  of  the  Capitol  seemed  effaced,  and 
the  spot  was  only  known  as  the  Goat's  Hill — Monte  Cap- 
rino.  Pope  Boniface  IX.  (1389-94)  was  the  first  to  erect 
on  the  Capitol,  on  the  ruins  of  the  Tabularium,  a  residence 
for  the  senator  and  his  assessors.  Paul  III.  (1544-50)  em- 
ployed Michael  Angelo  to  lay  out  the  Piazza  del  Campi- 
doglio,  and  the  Capitoline  Museum  and  the  Palace  of  the 
Conservators  were  designed  by  him.  Pius  IV.,  Gregory 
XIII.,  and  Sixtus  V.  added  the  sculptures  and  other  monu- 
ments which  now  adorn  the  steps  and  balustrade.' 


Just  beyond  the  end  of  the  Corso  the  Via  della  Pedacchia 
turns  to  the  right,  under  a  quaint  archway  in  the  secret 
passage  constructed  as  a  means  of  escape  for  the  Francis- 
can Generals  of  Ara-Coeli  to  the  Palazzo  Venezia,  as  that 
in  the  Borgo  is  for  the  escape  of  the  popes  to  S.  Angelo. 
In  this  street  is  a  house  decorated  with  simple  but  elegant 
Doric  details,  and  bearing  an  inscription  over  the  door 
which  shows  that  it  was  that  of  Pietro  da  Cortona. 

The  street  ends  in  the  sunny  open  space  at  the  foot  of 
the  Capitol,  with  Ara-Coeli  on  its  left,  approached  by  an 
immense  flight  of  steps,  removed  hither  from  the  Temple 
of  the  Sun,  on  the  Quirinal,  but  marking  the  site  of  the 
famous  staircase  to  the  temple  of  Jupiter  Capitolinus,  which 
Julius  Caesar  descended  on  his  knees,  after  his  triumph  for 
his  Gallic  victories." 

The  grand  staircase,  "Zi^  Cordonnata"  was  opened  in 
its  present  form  on  the  occasion  of  the  entry  of  Charles 
v.,  in  1536.^  At  its  foot  are  two  lions  of  Egyptian  por- 
phyry, which  were  removed  hither  from  the  church  of  S. 

•  Dyer's  Rotne,  407,  408,  409.  ^  Arapi'rc,  E/Kp.  i.  22. 

'  When  400  houses  and  three  or  four  churches  were  leveled  to  the  pround  to 
make  a  road  for  his  triumphal  approach.— Rabelais,  Leltre  viii.  p.  21. 


PIAZZA  DEL    CAMPIDOGLIC. 


97 


Stefano  in  Cacco,  by  Pius  IV.  It  was  down  the  staircase 
which  originally  existed  on  this  site,  that  Rienzi,  the  trib- 
une, fled  in  his  last  moments,  and  close  to  the  spot  where 
the  left-hand  lion  stands,  that  he  fell,  covered  with  wounds, 
his  wife  witnessing  his  death  from  a  window  of  the  burning 
palace  above.  A  small  space  between  the  two  staircases 
has  lately  been  transformed  into  a  garden,  through  which 
access  may  be  obtained  to  four  vaulted  brick  chambers, 
remnants  of  the  substructions  of  the  temple  of  Jupiter 
Capitolinus.  In  this  garden  living  wolves  are  kept,  to 
commemorate  the  nurse  of  Romulus. 

At  the  head  of  the  stairs  are  colossal  statues  of  the  twin 
heroes.  Castor  and  Pollux  (brought  hither  from  the  Ghetto), 
commemorating  the  victory  of  the  Lake  Regillus,  after 
which  they  rode  before  the  army  to  Rome,  to  announce  the 
joyful  news,  watered  their  horses  at  the  Aqua  Argentina, 
and  then  passed  away  from  the  gaze  of  the  multitude  into 
celestial  spheres.  Beyond  these,  on  either  side,  are  two 
trophies  of  imperial  times  discovered  in  the  ruin  on  the 
Esquiline,  misnamed  the  Trophies  of  Marius.  Next  come 
statues  of  Constantine  the  Great  and  his  son  Constantine 
il.,  from  their  baths  on  the  Quirinal.  The  two  ends  of 
the  parapet  are  occupied  by  ancient  Milliaria,  being  the 
first  and  seventh  milestones  of  the  Appian  Way.  The  fust 
milestone  was  found  in  situ,  and  showed  that  the  miles 
counted  from  the  gates  of  Rome,  and  not,  as  was  formerly 
supposed,  from  the  Milliarium  Aureum,  at  the  foot  of  the 
Capitol. 

We  now  find  ourselves  in  the  Piazza  del  Campidoglio, 
occupying  the  Intermontiura,  where  Brutus  harangued  the 
people  after  the  murder  of  Julius  Caesar.  In  the  center  of 
the  square  is  the  famous  Statue  of  Marcus  Aurelius,  the 
most  perfect  ancient  equestrian  statue  in  existence.  It  was 
originally  gilt,  as  may  still  be  seen  from  marks  of  gilding 
upon  the  figure,  and  stood  in  front  of  the  arch  of  Septimius 
Severus.  Hence  it  was  removed  by  Sergius  III.  to  the 
front  of  the  Lateran,  where,  not  long  after,  it  v/as  put  to  a 
singular  use  by  John  XIII.,  who  hung  a  refractory  prefect 
of  the  city  from  it  by  his  hair. '  During  the  rejoicings  con- 
sequent upon  the  elevation  of  Rienzi  to  the  tribuneship  in 
'347,  one  of  its  nostrils  was  made  to  flow  with  water  and 

'  Dyer's  City  of  Rome.  p.   379, 


p8  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

the  other  with  wine.  From  its  vicinity  to  the  Lateran,  so 
intimately  connected  with  the  history  of  Constantine,  it 
was  supposed  during  the  middle  ages  to  represent  that 
Christian  emperor,  and  this  fortunate  error  alone  preserved 
it  from  the  destruction  which  befell  so  many  other  ancient 
imperial  statues.  Michael  Angelo,  when  he  designed  the 
buildings  of  the  Capitoline  Piazza,  wished  to  remove  the 
statue  to  its  present  site,  but  the  canons  of  the  Lateran 
were  unwilling  to  part  with  their  ^reasure,  and  only  con- 
sented to  its  removal  upon  an  annual  acknowledgment  of 
their  proprietorship,  for  which  a  bunch  of  flowers  is  still 
presented  once  a  year  by  the  senators  to  the  chapter  of  the 
Lateran.  Michael  Angelo,  standing  in  fixed  admiration 
before  this  statue,  is  said  to  have  bidden  the  horse  "  Cam- 
mina."  Even  until  late  years  an  especial  guardian  has 
been  appointed  to  take  care  of  it,  with  an  annual  stipend 
of  ten  scudi  a  year,  and  the  title  of  "  II  custode  del 
Cavallo." 

"  They  stood  awhile  to  contemplate  the  bronze  equestrian  statue  of 
Marcus  Aurelius.  The  moonlight  glistened  upon  traces  of  the  gild- 
ing which  had  once  covered  both  rider  and  steed  ;  these  were  almost 
gone,  but  the  aspect  of  dignity  was  still  perfect,  clothing  the  figure  ay 
it  were  with  an  imperial  robe  of  light.  It  is  the  most  majestic  repre- 
sentation of  the  kingly  character  that  ever  the  world  has  seen.  A 
sight  of  the  old  heathen  emperor  is  enough  to  create  an  evanescent 
sentiment  of  loyalty  even  in  a  democratic  bosom,  so  august  does  he 
look,  so  fit  to  rule,  so  worthy  of  man's  profoundest  homage  and 
obedience,  so  inevitably  attractive  of  his  love.  He  stretches  forth  his 
hand  with  an  air  of  proud  magnificence  and  unlimited  authority,  as  if 
uttering  a  decree  from  which  no  appeal  was  permissible,  but  in  which 
the  obedient  subject  would  find  his  highest  interests  consulted  :  a 
command  that  was  in  itself  a  benediction." — Ha-vthonie. 

''  I  often  ascend  the  Capitoline  Hill  to  look  at  Marcus  Aurelius 
and  his  horse,  and  have  not  been  able  to  refrain  from  caressing  the 
lions  of  basalt.  You  cannot  stand  on  the  Aventine  or  the  Palatine 
without  grave  thoughts,  but  standing  on  the  spot  brings  me  very  little 
nearer  the  image  of  past  ages." — Niehuhrs  Letters. 

"  La  statue  equestre  de  Marc-Aurclc  a  aussi  sa  Icgende,  et  celle-li 
n'est  pas  du  moyen  age.  mais  elle  a  etc  recucillie  il  y  a  pcu  d'annecs 
de  la  bouche  d'un  jeune  Romain.  La  dorure,  en  parlie  detruite,  se 
voit  encore  en  quelques  endroits.  A  en  croire  le  jeune  Romain, 
cependant,  la  dorure,  au  lieu  d'aller  s'effacant  toujoursdavantage,  etait 
en  voie  de  progres.  '  Voycz,  disait-il.  la  statue  de  l)ronze  commence 
a  se  dorer,  et  quand  elle  le  sera  entierement,  le  monde  finira. '  Cost 
toujours,  sous  une  forme  absurde,  la  vicille  idee  romaine,  que  les  des- 
tinees  et  I'existence  de  Rome  sont  lie's.i  aux  dcstinccs  ct  a  I'existencc  du 


TOWER   OF   THE    CAPITOL. 


99 


monde.  C'est  ce  qui  faisait  dire  au  septieme  siecle,  ainsi  que  les  pelerins 
saxons  I'avaient  entendue  et  le  repetaient ;  '  Quand  ]e  Colisee  tombera, 
Rome  et  le  monde  finiront.'  " — Aniplre,  Emp.   ii.  228. 

"  Marcus  Aurelius  is  perhaps  the  most  beautiful  character  in  his- 
toiy.  He  is  one  of  those  consoling  and  hope-inspiring  marks,  which 
stand  forever  to  remind  our  weak  and  easily  discouraged  race  how 
high  human  goodness  and  perseverance  have  once  been  carried,  and 
may  be  carried  again.  .  .  .  The  record  of  him  on  which  his  fame 
chiefly  rests  in  the  record  of  his  inward  life — his  '  Journal ' — a  price- 
less treasure  for  those  who  seek  eagerly  for  that  substratum  of  riglit 
thinking  and  right  doing  which  inall  ages  must  surely  have  some- 
where existed.  '  From  my  mother  I  learnt  piety  and  beneficence,  and 
abstinence  not  only  from  evil  deeds  but  from  evil  thoughts  ;  and  fur- 
ther, simplicity  in  my  way  of  living,  far  removed  from  the  habits  of 
the  rich.  From  my  tutor  I  learnt  (hear  it,  ye  tutors  of  princes  !)  en- 
durance of  labor,  and  to  want  little,  and  to  work  with  my  own  hands, 
and  not  to  meddle  with  other  people's  affairs,  and  not  to  be  ready  to 
listen  to  slander.'  " — Afattheia  Arnold. 

The  bailding  at  the  back  of  the  piazza  is  The  Palace  of 
the  Senator^  originally  built  by  Boniface  IX.  (1389),  but 
altered  by  Michael  Angelo  to  correspond  v/ith  his  build- 
ings on  either  side.  The  fountain  at  the  foot  of  the 
double  staircase  was  erected  by  Sixtus  V.,  and  is  adorned 
with  statues  of  river-gods  found  in  the  Colonna  Gardens, 
and  a  curious  porphyry  figure  of  Minerva — adapted  as 
Rome.  The  body  of  this  statue  was  found  at  Cori,  but 
the  head  and  arms  are  modern  additions. 

"  Rome  personnifiee,  cette  deesse  a  laquelle  on  erigea  des  temples, 
voulut  d'abord  etre  une  Amazone  ce  qui  se  confoit,  car  elle  etait 
guerriere  avant  tout  C'est  sous  la  forme  de  Minerve  que  Rome  est 
assise  sur  la  place  du  Capitole. " — Ampere,  Hist.  Eomain,  iii.  242. 

The  Tower  of  the  Capitol  contains  the  great  bell  of  Vi- 
terbo,  carried  off  from  that  town  during  the  wars  of  the 
middle  ages,  which  is  never  rung  except  to  announce  the 
death  of  a  sovereign,  or  the  opening  of  the  carnival.  The 
ascent  of  the  tower  is  well  repaid  by  the  viev/  from  the 
summit,  which  embraces  not  only  the  seven  hills  of  Rome, 
but  the  various  towns  and  villages  of  the  neighboring  plain 
and  mountains  which  successively  fell  under  its  dominion. 

"  Pour  suivre  les  vicissitudes  des  lutte.i  exierieures  des  Romains 
contre  les  peuples  qui  les  entourent  et  les  pressent  de  tous  cotes,  nous 
n'aurons  qu'a  regarder  a  I'horizon  la  sublime  campagne  romaine  et  ces 
montagnes  qui  I'encadrent  si  admirablement.  Files  sont  encore  plus 
belles  et  T'jed  prend  encore  plus  de  plaisir  a  les  contempler  quand  on 
songe  a  ce  qu'elles  ont  vu  d'efTorts  et  de  courage  dans  les  premiers 


jfOO  IVALKS  IN   ROME. 

temps  de  la  republique.  II  n'est  presque  pas  un  point  de  cette  cam- 
pagne  qui  n'ait  ete  temoin  de  qutlque  rencontre  glorieuse  ;  il  n'est 
presque  pas  un  rocher  de  ces  montagius  qui  n'ait  ete  pris  et  repris  vingt 
foii." 

"  Toutes  ces  nations  sabelliques  qui  clominaient  la  ville  du  Tibre  el 
sembiaient  placees  la  sur  des  hauteurs  di^posees  en  demi-circle  pour 
I'envelopper  et  1  ecraser,  toutes  ces  nations  sont  devant  nous  et  a  la 
portee  du  regard. 

"  Voici  du  cote  de  la  mer  les  montagnes  des  Volsques  ;  plus  a  Test 
sont  les  Herniques  et  les  Aeques  ;  au  nord,  les  Sabins  ;  a  I'oucst, 
d'autres  ennemis,  les  Etrusques,  dont  le  mont  Ciminus  est  le  rempart. 

"  Au  sud,  la  plaine  se  prolonge  jusqu'a  lamer.  Ici  sont  les  Latins, 
qui.  n'ayant  pas  de  montagnes  pour  leur  servir  de  citadelle  et  de  re- 
fuge, commcnceront  par  etre  des  allies. 

"  Nous  jiouvonsdonc  cmbrasserle  panorama  historique  des  premiers 
combats  qu'eurent  a  soutenir  et  que  soutinrent  si  vajllamment  les  Ro- 
mains  affranchis." — Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  ii.  373. 

Beneath  the  Palace  of  the  Senator  (entered  by  a  door 
in  the  street  on  the  right),  are  the  gigantic  remains  of  the 
Tabidarium,  consisting  of  huge  rectangular  blocks  of  pepe- 
rino  supporting  a  Doric  colonnade,  which  is  shown  by  an 
inscription  still  preserved  to  have  been  that  of  the  public 
Record  Office,  where  the  Tabulae,  engraved  plates  bearing 
important  decrees  of  the  Senate,  were  preserved,  having 
been  placed  there  by  Q.  Lutatius  Catulus  in  B.C.  79.  A 
gallery  in  the  interior  of  the  Tabularium  has  been  fitted  up 
as  a  museum  of  architectural  antiquities  collected  from  the 
neighboring  temples.  This  building  is  as  it  were  the 
boundary  between  inhabited  Rome  and  that  Rome  which 
is  a  city  of  ruins. 

"  I  came  to  the  Capitol,  and  looked  down  on  ihe  other  side.  There 
before  my  eyes  opened  an  immense  grave,  and  out  of  the  grave  rose  a 
city  of  monuments  in  ruins,  columns,  triumplial  arches,  temples,  and 
palaces,  broken,  ruinous,  but  still  beautiful  and  grand — with  a  solemn 
mournful  beauty  !  It  was  the  giant  apparition  of  ancient  Rome." — 
Fredcrika  lircmcr. 

The  traces  of  an  ancient  staircase  still  exist,  which  led 
down  from  the  Tabularium  to  the  P'orum.  This  is  believed 
by  many  to  have  been  the  path  by  which  the  besiegers 
under  Vitellius,  a.d.  69,  attacked  the  Capitol. 

The  east  side  of  the  piazza — on  the  left  as  one  stands  at 
the  head  of  the  steps — is  the  Museo  Capitolino  (open  daily 
from  ten  to  three,  for  a  fee  of  50  c.  ;  and  on  Sundays 
gratis). 


MUSEUM   OF    THE   CAPITOL.  loi 

Above  the  fountain  in  the  court,  opposite  the  entrance, 
reclines  the  colossal  statue  of  a  river-god,  called  Marforio, 
removed  hither  from  the  end  of  the  Via  di  Marforio  (Fo- 
rum Martis  ?)  near  the  arch  of  Severus.  This  figure,  ac- 
cording to  Roman  fancy,  was  the  friend  and  gossip  of 
Pasquin  (at  the  Palazzo  Braschi),  and  lively  dialogues, 
merciless  to  the  follies  of  the  government  and  the  times, 
used  to  appear  with  early  morning,  placarded  on  their  re- 
spective pedestals,  as  passing  between  the  two.  Thus, 
when  Clement  XI.  mulcted  Rome  of  numerous  sums  to 
send  to  his  native  Urbino,  Marforio  asked,  "  What  is  Pas- 
quino  doing  ?  "  The  next  morning  Pasquino  answered, 
"  I  am  taking  care  of  Rome,  that  it  does  not  go  away  to 
Urbino."  In  the  desire  of  putting  an  end  to  such  incon- 
venient remarks,  the  government  ordered  the  removal  of 
one  of  the  statues  to  the  Capitol,  and  since  Morforio  has 
been  shut  up,  Pasquino  has  lost  his  spirits. 

From  the  corridor  on  the  ground  floor,  on  the  left,  open 
several  rooms  devoted  to  ancient  inscriptions  and  sarco- 
phagi with  bas-reliefs.  At  the  foot  of  the  staircase  is  a 
colossal  statue  of  the  Emperor  Hadrian,  found  on  the 
Coelian. 

Opposite  the  foot  of  the  staircase,  a  door  leads  into 
three  rooms  filled  with  sculpture.  The  grand  sarcophagus 
in  the  second  room  represents  a  battle  between  the  Gauls 
and  Romans,  the  Gauls  distinguished  by  their  torques.  In 
the  third  room  is  the  glorious  sarcophagus,  said  to  be  that 
of  Alexander  Severus  and  Julia  Mammaea,  and  found  in 
the  Monte  del  Grano,  outside  the  Porta  S.  Giovanni ;  the 
Emperor,  however,  had  no  beard,  and  was  murdered  in 
his  twenty-eighth  year.  The  reliefs  on  the  sides,  which  are 
of  the  noblest  period  of  Roman  art,  represent  the  history 
of  Achilles.  The  vase  which  contained  the  ashes  belong- 
ing to  this  sarcophagus  is  the  famous  "  Portland  Vase  "  of 
the  British  Museum. 

The  staircase  is  lined  with  the  fragments  of  the  Pianta 
Capitolma,  a  series  of  marble  slabs  of  imperial  date  (found, 
for  the  most  part,  in  the  sixteenth  century  under  SS.  Cosmo 
and  Damian),  inscribed  with  ground  plans  of  Rome,  and 
exceedingly  important  from  the  light  they  throw  upon  the 
ancient  topography  of  the  city. 

The   upper  corridor   is    lined  with  statues  and  busts 


I02  WALK'S   LV  ROME. 

Here  and  elsewhere  we  will  only  notice  those  especially 
remarkable  for  beauty  or  historic  interest.' 

L.   12.   Satyr  playing  on  a  flute. 

R.  13.  Cupid  bending  his  bow — probably  a  copy  from  the  bronze 
of  Lysippus. 

R.  20.  Old  woman  intoxicated. 

"  Tout  le  monde  a  remarque  dans  le  musee  du  Capitole  une  vieille 
femme  serrant  des  deux  mains  une  bouteille,  la  bouche  entr'ouverte, 
les  yeux  mourants  tournesvers  le  ciel,  comme  si,  dans  la  jubilation  de 
I'ivresse,  die  savourait  le  vin  qu'elle  vient  de  boire.  Comment  ne  pas 
voir  dans  cette  caricature  en  marbre  une  reproduction  de  la  Vieille 
Femme  ivre  de  Myron,  qui  passait  pour  une  des  curiosites  de  Smyrne  ? 
— Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  iii.  272. 

L    26.  The  infant  Hercules  strangling  a  serpent. 

L.   28.  Grand  Sarcophagus — The  Rape  of  Proserpine. 

R.  33.   Satyr  playing  on  a  flute. 

(In  the  wall  on  the  left  inscriptions  from  the  columbarium  of  Livia.) 

R.  43.    Head  of  Ariadne. 

L.  48.   Sarcophagus — the  birth  and  childhood  of  Bacchus. 

L.  56.  Statue,  draped — supposed  to  be  Julia  Mesa,  found  near  the 
Domine  quo  Vadis. 

R.  64.  Jupiter,  on  a  cippus  v/ilh  a  curious  relief  of  Claudia  drawing 
the  boat  with  the  image  of  the  Magna  Mater  up  the  Tiber. 

L.  69.   Bust  of  Caligula. 
*R.   70.   Marcus  Aurelius,  as  a  boy — a  very  beautiful  bust. 

R.  71.  Statue  of  Minerva  from  Velletri.  The  same  as  that  in  the 
Braccio  Nuovo  of  the  Vatican . 

R.   72.  Trajan. 

75.  Caracalla. 

76.  In  the  window,  a  magnificent  vase,  found  near  the  tomb  of 
Cecilia  Metella,  standing  on  a  puteal  adorned  with  reliefs  of  the  twelve 
principal  gods  and  goddesses. 

From  the  right  of  this  corridor  open  two  chambers.  The 
first  is  named  the  Room  of  the  Doves,  from  the  famous 
mosaic  found  in  the  ruins  of  Hadrian's  villa  near  Tivoli, 
and  generally  called  Pliny  s  Doves,  because  Pliny,  when 
speaking  of  the  perfection  to  which  the  mosaic  art  had 
attained,  describes  a  wonderful  mosaic  of  Sosus  of  Per- 
gamos,  in  which  one  dove  is  seen  drinking  and  casting  her 
shadow  on  the  water,  while  others  are  pluming  themselves 
on  the  edge  of  the  vase.  As  a  pendant  to  this  is  another 
Mosaic,  of  a  Tragic  and  Comic  Mask.  In  the  farther  win- 
dow is  the  Iliac  Tablet,  an  interesting  relief  in  the  soft 
marble  called  palombino,  relating  to  the  story  of  the  de- 

'  R,  right;  L,  left. 


HALL    OF    THE  EMPERORS.  103 

struction  of  Troy,  and  the  flight  of  Aeneas,  and  found  at 
Bovillae. 

"  L'ensemble  de  la  guerre  centre  Troie  est  contenu  dans  un  abrege 
figure  qu'on  appelle  la  Table  Iliaque,  petit  bas-relief  destine  a  ofi'rir 
un  resume  visible  de  cette  guerre  aus  jeunes  Romains,  et  a  servir  dans 
les  ecoles  soit  pour  Ylliade,  soit  pour  les  poemes  cycliques  comme  d'un 
Lndex  parlant. 

"La  Table  Iliaque  est  un  ouvrage  remain  fait  a  Rome.  Tout  ce 
qui  touche  aux  origines  troyennes  de  cette  ville,  inconnues  a  Homere 
et  celebrees  surtout  par  Stesichore  avant  de  I'etre  par  Virgile,  tient 
dans  ce  bas-relief  une  place  importante  et  domine  dans  sa  composition." 
— A 771/11: re,  Hist.  Roi/i.  iii.  431. 

The  second  chamber  contains  the  famous  Vemis  of  the 
Capitol — a  Greek  statue,  found  immured  in  a  wall  upon  the 
Quirinal. 

"  La  verite  et  la  complaisance  avec  lesquelles  la  nature  est  rendue 
dans  la  Venus  du  Capitole  faisaient  de  cette  belle  statue  un  sujet  de 
scandale  pour  I'austerite  des  premiers  Chretiens.  C'etait  sans  doute 
afin  de  la  soustraire  a  leurs  mutilations  qu'on  I'avait  enfouie  avec  soin, 
ce  qui  I'a  conservee  dans  son  integrite  ;  ainsi  son  danger  I'a  sauvee. 
Comme  on  I'a  trouve'e  dans  le  quartier  suspect  de  la  Suburra,  on  peut 
supposer  qu'elle  ornait  I'atrium  elegant  de  quelque  riche  courtisane." 
— A7Hpire,  iii.  31S. 

The  two  smaller  sculptures  of  Leda  and  the  Swan,  and 
Cupid  and  Psyche — two  lovely  children  embracing,  were 
found  on  the  Aventine. 

From  the  end  of  the  gallery  we  enter 

T/ie  Hall  of  the  Einperois.  In  the  center  is  the  beautiful 
seated  statue  of  Agrippina  (granddaughter  of  Augustus — 
wife  of  Germanicus — and  mother  of  Caligula). 

*'  On  s'arrete  avec  respect  devantla  premiere  Agrippine,  assise  avec 
une  si  noble  simplicite  et  dont  le  visage  exprime  si  bien  la  fermete 
virile." — Amph'e,  iv. 

"  Ici  nous  la  contemplons  telle  que  nous  pouvons  nous  la  figurer 
apres  la  mort  de  Germanicus.  Elle  semble  mise  aux  fers  par  le  destin, 
mais  sans  pouvoir  encore  renoncer  aux  pensees  superbes  dont  son  ame 
etait  reniplie  aux  jours  de  son  bonheur." — Brau7i. 

Round  the  room  are  ranged  eighty-three  busts  of  Roman 
emperors,  empresses,  and  their  near  relations,  forming  per- 
haps the  most  interesting  portrait  gallery  in  the  world. 
Even  viewed  as  works  of  art,  many  of  them  are  of  the  ut- 
most importance.     They  are — 


I04  WALKS  IX  ROME. 

1.  Julius  Caesar,  nat.  n.c.  loo  ;  ob.   li.c.  44. 

2.  Augustus,  Imp.  13. c.  12 — .^.D.  14. 

3.  Marcellus,  liis  nephew  and  son-in-law,  son  of  Octavia,  ob.  b.c 
23,  aged  20. 

4.  5.  Tiberius,  Imp.  a.d.  14-37. 

6.  Drusus,  his  brother,  son  of  Livia  and  Claudius  Nero,  ob.  n.c.  10. 

7.  Drusus,  son  of  Tiberius  and  Vipsania,  ob.  AD.  23. 

8.  Antonia,  daughter  of  Mark  Antony  and  Octavia,  wife  of  the  elder 
Drusus,  mother  of  Germanicus  and  Claudius. 

g.   Germanicus,  son  of  Drusus  and  Antonia,  ob.  A.D.  ig. 

10.  Agrippina,  daugliter  of  Julia  and  Agrippa,  granddaughter  of 
Augustus,  wife  of  Germanicus.  Died  of  starvation  under  Tiberius, 
A.D.  33. 

11.  Caligula,  Imp.  a.d.  37-41,  son  of  Germanicus  and  Agrippina. 
Murdered  by  the  tribune  Chaerea  (in  basalt). 

12.  Claudius,  Imp.  a.d.  41-54,  younger  son  of  Drusus  and  Antonia. 
Poisoned  by  Agrippina. 

13.  Messalina,  third  w  ife  of  Claudius.  Put  to  death  by  Claudius, 
a.d.  48. 

"  Une  grosse  commere  sensuelle,  aux  traits  bouffis,  a  I'air  assea 
commun,  mais  qui  pouvait  plaire  a  Claude." — Ampere,  Emp.  ii.  32. 

14.  Agrippina  the  younger,  sixth  wife  of  Claudius,  daughter  of 
Germanicus  and  Agrippina  the  elder,  great-granddaughter  of  Augustus. 
Murdered  by  her  son  Nero,  a.d.  60. 

"  Ce  buste  la  montre  avec  cette  beaute  plus  grande  que  celle  de  sa 
mere,  et  qui  etait  pour  elle  un  moyen.  Agrippine  a  les  yeux  leves 
vers  le  ciel  ;  o\\  dirait  qu'elle  craint,  et  qu'elle  attend." — Emp.  ii.  34. 

15.  16.  Nero,  Imp.  .\.d.  54-6g,  son  of  Agrippina  the  younger  by 
her  first  husband,  Ahenobarlnis.      Died  by  his  own  hand. 

17.  Poppaea  Sabina  (?),  second  wife  of  Nero.  Killed  by  a  kick 
from  her  husband,  a.d.  62. 

"  Ce  visage  a  la  delicatessepresqueenfantine  que  pouvait  offrir  celui 
de  cette  femme,  dont  les  molles  recherches  et  les  soins  curieux  de 
toilette  ctaient  celebres,  et  dont  Diderot  a  dit  avec  verite,  bien  qu'avec 
un  peu  d'empliase,  '  C'etait  une  furie  sous  le  visage  des  graces.'" — 
Emp.  ii.  33. 

1 3.   Galba,  Imp.  A.D.  6g.     Murdered  in  the  Forum, 
ig.   Otho,  Imp.  a.d.  6g.      Died  by  his  own  hand. 

20.  Vitellius  (?^   Imp.   A.D,  69.     Murdered  at  the  Scala  Gemoniae, 

21.  Vespasian.  Imp.  a.d.  70-7g. 

22.  Titus,  Imp.  a.d.  7g-Sr.  son  of  Vespasian  and  Domitilla.  Sup- 
posed to  have  been  poisoned  by  Domitian. 

23.  Julia,  daughter  of  Tilus. 

24.  Domitian,  Imp.  a.d.  Si-g6,  second  .son  of  Vespasian  and 
Domitilla.      Murdered  in  the  Palace  of  the  Caesars. 

"Domitian  est  sans  comparaison  le  plus  beau  des  trois  1  Liviensr 


BUSTS   OF    THE   EMPERORS.  105 

mais  c'est  une  bcaute  formidable,   avec  un  air  farouche  et  faux." — 
Emp.  ii.  12. 

25.  Longina(?). 

26.  Nerva  (?),  Imp.  A.D.  96.  Elected  by  the  people,  after  the  mur- 
der of  Domitian. 

27.  Trajan,  Imp.  A.D.  gS-ii8,      Adopted  son  of  Nerva. 

28.  Plotina,  wife  of  Trajan. 

29.  Marciana,  sister  of  Trajan. 

30.  Matidia,  daughter  of  IVlarciana,  niece  of  Trajan. 

31.  32.    Hadrian,  Imp.  a.d.  11S-138,  adopted  son  of  Trajan. 

33.  Julia  Sabina,  wife  of  Hadrian,  daughter  of  Matidia. 

34.  Elius  Verus,  first  adopted  son  of  Hadrian. 

35.  Antoninus  Pius,  Imp.  A.D.  138-161,  second  adopted  son  of 
Hadrian. 

36.  Faustina  the  elder,  wife  of  Antoninus  Pius  and  sister  of  Elius 
Verus. 

37.  Marcus  Aurelius.  Imp.  A.D.  161-180,  son  of  Servianus  by  Pau- 
lina, sister  of  Hadrian,  adopted  by  Antoninus  Pius,  as  a  boy. 

38.  Marcus  Aurelius,  in  later  life. 

39.  Annia  Faustina,  wife  of  Marcus  Aurelius,  daughter  of  Antoni- 
nus Pius  and  Faustina  the  elder. 

40.  Galerius  Antoninus,  son  of  Antoninus  Pius. 

41.  Lucius  Verus,  son-in-law  of  Marcus  Aurelius. 

42.  Lucilla,  wife  of  Lucius  Verus,  daughter  of  Marcus  Aurelius 
and  Faustina  the  younger.  Put  to  death  at  Capri  for  a  plot  against 
her  husband. 

43.  Commodus,  Imp.  A.D.  180-193,  son  of  Marcus  Aurelius  and 
Faustina.      Murdered  in  the  Palace  of  the  Caesars. 

44.  Crispina,  wife  of  Commodus.  Put  to  death  by  her  husband  at 
Capri. 

45.  Pertinax,  Imp.  a.d.  193,  successor  of  Commodus,  reigned  three 
months.     Murdered  in  the  Palace  of  the  Caesars. 

46.  Didius  Julianus,  Imp.  A.D.  193,  successor  of  Pertinax.  Mur- 
dered in  the  Palace  of  the  Caesars. 

47.  Manlia  Scantilla  (?),  wife  of  Didius  Julianus. 

{rival    candidates   (after  murder   of  Didius 
Julianus,    A.D.   193)   for   the   Empire, 
which  they  failed  to  obtain,  and  were 
both  put  to  death. 
50,  51.    Septimius  Severus,  Imp.  a.d.  193-211,  successor  of  Didius 
Julianus. 

52.  Julia  Pia,  wife  of  Septimus  Severus. 

53.  Caracalla,  Imp.  A.D.  211-217,  son  of  Sept.  Severus  and  Julia 
Pia.     Murdered. 

54.  Geta,  brother  of  Caracalla,  by  whose  order  he  was  murdered  in 
the  arms  of  Julia  Pia. 

55.  Macrinus,  Imp.  A.D.  217,  murderer  and  successor  of  Caracalla. 
Murdered. 

56.  Diadumenianus,  son  of  Macrinus.     Murdered  with  his  father. 

57.  Heliogabalus,  Imp.  a.d.  2x8-222,  son  of  Julia  Soemis,  daugh- 
ter of  Julia  Moesa,  who  was  sister  of  Julia  Pia.     Murdered. 


Io6  WALKS  J  A'  ROME. 

58.  Annia  Faustina,  third  wife  of  Htliogabalus,  great-granddaugh- 
ler  of  Marcus  Aurelius. 

59.  Julia  Moesa,  sister-in-law  of  Septimiiis  Sevcnis,  aunt  of  Cara- 
calla,  and  grandmother  of  Alexander  .Severus. 

60.  Alexander  Severas,  Imp.,  son  of  Julia  Mammea,  second  daughter 
of  Julia  Moesa.     Murdered  at  the  age  of  30. 

61.  Julia  Mammea,  daughter  of  Julia  Moesa,  and  mother  of  Alex- 
ander Severus.     Murdered  with  her  son. 

62.  Julius  Maximinus,  Imp.  235-23S  ;  elected  by  the  army. 
Murdered. 

63.  Maximus.     Murdered  with  his  father,  at  the  age  of  iG. 

64.  Gordianus  Africanus,  Imp.  238  ;  a  descendant  of  Trajan. 
Died  by  his  own  band. 

65.  (Antoninu.-.)  Gordianus,  Junior,  Imjj.  23S,  son  of  Gordianus 
Africanus  and  Fabia  Orestella,  great-granddaughter  of  Antoninus  Pius. 
Died  in  battle. 

66.  Pupienus,  Imp.  23S  \_    reigned  together   for   four   months  and 

67.  Balbinus,  Imp.  238    )         then  were  murdered. 

6S.  Gordianus  Pius,  Imp.  238,  grandson,  through  his  mother,  ol 
Gordianus  Africanus.      Murdered. 

69.  Philip  II.,  Imp  244,  son  of,  and  co-emperor  with  Philip  I. 
Murdered. 

70.  Decius  (?),  Imp.  249-251.  Forcibly  elected  by  the  army. 
Killed  in  battle. 

71.  Quintus  Herennius  Etruscus.  son  of  Decius  and  Herennia 
Etruscilla.     Killed  \\\  battle  with  his  father. 

72.  Hostilianus,  son  or  son-in-law  of  Decius,  Imp.  251,  with  Treb. 
Callus.     Murdered. 

73.  Trebonianus  Gallus,  Imp.  251-254.      Murdered. 

74.  75.   Volusianus,  son  of  Trebonianus  Gallus.     Murdered. 

76.  Gallienus,  Imp.  261-26S.      Murdered. 

77.  Salonina,  wife  of  Gallienus. 

78.  Saloninus,  son  of  Galienus  and  Salonina.  Put  to  death  by  Pos- 
tumus,  A.  D.  259.  at  the  age  of  17. 

79.  Marcus  Aurelius  Carinus,  Imp.  283,  son  of  the  Emperor  Carus. 
Murdered. 

80.  Diocletian,  Imp.  284-305;  elected  by  the  army. 

81.  Constantine  Chlorus,  Imp.  305-306,  son  of  Eutropius  and 
Claudia,  niece  of  the  Emperor  Claudius  and  Quintilius,  father  of 
Constantine  the  Great. 

82.  Julian  the  Apostate,  Imp.  361-363,  son  of  Julius  Constantius, 
and  nephew  of  Constantine  the  Great.     Died  in  battle. 

83.  Magnus  Decentius,  brother  of  the  Emperor  Magnentius. 
Strangled  himself,  353. 

"  In  their  busts  the  lips  of  the  Roman  emperors  are  generally  closed, 
indicating  reserve  and  dignity,  free  from  human  passions  and  emo- 
tions. " —  Wiiickelnicinn. 

"  At  Rome  the  emperors  become  as  familiar  as  the  popes.  Who 
does  not  know  the  curly-lit  adcd  Marcus  Aurelius,  with  his  lifted  brow 
and  projecting  eyes — from  the  full  round  beauty  of  his  youth  to  the 
more  haggard  look  of  his  latest  years?  Are  there  any  modern  portraits 


HALL    OF  ILLUSTRIOUS  MEN. 


107 


more  familiar  than  trie  severe  wedge-like  head  of  Augustus,  with  his 
sharp  cut  lips  and  nose, — or  the  dull  phiz  of  Hadrian,  with  his  hair 
combed  down  over  his  low  forehead, — or  the  vain,  perkmg  face  of 
Lucius  Verus,  with  his  thin  nose,  low  brow,  and  profusion  of  curls, — - 
or  the  brutal  bull  head  of  Caracalla, — or  the  bestial,  bloated  features 
of  Vitellius? 

•'  These  men,  who  were  but  lay  figures  to  us  at  school,  mere  pegs 
of  names  to  hang  historic  robes  upon,  thus  interpreted  by  the  living 
history  of  their  portraits,  the  incidental  illustrations  of  the  places 
where  they  lived  and  moved  and  died,  and  the  buildings  and  monu- 
ments they  erected,  become  like  men  of  yesterday.  Art  has  made 
them  our  contemporaries.  They  are  as  near  to  us  as  Pius  VII.  and 
Napoleon." — Story  s  Roha  di  Roma. 

"  Nerva  est  le  premier  des  bons,  et  Trajan  le  premier  des  grands 
empereurs  romains;  apres  lui  il  y  en  eut  deux  autres,  les  deux  Antonins. 
Trois  sur  soixante-dix,  tel  est  a  Rome  le  bilan  des  gloires  morales  de 
I'empire." — Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  liii. 

Among  the  reliefs  round  the  upper  walls  of  this  room 
are  two,  of  Endymion  sleeping,  and  of  Perseus  delivering 
Andromeda,  which  belong  to  the  set  of  Palazzo  Spada, 
and  are  exceedingly  beautiful. 

The  Hall  of  Illustrious  Men  contains  a  seated  statue  of 
M.  Claudius  Marcellus  (?},  the  conqueror  of  Syracuse,  B.C. 
212.  Round  the  room  are  ranged  ninety-three  busts  of 
ancient  philosophers,  statesmen  and  warriors.  Among  the 
more  important  are  : 


4.  5.  6. 

Socrates. 

48. 

Cneius  Domitius  Cor- 

9 

Aristides,  the  orator. 

bulo,  general   under 

10. 

Seneca  (?) 

Claudius  and  Nero. 

16. 

Marcus  Agrippa,  son- 

49- 

Scipio  African  us. 

in-law  of  Augustus. 

52. 

Cato  Minor. 

19. 

Theophrastus. 

54. 

Aspasia  (?). 

23- 

Tiiales. 

55- 

Cleopatra  (?). 

25- 

Theon. 

60. 

Thucydides  (?). 

27. 

Pythagoras. 

6r. 

Aeschines. 

28. 

Alexander  the  Great  (?) 

62 

64. 

Epicurus. 

30. 

Aristophanes. 

63. 

Epicurus  and    Metro- 

31- 

Demosthenes. 

dorus. 

38. 

Aratus. 

68 

69. 

Masinissa. 

39.  40. 

Democritus     of     Ab- 

71- 

Antisthenes. 

dera. 

72 

73- 

Julian  the  Apostate. 

42,  43. 

Euripides. ' 

76. 

Cicero. 

44.  45i  46- 

Homer. 

77- 

Terence. 

47- 

Eumenides. 

83. 

Aeschylus  (?). 

Among  the  interesting  bas-reliefs  in  this  room  is  one  of 
a  Roman  interior,  with  a  lady  trying  to  persuade  her  cat  to 
dance  to  a  lyre — the  cat,  meanwhile,  snapping,  on  its  hind 


Io8  WALKS  I.V  ROME. 

legs,  at  two  ducks ;  the  detail  of  the  room  is  given  even  to 
the  slippers  under  the  bed.  A  relief  of  three  dancing  girls 
and  a  fawn  is  inscribed  with  the  name  of  the  Greek  artist 
— Callimachus. 

The  Saloon  contains,  dov/n  the  center, 

1.  Jupiter  (in  nero-anlico),  from  Porto  d'Aiizio,  on  an  altar  with 
figures  of  Mercury,  Apollo,  and  Diana. 

2.  4.  Centaurs  (in  bigio-morato),  by  Aristcas  and  Papias  (their 
names  are  on  the  bases),  from  Hadrian's  villa. 

"Both  the  youthful  and  the  elder  Centaur,  we  infer  from  copies, 
originally  carried  a  winged  Cupid.  While,  however,  the  youthful 
Centaur  is  enduring  his  teasing  rider  with  laughing  humor,  the  elder 
one,  with  fettered  arms,  is  sighing  over  the  pain  whicli  the  tyrannical 
God  of  Love  is  preparing  for  him.  This  ingenious  idea  indicates  an 
older  Greek  original,  and  the  choice  of  black  marble,  as  well  as  the 
technical  skill  evidenced  in  its  treatment,  seem  to  infer  that  the  artists 
worked  after  a  bronze  production." — Liibkc. 

3.  The  young  Hercules  found  on  the  Aventine.  It  stands  on  an 
altar  of  Jupiter. 

"  On  voit  au  Capitole  une  statue  d'Hercule  tres-jeune,  en  basalte, 
qui  frappe  assez  desagreablement,  d'abord,  par  le  contraste,  habile- 
ment  exprime  toutefois,  des  formes  molles  de  Tenfance  el  de  la  vigueur 
caracteristique  du  heros.  Limitation  de  la  Grece  se  montre  meme 
dans  la  matiere  que  I'artiste  a  choisie  ;  c'est  un  basalte  verdatre,  de 
couleur  sombre.  Tisagoras  et  Alcon  avaient  fait  un  Hercule  en  fer, 
pour  exprimer  la  force,  et,  comme  dit  Pline,  pour  signifier  I'energie 
perseverante  du  dieu." — Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  iii.  406. 

5.  Aesculapius  (in  nero-antico),  on  an  altar,  representing  a  sacri- 
fice. 

Among  the  statues  and  busts  round  the  room  the  more 
important  are  : 

g.  Marcus  Aurelius — much  restored. 

14.  A  Satyr. 

21.  Hadrian,  as  Mars,  from  Ceprano. 

27.  Hercules,  in  gill  bronze,  found  in  the  Forum-Boarium. 

"  On  citede  Myron  trois  Hercules,  dont  deux  a  Rome  ;  I'un  de  ces 
derniers  a  probablement  servi  de  modele  a  I'Hercule  en  bronze  dore 
du  Capitole.  Cette  statue  a  ele  trouvee  dans  le  Marche  aux  Boeufs, 
non  loin  du  grand  cirque.  L'Hercule  de  Myron  etait  dans  un  temple 
elevc  par  Pompee  et  situe  pres  du  grand  cirque  ;  mais  la  statue  du 
Capitole,  dont  le  gcste  est  manierc,  quel  que  soil  sonmerite,  n'est  pas 
assez  parfaite  pour  qu'on  puisse  y  reconnaitre  une  oeuvre  de  Myron. 
Peut-elre  Pompee  n 'avail  place  dans  son  temple  qu'une  copie  de  I'un 
des  deux  Hercules  de  Myron  et  la  donnait  pour  I'original  ;  peut-etre 
aussi  Pline  y  a-t-il  ete  trompe.     La  vanite  que  I'un  montre  dans  tous 


HALL    OF    THE  DYING   GLADIATOR. 


109 


les  actes  de  sa  vie  et  le  peu  de  sentiment  vrai  que  trahit  si  souvent  la 
vaste  composition  de  I'autre  s'accordent  egalement  avec  cette  supposi- 
tion et  la  rendent  assez  vraiseniblable." — Amph'e,  Hist.  Rem.  iii.  273. 

2S.   Hecuba. 

"  Nous  avons  le  personnage  meme  d'Hecube  dans  la  Pleureuse  du 
Capitole.  Ceite  pretendue  pleureuse  est  une  Hecube  furieuse  et  une 
Hecube  en  scene,  car  elle  porte  le  costume,  elle  a  le  geste  et  la  vivacile 
du  theatre,  je  dirais  volontiers  de  la  pantomime.  .  -.  .  Son  regard 
est  tourne  vers  le  ciel,  sa  bouche  lance  des  impre'cations  ;  on  voit 
qu'elle  po,:.rra  faire  entendre  ces  hurlements,  ces  aboiements  de  la 
douleur  effrenee  que  I'anliquite  voulut  exprimcr  en  supposant  que  la 
malheureuse  Hecube  avait  ete  metamorphosee  en  chienne,  une  chienne 
a  laquelle  on  a  arrache  ses  petits." — Ataplre,  Hist.  Rom.  iii.  468. 

31.  Colossal  bust  of  Antoninus  Pius. 

The  Hall  of  the  Faun  derives  its  name  from  the  famous 
Faun  of  rosso-antico,  holding  a  bunch  of  grapes  to  his 
mouth,  found  in  Hadrian's  villa.  It  stands  on  an  altar  ded- 
icated to  Serapis.  Against  the  right  wall  is  a  magnificent 
sarcophagus  (No.  26),  whose  reliefs  (much  studied  by  Flax- 
man)  represent  the  battle  of  Theseus  and  the  Amazons. 
The  opposite  sarcophagus,  found  under  the  Church  of  S. 
Eustachio,  has  a  relief  of  Diana  and  Endymion,  We 
should  also  notice — 

15.  A  boy  with  a  mask. 

21.  A  boy  with  a  goose  (found  near  the  Lateran"). 

Let  into  the  wall  is  a  black  tablet— the  Lex  Regia,  or 
Senatus-Consultum,  conferring  imperial  powers  upon  Ves- 
pasian, being  the  very  table  upon  which  Rienzi  declaimed 
in  favor  of  the  rights  of  the  people. 

The  Hall  of  the  Dying  Gladiator  contains  the  three  gems 
of  the  collection  : 

1.  "  The  Gladiator." 

13.   "  The  Antinous  of  the  Capitol  " — from  the  villa  of  Hadrian, 
15.   The  "  Faun  of  Praxiteles." 

Besides  these,  we  should  notice  : 

2.  Apollo  with  the  lyre. 

4.  Bust  of  Dionysos — a  most  magnificent  head. 

5.  The  Amazon  from  the  Villa  d'Este. 
7.  Juno — a  colossal  statue. 

9.  A  bust  of  M.  Junius  Brutus,  the  assassin  of  Julius  Caesar. 

In  the  center  of  the  room  is  the  grand  statue  of  the 
wo'»nded  Gaul,  generally  known  as  the  Dying  Gladiator. 


no  WALKS  I.V  HOME. 

"  I  see  before  me  the  gladiator  lie  : 
He  leans  upon  his  hand — his  manly  brow 
Consents  to  death,  but  conquers  agony. 
And  his  drooped  head  sinks  gradually  low — 
And  through  his  side  the  la;,t  drops,  ebbing  slow 
From  the  red  gash,  fall  heavy,  one  by  one. 
Like  the  first  of  a  thunder-shower  ;  and  now 
The  arena  swims  around  him — he  is  gone. 
Ere  ceased  the  inhuman  shout  which  hailed  the  wretch  who  woa 

"  He  heard  it.  but  he  heeded  not — his  eyes 
Were  with  his  lieart,  and  that  was  far  away  ; 
He  reck'd  not  of  the  life  he  lost,  nor  prize, 
But  where  his  rude  hut  by  the  Danube  lay 
There  were  his  young  barbarians  all  at  play. 
There  was  their  Dacian  mother — he,  their  sire, 
Butchered  to  make  a  Roman  holiday. 
All  this  rushed  with  his  blood — shall  he  expire, 
And  unavenged  ?     Arise,  ye  Goths,  and  glut  your  ire  !  " 

Byron,  Childe  Harold. 

It  is  delightful  to  read  in  this  room  the  description  in 
Transformation  : 

'"  It  was  that  room,  in  the  center  of  which  reclines  the  noble  and 
most  pathetic  figure  of  the  dying  gladiator,  just  sinking  into  his 
death-swoon.  Around  the  walls  stand  the  Antinous,  the  Amazon, 
the  Lycian  Apollo,  the  Juno  ;  all  famous  productions  of  antique 
sculpture,  and  still  shining  in  the  undiminished  majesty  and  beauty 
of  their  ideal  life,  although  the  marble  that  embodies  them  is  yellow 
v/ith  lime,  and  perhaps  corroded  by  thft  damp  earth  in  which  they  lay 
buried  for  centuries.  Here,  likewise,  is  seen  a  symbol  (as  apt  at  this 
i.'ioment  as  it  was  two  thousand  years  ago)  of  the  human  soul,  wiih  its 
riio'ce  of  innocence  or  evil  close  at  hand,  in  the  pretty  figure  of  a 
child,  clasping  a  dove  to  her  bosom,  but  assaulted  by  a  snake. 

'■  From  one  of  the  windovi^s  of  this  saloon,  we  may  see  a  broad 
flight  of  stone  steps,  descending  alongside  the  antique  and  massive 
foundation  of  the  Capitol,  toward  the  battered  triumphal  arch  of  Sep- 
timius  Severus,  right  below.  Farther  on,  the  eye  skirts  along  the 
edge  of  the  desolate  Forum  (where  Roman  washenvomen  hang  out 
their  linen  to  the  suni,  passing  over  a  shapeless  confusion  of  modern 
edifices,  piled  ruddy  up  with  ancient  brick  and  stone,  and  over  the 
domes  of  Christian  churches,  built  on  the  old  pavements  of  heathen 
temples,  and  supported  by  the  very  pillars  that  once  upheld  them.  At 
a  distance  beyond — yet  but  a  little  way,  considering  how  much  his- 
tory is  heaped  into  the  intervening  space — rises  the  great  sweep  of  the 
Coliseum,  with  the  blue  sky  brightening  through  its  upper  tier  of 
arches.  Far  off,  the  view  is  shut  in  by  the  Alban  mountains,  looking 
just  the  same,  amid  all  this  decay  and  change,  as  when  Romulus 
gazed  thitherward  over  his  half-t'mished  wall. 

"  In  this  chamber  is  the  Faun  of  Pra.xitcles.  It  is  the  marble 
'mage  of  a  young  man,  leaning  his  right  arm  on  the  trunk,  or  stump  of 


PALACE    OF    THE    CORSERVATORS.  m 

a  tree  ;  one  hand  hangs  carelessly  by  his  side,  in  the  other  he  holds  a 
fragment  of  a  pipe,  or  some  such  sylvan  instrument  of  music.  His 
only  garment,  a  lion's  skin  witli  the  claws  upon  the  shoulder,  falls 
half-way  down  his  back,  leaving  his  limbs  and  entire  front  of  tiie 
figure  nude.  The  form,  thus  displayed,  is  marvelously  graceful,  but 
has  a  fuller  and  more  rounded  outline,  more  flesh,  and  less  of  heroic 
muscle,  than  the  old  sculptors  were  wont  to  assign  to  their  types  of 
masculine  beauty.  The  character  of  the  face  corresponds  with  the 
figure  ;  it  is  most  agreeable  in  outline  and  feature,  but  rounded  and 
somewhat  voluptuously  developed,  especially  about  the  throat  and 
chin  ;  the  nose  is  almost  straight,  but  very  slightly  curves  inward, 
thereby  acquiring  an  indescribable  charm  of  geniality  and  humor. 
The  mouth,  with  its  full  yet  delicate  lips,  seems  so  really  to  smile 
outright,  that  it  calls  forth  a  responsive  smile.  The  whole  statue — 
unlike  anything  else  that  ever  was  wrought  in  the  severe  material  of 
marble — conveys  the  idea  of  an  amiable  and  sensual  creature,  easy, 
mirthful,  apt  for  jollity,  yet  not  incapable  of  being  touched  by  pathos. 
It  is  impossible  to  gaze  long  at  this  stone  image,  without  conceiving  a 
kindly  sentiment  towards  it,  as  if  its  substance  were  warm  to  the 
touch,  and  imbued  with  actual  life.  It  comes  very  near  to  some  of 
our  pleasantest  sympathies." — Hawlhorne. 

"  Praxitele  avait  dit  a  Phryne  de  choisir  entre  ses  ouvrages  celui 
qu'elle  aimerait  le  mieux.  Pour  savoir  lequel  de  ses  chefs-d'oeuvre 
I'artiste  preferait,  elle  lui  fit  annoncer  que  le  feu  avait  pris  a  son  ate- 
lier. '  Sauvez,  sV-cria-t-il,  mon  .Satyre  et  men  Amour!'" — Ampere, 
Hist.  Ro»i.  iii.  309. 

The  west  or  right  side  of  the  CapitoHne  Piazza  is  occu- 
pied by  the  Palace  of  the  Conservators.,  which  contains  the 
Protomoteca,  the  Picture  Gallery,  and  various  other  treas- 
ures. 

The  little  court  at  the  entrance  is  full  of  historical  relics, 
including  remains  of  two  gigantic  statues  of  Apollo;  a  colos- 
sal head  of  Domitian;  and  the  marble  pedestal,  which  once 
in  the  mausoleum  of  Augustus  supported  the  cinerary  urn 
of  Agrippina,  wife  of  Germanicus,  with  a  very  perfect  in- 
scription. It  was  hollowed  out  and  used  as  a  measure  for 
corn  ("rugitella  di  grano  ")  in  the  Middle  Ages.  In  the 
opposite  loggia  are  a  statue  of  Rome  Triumphant  and  a 
group  of  a  lion  attacking  a  horse,  found  in  the  bed  of  the 
Almo.  In  the  portico  on  the  right  is  the  only  authentic 
statue  of  Julius  Caesar;  on  the  left  a  statue  of  Augustus, 
leaning  against  the  rostrum  of  a  galley,  in  allusion  to  the 
battle  of  Actium. 

Opposite  the  foot  of  the  staircase  is  a  restoration,  by 
Michael  Angelo,  of  the  column  of  Caius  Duilius.  Then, 
at  the  end  of  the  corridor,  a  seated  statue  of  Charles  of 


112  WALKS  f.V  ROME. 

Anjou,  who  was  made  a  senator  of  Rome  in  the  thirteenth 
century. 

"  It  is  a  massive,  roughly  blocked-out  figure,  seated  upon  a  throne- 
chair  supported  by  lions,  dressed  in  a  long  tunic  and  royal  mantle, 
with  a  crown  upon  the  head  and  a  scepter  firmly  planted  upon  the 
right  knee.  The  expression  of  the  face  is  stolid,  but  its  lineaments 
are  individual,  and  the  shape  of  the  head  is  so  peculiar  that  we  cannot 
doubt  its  being  a  faithful  portrait.  For  this  reason  it  is  of  high  his- 
torical value,  and  as  the  only  mediaeval  portrait  statue  at  Rome  must 
be  regarded  with  no  common   inteixst." — Perkins's   Jtolian  >culpto7s. 

On  the  upper  flight  of  the  staircase  is  a  bas-reHef  of 
Curtius  leaping  into  the  gulf,  here  represented  as  a  marsh, 
found  near  S.  Maria  Liberatrice. 

"  Un  bas-relief  d'un  travail  ancien,  dont  le  style  ressemble  a  celui 
des  figures  peintes  sur  les  vases  dits  archaiques,  repre'sente  Curtius 
engage  dans  son  marais;  le  cheval  baisse  la  tete  et  flaire  le  marecage, 
qui  est  indique  par  des  roseau.x.  Le  guerrier,  penche  en  avant,  presse 
sa  monture.  On  a  vivement,  en  presence  de  cette  curieuse  sculpture, 
le  sentiment  d'un  incident  hero'ique  probablenient  reel,  et  en  meme 
temps  de  I'espect  primitif  du  lieu  qui  en  fut  temoin." — Atnpcie,  Hist. 
Rom.  i.  321. 

On  the  first  and  second  landings  are  magnificent  reliefs, 
representing  events  in  the  life  of  Marcus  Aurelius,  Imp., 
belonging  to  the  arch  dedicated  to  him,  which  was  wan- 
tonly destroyed,  in  order  to  widen  the  Corso,  by  Alexan- 
der VII. 

"  Jusqu'au  regne  de  Commode  Rome  est  repre'sentee  par  une 
Amazone  ;  dans  I'escalier  du  palais  des  Conservateurs,  Kome,  en 
tunique  courte  d'Amazone  et  le  globe  a  la  main,  reyoit  Marc-Aurele  ; 
le  globe  dans  la  main  de  Rome  date  de  Cesar." — Ainpiie,  iii.  242. 

Th",  Halls  of  the  Conservators  consist  of  eight  rooms 
(entrance  50  c.)  The  ist,'  painted  in  fresco  from  the 
history  of  the  Roman  kings,  by  the  Cavaliere  aArpino, 
contains  statues  of  Urban  VIII.,  by  Bernini,  and  Inno- 
cent X.,  in  bronze,  by  Algardi.  The  2d  Room,  adorned 
with  subjects  from  republican  history  by  Laiirttti,  has 
statues  of  modern  Roman  generals — Marc  Antonio  Colon- 
na,  Tommaso  Rospigliosi,  Francesco  Aldobrandini,  Carlo 
Barberini,  brother  of  Urban  VIII.,  and  Alessandro  Far- 
nese,  Duke  of  Parma.  The  3d  Room  is  painted  hy  Danielf 
di  Volterra,  with  subjects  from  the  wars  with  the  Cimbri- 

■  The  chapel  is  sometimes  entered  before  the  other  rooms. 


HALLS   OF    THE    CONSERVATORS.  113 

Amongst  its  decorations  are  two  fine  pictures,  a  dead  Christ 
with  a  monk  praying,  and  S.  Francesca  Romana,  by  Jio- 
manelli. 

The  4th  Room  contains  the  Fasti  Consulares,  tables 
found  near  the  temple  of  Minerva  Chalcidica,  and  inscribed 
with  the  names  of  public  officers  from  Romulus  to  Augus- 
tus. The  frescoes  are  by  Benedetto  Bonfigli,  1420-96.  The 
5th  Room  contains  two  bronze  ducks  "(formerly  shown  as 
the  sacred  geese  of  the  Capitol)  and  a  female  head — found 
in  the  gardens  of  Sallust,  a  bust  of  Medusa,  by  Bernini, 
and  the  curious  bust  said  to  represent  Junius  Brutus. 

"  II  est  permis  de  voir  dans  le  buste  du  Capitole  un  vrai  portrait  de 
Brutus;  il  est  difficile  d'en  douter  en  le  contemplant,  Voila  bien  le 
visage  farouche,  la  barbe  hitsute,  les  cheveux  roides  coUes  si  rude- 
ment  sur  le  front,  la  physionomie  inculte  et  terrible  du  premier  consul 
romain  ;  la  bouche  serree  respire  la  determination  et  I'energie  ;  les 
yeux,  forme's  d'une  matiere  jaunatre,  se  detachent  en  clair  sur  le  bronze 
noirci  par  les  siecles  et  vous  jetient  un  regard  fixe  et  farouche.  Tout 
pres  est  la  louve  de  bronze.  Brutus  est  de  la  meme  famille.  On  sent 
qu'il  y  a  du  bit  de  cette  louve  dans  les  veines  du  second  fondateur  de 
Rome,  comme  dans  les  veines  du  premier,  et  que  lui  aussi,  pared  au 
Romulus  de  la  legende,  marchera  vers  son  but  a  travers  le  sang  des  siens. 

"Le  buste  de  Brutus  est  place'  sur  un  piedestal  qui  le  met  a  la  hau- 
teur du  regard.  La,  dans  un  coin  sombre,  j'ai  passe  bien  des  mo- 
ments face  a  face  avec  Fimpitoyable  fondateur  de  la  liberte  rom.aine." 
— Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  ii.  270. 

The  6th,  or  Throne  Room,  hung  with  faded  tapestry, 
has  a  frieze  in  fresco,  by  Annibale  Caracci,  representing 
the  triumphs  of  Scipio  Africanus.  The  7th  Room  13 
painted  by  Danicle  da  Volterra  {?),  with  the  history  of  the 
Punic  Wars.  The  8th  Room  is  a  chapel,  containing  a 
lovely  fresco,  by  Pinturicchio,  of  the  Madonna  and  Child 
with  Angels. 

"  The  Madonna  is  seated  enthroned,  fronting  the  spectator  ;  her 
large  mantle  forms  a  grand  cast  of  drapery  ;  the  child  on  her  lap  sleeps 
in  the  loveliest  attitude  ;  she  folds  her  hands  and  looks  down,  qr.iel, 
serious,  and  beautiful:  in  the  clouds  are  two  adoring  angels." — 
Kugler. 

This  fresco  was  removed  from  the  staircase  in  1703,  when  it  was 
much  repainted,  the  robe  of  the  Virgin  being  made  dark  green,  and 
that  of  the  angel  on  the  left  red  !  So  it  remained  till  1S78,  when  the 
original  coloring  was  discovered  and  disclosed  by  Signer  Garelli. 

The  four  Evangelists  are*  by  Ca7-avaggio  j  the  pictures 


114 


IVALA'S  /r   ROME. 


of  Roman  saints  (Cecillia,  Alexis,  Eustachio,  Francesca 
Romana)  by  Rtwianelli. 

A  door  on  the  left  of  the  entrance  to  the  Halls  of  the 
Conservators  leads  to  a  set  of  rooms  and  galleries  chiefly 
devoted  to  the  antiquities  discovered  since  the  change  of 
government  in  1870.  Passing  through  some  rooms  occupied 
by  the  modern  Fasti  Consulares,  and  decorated  with  busts 
of  eminent  Italians  (the  most  remarkable  being  that  in  the 
3d  room  right  of  the  entrance,  of  Pius  VII.,  a  most  noble 
work  of  Canova)  we  reach  (right)  two  rooms  filled  with 
bronzes.  The  first  contains  a  chariot,  couch,  and  litter, 
discovered  in  1862  ;  the  second  a  collection  of  coins  found 
in  the  Horti  Lamiani  in  1876. 

From  the  first  of  the  Bronze  Rooms  we  enter  (left)  an 
octagonal  hall,  in  which  the  statues  recently  found  on  the 
•Esquiline  are  provisionally  arranged.  We  may  notice  (be- 
ginning from  the  right); 

1.  The  lower  portion  of  an  armed  imperial  statue,  beautifully 
finished. 

2.  An  altar  from  the  Porta  Salara,  with  a  poem  inscribed  upon  it. 
10.   Old  woman  with  a  kid. 

15.   Bust  of  Commodus,  as  Hercules. 

A  very  beautiful  Apollino,  recalling  "  the  Genius  of  the  Vatican." 

12.   Urania  (in  the  inner  circle). 

18.  A  beautiful  boy  pouring  water  from  a  vessel. 

21.   A  magnificent  sarcophagus  with  a  boar  hunt. 

28.  Polimnia,  with  exquisitely  simple  drapery.  The  head  of  this 
statue  was  found  in  1872,  the  body  not  till  1S74. 

Statuette  of  Minerva. 

46.    Mecaenas. 

Apollo  with  the  'yre,  like  the  Genius  of  the  Vatican. 

38,  42.   Runners. 

43.   Beautiful  male  fragment. 

23.   Mercury. 

8.  A  statuette  of  Ceres  (Terrae  Matris)  in  the  shrine  in  which  it  was 
found,  the  iron  hinges  for  the  doors  still  in  their  place. 

A  beautiful  vase  of  Greek  workmanship,  with  an  inscription. 

Hence,  crossing  the  end  of  the  gdlery,  v,  e  enter  a  room 
filled  with  objects  in  terra-cotta  found  on  the  Esquiline. 
Especially  worthy  of  notice  are  three  cinerary  urns,  as 
found,  inclosing  each  other,  first  terra-cotta,  then  lead, 
then  alabaster.  Among  the  smaller  objects  preserved  here 
are  a  writing  tablet  inscribed  with  the  owner's  name,  and 
an  inkstand  with  its  bronze  pens. 


WOLF  OF    THE    CAPITOL.  n^ 

We  now  enter  the  Camera  del  JSronzi,  which  contains 
the  famous  Bronze  Wolf  of  the  Capitol.,  one  of  the  most  in- 
teresting relics  in  the  city.  The  figure  of  the  wolf  is  be- 
lieved to  be  that  dedicated  by  the  Ogulnii,  aediles  in  B.C. 
297  ;  the  figures  of  Romulus  and  Remus  are  modern.  It 
has  been  doubted  whether  this  is  the  wolf  described  by 
Dionysius  as  "  an  ancient  work  of  brass"  standing  in  the 
temple  of  Romulus  under  the  Palatine,  or  the  wolf  de- 
scribed by  Cicero,  who  speaks  of  a  little  gilt  figure  of  the 
founder  of  the  city  sucking  the  teats  of  a  wolf.  The  Cice- 
ronian wolf  was  struck  by  lightning  in  the  time  of  the  great 
orator,  and  a  fracture  in  the  existing  figure,  attributed  to 
lightning,  is  adduced  in  proof  of  its  identity  with  it. 

"  Geminos  huic  ubera  circum 
Ludere  pendentes  pueros,  et  lambere  matrem 
Impavidos  :  illam  tereti  cennce  refle.xam 
Mulcere  alternos,  et  corpora  fingere  lingua." 

Virgil,  Aen.  viii.  632. 

"  And  thou,  the  thunder-stricken  nurse  of  Rome  ! 
She  wolf  !  whose  brazen-imagined  dugs  impart 
The  milk  of  conquest  yet  within  the  dome 
Where,  as  a  monument  of  antique  art, 
Thou  standest  : — mother  of  the  mighty  heart, 
Which  the  great  founder  sucked  from  thy  wild  teat, 
Scorch'd  by  the  Roman  Jove's  ethereal  dart. 
And  thy  limbs  black  with  lightning — dost  thou  j'et 
Guard  thy  immortal  cubs,  nor  thy  fond  charge  forget  ? " 

Byron,  Lhilde  Harold. 

Standing  near  tlie  wolf  is  tlie  well-known  and  beautiful 
figure  of  a  boy  extracting  a  thorn  from  his  foot,  called  the 
Shepherd  Martius. 

"  La  ressemblance  du  type  si  fin  de  I'ApoUon  au  lezard  et  du 
charmant  bronze  du  Capitole  le  lireiir  d'epine  est  trop  frappante  pour 
qu'on  puisse  se  refuser  a  voir  dans  celui-ci  une  inspiration  de  Praxitele 
ou  de  son  ecole.  C'est  tout  simplement  un  enfant  arrachant  de  son 
pied  une  epine  qui  I'a  blesse,  sujet  naif  et  champetre  analogue  au 
Satyre  se  faisant  rendre  ce  service  par  un  autre  Satyre.  On  a  voulu  y 
voir  un  athlete  blesse  par  une  epine  pendant  sa  course  et  qui  n'en  est 
pas  moins  arrive  au  but  ;  mais  la  figure  est  trop  jeune  et  n'a  rien 
d'athletique.  Le  moyen  age  avait  donne  aussi  son  explication  et  invente 
sa  legende.  On  raccontait  qu'un  jeune  berger,  envoye  a  la  decouverte 
de  I'ennemi,  etait  revenu  sans  s'arreter  et  ne  s'etait  permis  qu'alors 
d'arracher  une  epine  qui  lui  blessait  le  pied.  Le  moyen  age  avait  senti 
le  charme  de  cette  composition  qu'il  interpretait  a  sa  maniere,  car  elle 
est  sculptee  sur  un  arceau  de  la  cathcdrale  de  Zurich  qui  date  du  siecle 
de  Charlemagne." — Ampere,  iii.  315. 


Il6  JVALfCS  IN  ROME. 

In  the  back  of  the  room  are  a  huge  statue  of  the  young 
Hercules,  from  Antium  ;  a  giganiic  hand,  supposed  to 
have  belonged  to  the  statue  of  Commodus  ;  a  colossal 
foot,  believed  to  belong  to  the  statue  of  Caius  Cestius, 
which  stood  near  his  pyramid  ;  and  the  famous  bronze 
horse  found  (1849)  i"  the  Trastevere. 

"  Calamis,  venu  un  peu  avant  Phidias,  n'eut  point  dc  rival  pour  les 
chevaux.  Calamis,  qui  fut  foadeur  en  bronze,  serait-il  I'auteur  du 
cheval  de  bronze  du  Capitole,  qui,  en  effet,  semble  plutot  un  peu  an- 
terieur  que  postcrieur  a  Phidias?  " — Ainplre,  Hist.  Rom.  iii.  234. 

A  beautiful  vase  of  fluted  bronze,  found  in  the  sea  at 
Porto  d'Anzio,  is  that  sent  by  Mithridates,  King  of  Pontus, 
to  the  college  of  the  Eupatorium  Gymnasiarchs.  It  is 
supposed  to  have  been  lost  while  it  was  being  carried  off 
in  the  triumph  of  Pompey. 

The  next  room  is  occupied  by  Etruscan  vases  and  an- 
tiquities, the  gift  of  Castellani. 

Returning  to  the  corridor,  a  staircase  on  the  right  leads 
to  the  Picture  Gallery  of  the  Capitol,  which  contains  very 
few  first-rate  pictures,  but  has  a  beautiful  S.  Sebastian,  by 
Guido,  and  several  fine  works  of  Guercino.  The  pictures 
are  arranged  in  several  rooms,  but  are  not  hung  in  the 
order  of  their  numbers.     We  may  notice — 

2.    Guido  Reni  :  Disembodied  Spirit  (unfinished). 
6.   Roina)iclli :  S.  Cecilia. 
13    Guercino  :  S.  John  Baptist. 
16.    Guido  Reiti  :   Mary  Magdalene. 
20.   Domcnichino  :  The  Cuniaean  Sybil.* 

26.  Tintoretto  :   Mary  Magdalene. 

27.  Fra.  Bartoloininco  :   Presentation  in  the  Temple. 

30.  Gtirofalo  :   Holy  Family. 

31.  Subleyras  :  Mary  anointing  the  feet  of  Christ. 
34.    Guercino  :   The  Persian  Sybil. 

52.   Botticelli'^  Madonna  and  Saints. 

6r.    Guido  Reni  ■'    Portrait  of  himself. 

'/O.    Paul  Veronese  :   Madonna  and  Saints. 

78.  F.  Francia,  15 13:  Madonna  and  Saints.* 

80.    Velasquez:   Portrait. 

87.    GioT'anni  Bellini  :  .S.  Niccolo  Vcscovo. 

8g.  Rubens:  Romulus  and  Kemus. 
100.  Vandyke  :  Two  male  portraits. 
IC3.  Donienicliino  :  S.   Barbara. 

104.  Mazzolino  :  Adoration  of  the  Shepherds. 

lof).    Vandyke  :  Tiiomas  Killigrcw  and   Henry  Carew. 

105.  Tintoret  :   Ba])tisni  of  Christ. 
116.   Guido  Reni :  S.  Sebastian."' 


PALAZZO    CAFFARELLI. 


117 


117.    Guercino  :  Cleopatra  and  Augustus. 

119.   Lud.  Caracci  :  S.  Sebastian. 

124.    Titian  :  JJaptism  of  Christ. 

123.   Caravaggio  :  Gypsy  telling  a  fortune. 

132.    Giova)i7i4.  Bellini  :  Portrait  of  himself. 

134.  l\I.  Venusti  ?  Portrait  of  Michael  Angelo. 

136.    Gio.  Bellini  ?  Petrarch. 

142.  Albani  :  Nativity  of  the  Virgin. 

143.  Guereino :    S.    Petronilla.     An    enormous   picture,  brought 

hither  from  S.  Peter's,  where  it  has  been  replaced  by  a 
mosaic  copy.  Ihe  composition  is  divided  into  two  parts. 
The  lower  represents  the  bunal  of  S.  Petronilla,  the  upper 
the  ascension  of  her  spirit. 

"The  Apostle  Peter  had  a  daughter,  born  in  lawful  wedlock,  who 
accompanied  him  in  his  journey  from  the  East.  Petronilla  was  won- 
derfully fair  ;  and  Valerius  Fiaccus,  a  young  and  noble  Roman,  who 
was  a  heathen,  became  enamored  of  her  beauty,  and  sought  her  for 
his  wife  ;  and  he,  being  very  powerful,  she  feared  to  refuse  him  ;  she 
therefore  desired  him  to  return  in  three  days,  and  promised  that  he 
should  then  carry  her  home.  But  she  prayed  earnestly  to  be  delivered 
from  this  peril  ;  and  when  Fiaccus  returned  in  three  days,  with  great 
pomp,  to  celebrate  the  marriage,  he  found  her  dead.  The  company 
of  nobles  who  attended  him,  carried  her  to  the  grave,  in  which  they 
laid  her,  crowned  with  roses  ;  and  Fiaccus  lamented  greatly." — Mrs. 
Jameson,  from  the  Perfcllo  Le^e?u/ario. 

190.  Pietro  di  Corlona  :  The  Defeat  of  Darius. 

196.   Cola  dell'  Amatrice  :  Death  and  Assumption  of  the  Virgin. 

"  Here  the  death  of  the  Virgin  is  treated  at  once  in  a  mystical  and 
dramatic  style.  Enveloped  in  a  dark  blue  mantle,  spangled  with 
golden  stars,  she  lies  extended  on  a  couch  ;  S.  Peter,  in  a  splendid 
scarlet  cope  as  bishop,  reads  the  service  ;  S.  John,  holding  the  palm, 
weeps  bitterly.  In  front,  and  kneeling  before  the  couch  or  bier,  appear 
the  three  great  Dominican  saints  as  witnesses  of  the  religious  mystery  : 
in  the  center  S.  Dominic  ;  on  the  left,  S.  Catherine  of  Siena  ;  and  on 
the  right  S.  Thomas  Aquinas.  In  a  compartment  above  is  the 
Assumption." — -Jaineson'^s  Legends  of  the  Aladontta,  p.  315. 

123.  Paul  Veronese:  Madonna  and  Angels. 
224.  Paul  Vero7iese  :  Rape  of  Europa. 

High  in  the  ist  Room  are  hung  some  exquisitely  beau- 
tiful fragments  of  the  frescoes  of  Raffaelle,  removed  from 
the  walls  of  the  villa  of  Leo  X.  at  Maglione.  They  have 
been  engraved  by  Gruner. 

At  the  head  of  the  Capitol  steps,  to  the  right  of  the  ter- 
race, is  the  entrance  to  the  Palazzo  CaffarellL  the  residence 
of  the  Prussian  ambassador.  It  contains  a  magnificent 
hall,  used  as  a  ball-room,  and  the  view  from  the  upper 
windows  is  most  beautiful 


Il8  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

"  After  dinner,  Biinsen  called  for  us,  and  took  us  first  to  his  house  on 
the  Capitol,  the  different  windows  of  which  command  the  different 
views  of  ancient  and  modern  Rome.  Never  shall  I  forget  the  view  of 
the  former  ;  we  looked  down  on  the  Forum,  and  just  opposite  were 
the  Palatine  and  the  Aventine,  with  the  ruins  of  the  Palace  of  the 
Caesars  on  the  one,  and  houses  intermixed  with  gardens  on  the  other. 
The  mass  of  the  Coliseum  rose  beyond  the  Forum,  and  beyond  all, 
the  wide  plain  of  the  Campagna  to  the  sea.  On  the  left  rose  the  Al- 
ban  hills,  bright  in  the  setting  sun,  which  played  full  upon  Frascati 
and  Albano,  and  the  trees  which  edge  the  lake,  and  further  away  in 
the  distance,  it  lit  up  the  old  town  of  Labicum. " — Arnold's  Letters. 

From  the  further  end  of  the  courtyard  of  the  Caffarelli 
Palace  one  can  look  down  upon  part  of  the  bare  cliff  of 
the  Rupe  Tarpeia.  Here  there  existed  till  1868  a  small 
court,  which  is  represented  as  the  scene  of  the  murder  in 
Hawthorne's  "  Marble  Faun,"  or  '*  Transformation."  The 
door,  the  niche  in  the  wall,  and  all  other  details  mentioned 
in  the  novel,  were  realities.  The  character  of  the  place 
is  now  changed  by  the  removal  of  the  boundary-wall  and 
formation  of  a  new  road.  The  part  of  the  rock  seen  from 
here  is  that  usually  visited  from  below  by  the  Via  Tor  de' 
Speech  i. 

To  reach  the  principal  portion  of  the  south-eastern 
height  of  the  Capitol,  we  must  ascend  the  staircase  beyond 
the  Palace  of  the  Conservators,  on  the  right.  Here  we 
shall  find  ourselves  upon  the  highest  part  of 

"  The  Tarpeian  rock,  the  citadel 
Of  great  and  glorious  Rome,  queen  of  the  earth, 
So  far  renown'd,  and  with  the  spoils  enriched 
Of  nations."  Paradise  Regained. 

"  The  steep 
Tarpeian,  fittest  goal  of  treason'»race, 
The  promontory  whence  the  traitor's  leap 
Cured  all  ambition."  Childe  Harold. 

The  lane,  with  its  grass-grown  spaces,  and  quiet  houses, 
has  little  to  remind  one  of  the  appearance  of  the  hill  as 
seen  by  Virgil  and  Propertius,  who  speak  of  the  change  in 
their  time  from  an  earlier  aspect. 

"  Hinc  ad  Tarpeiam  sedem,  et  Capitolia  ducit, 

Aurea  nunc,  olim  silvestribus  horrida  dumis. 

Jam  tum  religio  pavidos  terrebat  agrestes 

Dira  loci  ;  jam  tum  silvam  saxumque  tremebant." 

Virgil,  Aefi.  viii.  341. 


TARPEIA.V  ROCK.  llg 

"  Hoc  quodcumque  vides,  hospes,  qua  maxima  Roma  est, 
Ante  Phrygem  Aeneam  collis  et  herba  fuit." 

Propertiits,  iv.  eleg.  i. 

It  was  on  this  side  that  the  different  attacks  were  made 
upon  the  Capitol.  The  first  was  by  the  Sabine  Herdonius 
at  the  head  of  a  band  of  slaves,  who  scaled  the  cliffs  and 
surprised  the  garrison,  in  B.C.  460,  and  from  the  heights 
of  the  citadel  proclaimed  freedom  to  all  slaves  who  should 
join  him,  with  abolition  of  debts,  and  defense  of  the  plebs 
from  their  oppressors  :  but  his  offers  were  disregarded, 
and  on  the  fourth  day  the  Capitol  was  retaken,  and  he  was 
slain  with  nearly  all  his  followers.  The  second  attack  was 
by  the  Gauls,  who,  according  to  the  well-known  story, 
climbed  the  rock  near  the  Porta  Carmentalis,  and  had 
nearly  reached  the  summit  unobserved — for  the  dogs  neg- 
lected to  bark — when  the  cries  of  the  sacred  geese  of 
Juno  aroused  an  officer  named  Manlius,  Avho  rushed  to  the 
defense,  and  hurled  over  the  precipice  the  first  assailant, 
who  dragged  down  others  in  his  fall,  and  thus  the  Capitol 
was  saved.  In  remembrance  of  this  incident,  a  goose  was 
annually  carried  in  triumph,  and  a  dog  annually  crucified 
upon  the  Capitol,  between  the  temple  of  Summanus  and 
that  of  Youth. ^  This  was  the  same  Manlius,  the  friend  of 
the  people,  who  was  afterward  condemned  by  the  patri- 
cians on  pretext  that  he  wished  to  make  himself  king,  and 
thrown  from  the  Tarpeian  rock,  on  the  same  spot,  in  sight 
of  the  Forum,  where  Spurius  Cassius,  an  ex-consul,  had 
been  thrown  down  before.  To  visit  the  part  of  the  rock 
from  which  these  executions  must  have  taken  place,  it  is 
necessary  to  enter  a  little  garden  near  the  German  Hospi- 
tal, whence  there  is  a  beautiful  view  of  the  river  and  the 
Aventine. 

"  Quand  on  veut  visiter  la  roche  Tarpeienne,  on  sonne  a  une  porte  de 
peu  d'apparence,  sur  laquelle  sont  ecrits  ces  mots  :  Rocca  Tarpeia. 
Une  pauvre  femme  arrive  et  vous  mene  dans  un  carre  de  choux. 
C'est  de  la  qu'on  precipita  Manlius.  Je  serais  desole  que  le  carre  de 
choux  manquat." — Ampere,  Portraits  de  Rome. 

This  side  of  the  Intermontium  is  now  generally  known 
as  Monte  Caprino,  a  name  which  Ampere  derives  from  the 
fact  that  Vejovis,  the  Etruscan  ideal  of  Jupiter,  was  always 

'  Plin.  Nat.  Hist.  xxix.  14,  i  ;  Plut.  Fort.  Rom.  12. 


,20  WALKS  j.V  ROME. 

represented  with  a  goat.'  On  this  side  of  the  hill,  the 
viaduct  from  the  Palatine,  built  by  Caligula  (who  affected 
to  require  it  to  facilitate  communication  with  his  friend 
Jupiter),  joined  the  Capitoline. 

We  have  still  to  examine  the  north-eastern  height,  the 
site  of  the  most  interesting  of  pagan  temples,  now  occupied 
by  one  of  the  most  interesting  of  Christian  churches.  The 
name  of  the  famous  Church  of  Ara-Cocli  is  generally  at- 
tributed to  an  altar  erected  by  Augustus  to  commemorate 
the  Delphic  oracle  respecting  the  coming  of  our  Saviour, 
which  is  still  recognized  in  the  well-known  hymn  of  the 
Church  : 

Teste  David  cum  Sibylla.^ 

The  altar  bore  the  inscription  "  Ara  Primogeniti  Dei." 
Those  who  seek  a  more  humble  origin  for  the  church,  say 
that  the  name  merely  dates  from  mediaeval  times,  when  it 
was  called  "  S.  Maria  in  Aurocoelio."  It  originally  be- 
longed to  the  Benedictine  Order,  but  was  transferred  to 
the  Franciscans  by  Innocent  IV.  in  1252,  since  which 
time  its  convent  has  occupied  an  important  position  as  the 
residence  of  the  General  of  the  Minor  Franciscans  (Gray- 
friars),  and  is  the  center  of  religious  life  in  that  Order.  In 
the  middle  ages,  Ara-Coeli  was  the  Church  of  the  Roman 
Senate,  and  it  has  often  served  as  a  Parliament  House  for 
the  city  of  Rome. 

The  staircase  on  the  left  of  the  Senators'  palace,  which 
leads  to  the  side  entrance  of  Ara-Coeli,  is  in  itself  full  of 
historical  associations.  It  v/as  at  its  head  that  Valerius 
the  consul  was  killed  in  the  conflict  with  Herdonius  for  the 
possession  of  the  Capitol.  It  Avas  down  the  ancient  steps 
on  this  site  that  Annius,  the  envoy  of  the  Latins,  fell 
(b.c.  340),  and  was  nearly  killed,  after  his  audacious  prop- 
osition in  the  temple  of  Jupiter,  that  the  Latins  and 
Romans  should  become  one  nation,  and  have  a  common 
senate  and  consuls.  Here  also"  in  B.C.  133,  Tiberius 
Gracchus  was  knocked  down  with  the  leg  of  a  chair,  and 
killed  in  front  of  the  temple  of  Jupiter. 

It  is  at  the  top  of  these  steps,  that  the  monks  of  Ara- 
Coeli,  who  are  celebrated  as  dentists,  perform  their  hideous 

'  Hist.  Rom    i.  382. 

'  The  Dies  !rae\  by  Tommasodi  Celano,  of  the  fourteenth  century. 

s  '•  Per  gradus  qui  sunt  super  Calpurnium  fornicem." 


ARA-COELI.  121 

but  useful  and  gratuitous  operations,  which  may  be  wit- 
nessed here  every  morning  ! 

Over  the  side  entrance  of  Ara-Coeli  (of  1564)  is  a  beau- 
tiful mosaic  of  the  Virgin  and  Child  by  one  of  the  Cos- 
mati.  This,  with  the  ancient  brick  arches  above,  framing 
fragments  of  deep  blue  sky — and  the  worn  steps  below — 
forms  a  subject  dear  to  Roman  artists,  and  is  often  intro- 
duced as  a  background  to  groups  of  monks  and  peasants. 
The  interior  of  the  church  is  vast,  solemn,  and  highly 
picturesque.  It  was  here,  as  Gibbon  himself  tells  us,  that 
on  the  15th  of  October,  1764,  as  he  sat  musing  amidst  the 
ruins  of  the  Capitol,  while  the  bare-footed  friars  were  sing- 
ing vespers,  the  idea  of  writing  the  "  Decline  and  Fall  "  of 
the  city  first  started  to  his  mind. 

"  As  we  lift  the  great  curtain  and  push  into  the  church,  a  faint  per- 
fume of  incense  salutes  the  nostrils.  The  golden  sunset  bursts  in  as 
the  curtain  of  the  (west)  door  sways  forward,  illuminates  the  mosaic 
floor,  catches  on  the  rich  golden  ceiling,  and  flashes  here  and  there 
over  the  crowd  (gathered  in  Epiphany),  on  some  brilliant  costume  or 
closely  shaven  head.  All  sorts  of  people  are  thronging  there,  some 
kneeling  before  the  shrine  of  the  Madonna,  which  gleams  with  its 
hundreds  of  silver  votive  hearts,  legs,  and  arms,  some  listening  to  the 
preaching,  some  crowding  round  the  chapel  of  the  Presepio.  Old 
women,  haggard  and  wrinkled,  come  tottering  along  with  their  scaldini 
of  coals,  drop  down  on  their  knees  to  pray,  and,  as  you  pass,  intei-po- 
late  in  their  prayers  a  parenthesis  of  begging.  The  church  is  not 
architecturally  handsome,  but  it  is  eminently  picturesque,  with  its  rel- 
ics of  centuries,  its  mosaic  pulpits  and  floors,  its  frescoes  of  Pinturic- 
chio  and  Pesaro,  its  antique  columns,  its  rich  golden  ceiling,  its  gothic 
mausoleum  to  the  Savelli,  and  its  mediaeval  tombs.  A  dim,  dingy 
look  is  over  all — but  it  is  the  dim.ness  of  faded  splendor  ;  and  one  can- 
not stand  there,  knowing  the  history  of  the  church,  its  great  antiquity, 
and  the  varied  fortunes  it  has  known,  without  a  peculiar  sense  of 
interest  and  pleasure. 

"  It  was  here  that  Romulus  in  the  gray  dawning  of  Rome  built  the 
temple  of  Jupiter  Feretrius.  Here  the  spolia  opiina  were  deposited. 
Here  the  triumphal  processions  cf  the  emperors  and  generals  ended. 
Here  the  victors  paused  before  making  their  vows,  until,  from  the 
Mamertine  prisons  below,  the  message  came  to  announce  that  their 
noblest  prisoner  and  victim — while  the  clang  of  their  triumph  and  his 
defeat  rose  ringing  in  his  ears,  as  the  procession  ascended  the  steps — 
had  expatiated  with  death  the  crime  of  being  the  enemy  of  Rome.  On 
the  steps  of  Ara-Coeli,  nineteen  centuries  ago,  the  first  great  Caesar 
climbed  on  his  knees  after  his  first  triumph.  At  their  base,  Rienzi, 
the  last  of  the  Ronnn  tribunes,  fell — and  if  the  tradition  of  the  Church 
is  to  be  trusted,  it  was  on  the  site  of  the  present  high  altar  that 
Augustus  erected  the  '  Ara  Primogeniti  Dei,"  to  commemorate  the 
G 


122  WALK'S  I.V  HOME. 

Delphic  prophecy  of  the  coming  of  our  Saviour.  Standing  on  a  spot 
so  tlironged  with  memories,  the  dullest  imagination  takes  fire.  The 
forms  and  scenes  of  the  past  rise  from  their  graves  and  pass  before 
us,  and  the  actual  and  visionary  are  mingled  together  in  strange  poetic 
confusion." — Roba  di  Roma,  i.  73. 

The  floor  of  the  church  is  of  the  ancient  mosaic  known 
as  Opus  Alexandrinum.  The  nave  is  separated  from  the 
aisles  by  twenty-two  ancient  columns,  of  which  two  are  of 
cipollino,  two  of  white  marble,  and  eighteen  of  Egyptian 
granite.  They  are  of  very  different  forms  and  sizes,  and 
have  probably  been  collected  from  various  pagan  edifices. 
The  inscription  "  A  Cubiculo  Augustorum  "  upon  the  third 
column  on  the  left  of  the  nave,  shows  that  it  was  brought 
from  the  Palace  of  the  Caesars.  The  fine  statues  of  Paul 
III.  (left),  and  Gregory  XIII.  (right),  were  removed  from 
the  halls  of  the  Capitol  in  1S76.  The  windows  in  this 
church  are  amongst  the  few  in  Rome  which  show  traces  of 
Gothic.  At  the  end  of  the  nave,  on  either  side,  are  two 
ambones,  marking  the  position  of  the  choir  before  it  was 
extended  to  its  present  site  in  the  sixteenth  century. 

The  transepts  are  full  of  interesting  monuments.  That 
on  the  right  is  the  burial  place  of  the  great  family  of  Savelli, 
and  contains — on  the  left,  the  monument  of  Luca  Savelli, 
1266  (father  of  Pope  Honorius  IV.),  and  his  son  Pandolfo, 
— an  ancient  and  richly  sculptured  sarcophagus,  to  which  a 
Gothic  canopy  was  added  by  Agostino  and  Agnolo  da  Siena 
from  designs  of  Giotto.  Opposite,  is  the  tomb  of  the 
mother  of  Honorius,  Vana  Aldobrandesca,  upon  which  is 
the  statue  of  the  pope  himself,  removed  from  his  monu- 
ment in  the  old  S.  Peter's  by  Paul  III. 

On  the  left  of  the  high  altar  is  the  tomb  of  Cardinal 
Gianbattista  Savelli,  ob.  1498,  and  near  it,  in  the  pavement, 
the  half-effaced  gravestone  of  Sigismondo  Conti,  whose 
features  are  so  familiar  to  us  from  his  portrait  introduced 
into  the  famous  picture  of  the  Madonna  di  Foligno,  which 
was  painted  by  Raffaelle  at  his  order,  and  presented  by 
him  to  this  church,  where  it  remained  over  the  high  altar 
till  1565,  when  his  great-niece  Anna  became  a  nun  at  the 
convent  of  the  Contesse  at  Foligno,  and  was  allowed  to 
carry  it  away  with  her.  In  the  cast  transept  is  another 
fine  Gothic  tomb,  that  of  Cardinal  Matteo  di  Acquasparta 
(1302),  a  General  of  the  Franciscans  mentioned  by  Dante 


ARA-COELI. 


123 


for  his  wise  and  moderate  rule.'  The  quaint  chapel  in  the 
middle  of  this  transept,  now  dedicated  to  S.  Helena,  i, 
supposed  to  occupy  the  site  of  the  "  Ara  Primogenid  Dei." 
To  a  point  near  this  the  interesting  statue  of  Leo  X.,  by 
the  Sicilian  Giacomo  della  Duca,  was  removed  from  the 
Halls  of  the  Conservators  in  1876.'' 

The  ambones  for  the  epistle  and  the  gospel  are  very 
curious  and  interesting,  and  are  beautiful  works  of  Lorenzo 
and  Jacopo  Cosmati.  Upon  the  pier  near  the  ambone  of 
the  gospel  is  the  monument  of  Queen  Catherine  of  Bosnia, 
who  died  at  Rome  in  1478,  bequeathing  her  states  to  the 
Roman  Church  on  condition  of  their  reversion  to  her  son, 
who  had  embraced  Mohammedanism,  if  he  should  return 
to  the  Catholic  faith.  Near  this,  upon  the  transept  wall, 
is  the  tomb  of  Felice  de  Fredis,  ob.  1539,  upon  which  it  is 
recorded  that  he  was  the  finder  of  the  Laocoon.  The 
Chapel  of  the  Annunciation,  opening  from  the  west  aisle, 
has  a  tomb  to  G.  Crivelli,  by  Donatello,  bearing  his  signa- 
ture, "Opus  Donatelli  Florentini."  The  Chapel  of  Santa 
Croce  is  the  burial  place  of  the  Ponziani  family,  and  was 
the  scene  of  the  celebrated  ecstasy  of  the  favorite  Roman 
saint  Francesca  Romana. 

"  The  mortal  remains  of  Vanozza  Ponziani  (sister-in-law  of  Fran- 
cesca) were  laid  in  the  church  of  Ara-Coeli,  in  the  chapel  of  Santa 
Croce.  The  Roman  people  resorted  there  in  crowds  to  behold  once 
more  their  loved  benefactress — the  mother  of  the  poor,  the  consoler  of 
the  afflicted.  All  strove  to  carry  away  some  little  memorial  of  one 
who  had  gone  about  among  them  doing  good,  and  during  the  three 
days  which  preceded  the  interment,  the  concourse  did  not  abate.  On 
the  day  of  the  funeral  Francesca  knelt  on  one  side  of  the  coffin,  and, 
in  sight  of  all  the  crowd,  she  was  wrapped  in  ecstasy.  They  saw  her  body 
lifted  from  the  ground,  and  a  seraphic  expression  in  her  uplifted  face. 
They  heard  her  murmur  several  times  with  an  indescribable  emphasis 
the  word  "  Quando  ?  Quando?"  When  all  was  over,  she  still  re- 
mained immovable  ;  it  seemed  as  if  her  soul  had  risen  on  the  wings 
of  prayer,  and  followed  Vanozza's  spirit  into  the  realms  of  bliss.  At 
last  her  confessor  ordered  her  to  rise  and  go  and  attend  on  the  sick. 
She  instantly  complied,  and  walked  away  to  the  hospital  which  she 
had  founded,  apparently  unconscious  of  everything  about  her,  and 
only  roused  from  her  trance  by  the  habit  of  obedience,  which,  in  or 
out  of  ecstasy,  never  forsook  her." — Lady  Georgiana  Fulierton's  Life 
of  S.  Fr.  Romana. 

■  Paradiso,  canto  xii. 

"^  The  statue  of  Leo  X.  is  interesting  as  having  been  erected  to  this  popu'ai 
art-loving  pope  in  his  lifetime.  It  is  inscribed,  "  Opumi  hberalissimique  ponti- 
ficis  memoriae." 


134  WALKS  IN  HOME. 

There  are  several  good  pictures  over  the  altars  in  the 
aisles  of  Ara-Coeli.  In  the  Chapel  of  S.  Margaret  of  Cor- 
tona  are  frescoes  illustrative  of  her  life  by  Filippo  Evan- 
gclisti ;  in  that  of  S.  Antonio,  frescoes  by  NUolo  da 
Pesaro ;  but  no  one  should  omit  visiting  the  first  chapel 
on  the  right  of  the  west  door,  dedicated  to  S.  Bernardino 
of  Siena,  and  painted  by  £er?ia?'di)io  Piatiiricc/uo,  who  has 
put  forth  his  best  powers  to  do  honor  to  his  patron  saint 
with  a  series  of  exquisite  frescoes,  representing  his  assum- 
ing the  monastic  habit,  his  preaching,  his  vision  of  the 
Saviour,  his  penitence,  death  and  burial. 

Almost  opposite  this — closed  except  during  Epiphany — 
is  the  Chapel  of  the  Prcsepio,  where  the  famous  image  of 
the  Santissimo  Bambino  d'  Ara-Coeli  is  shown  at  that  season 
lying  in  a  manger.  For  those  who  witness  this  sight  it  will 
be  interesting  to  turn  to  the  origin  of  a  Presepio. 

"St.  Francis  asked  [of  Pope  Honorius  III.,  1223],  with  liis  usual 
simplicity,  to  be  allowed  to  celebrate  Christmas  with  certain  unusual 
ceremonies  which  had  suggested  themselves  to  him — ceremonies  which 
he  must  have  thought  likely  to  seize  upon  the  popular  imagination  and 
impress  the  unlearned  folk.  He  A\ould  not  do  it  on  his  own  authority, 
we  are  told,  lest  he  should  be  accused  of  levity.  When  he  made  this 
petition,  he  was  bound  for  the  village  of  Grecia,  a  little  place  not  far 
from  Assisi,  where  he  was  to  remain  during  that  sacred  season.  In  this 
village,  when  the  eve  of  the  nativity  approached,  Francis  instructed  a 
certain  grave  and  worthy  man,  called  Giovanni,  to  prepare  an  ox  and 
an  ass,  along  with  a  manger  and  all  the  common  fittings  of  a  stable, 
for  his  use  in  the  church.  When  the  solemn  night  arrived,  Francis 
and  his  brethren  arranged  all  these  things  into  a  visible  representation 
of  the  occurrences  of  the  night  at  Bethleh.em.  The  manger  was  tilled 
with  hay  ;  the  animals  were  led  into  their  places  ;  the  scene  was  pre- 
pared as  we  see  it  now  through  all  the  churches  of  Southern  Italy — a 
reproduction,  so  far  as  the  people  know  how,  in  startling,  realistic 
detail,  of  the  surroundings  of  the  first  Christmas  .  .  .  We  are  told 
that  Francis  stood  by  this,  his  simple  theatrical  (for  such,  indeed,  it 
was — no  shame  to  him)  representation,  all  the  night  long  sighing  for 
joy,  and  filled  with  an  unspeakable  sweetness." — A/rs.   Oiiphciit,  S. 

"  The  simple  meaning  of  the  term  Presepio  is  a  manger  ;  but  it  is 
also  used  in  the  Church  to  signify  a  representation  of  the  birth  of 
Christ.  In  the  Ara-Coeli  the  whole  of  one  of  the  side-chapels  is  de- 
voted to  this  exhibition.  In  the  foreground  is  a  grotto,  in  which  is 
seated  the  Virgin  Mary,  with  Joseph  at  her  side  and  the  miraculous 
Bambino  in  her  lap.  Immediately  behind  are  an  ass  and  an  ox.  On 
one  side  kneel  the  shepherds  and  kings  in  adoration;  and  above  God 
the  Father  is  seen  surrounded  by  crowds  of  cherubs  and  angels  play- 
ing on  instruments,  a.s  in  the  early  pictures  of  Raffaelle.    In  the  back- 


IL    SANTISSIMO  BAMBINO. 


25 


ground  is  a  scenic  representation  of  a  pastoral  landscape,  on  which  all 
the  skill  of  the  scene-painter  is  expended.  Shepherds  guard  their 
flocks  far  away,  reposing  under  pahn-treesor  standing  on  green  slopes 
which  glow  in  the  sunshine.  The  distances  and  per.speciive  are  ad- 
mirable. In  the  middle  ground  is  a  crystal  fountain  of  glass,  near 
which  sheep,  preternaturally  white,  and  made  of  real  wool  and  cotton 
wool,  are  feeding,  tended  by  figures  of  shepherds  carved  in  wood. 
Still  nearer  come  women  bearing  great  baskets  of  real  oranges  and 
other  fruits  on  their  heads.  All  the  nearer  figures  are  full  sized,  carved 
in  v/ood,  painted,  and  dressed  in  appropriate  robes.  The  miraculous 
Bambino  is  a  painted  doll,  swaddled  in  a  white  dress,  which  is  crusted 
over  with  magnificent  diamonds,  emeralds  and  rubies.  The  Virgin 
also  wears  in  her  ears  superb  diamond  pendants.  The  general  effect 
of  the  scenic  show  is  admirable,  and  crowds  flock  to  it  and  press 
about  it  all  day  long, 

"  While  this  is  taking  place  on  one  side  of  the  church,  on  the  other 
is  a  very  different  and  quite  as  singular  an  exhibition.  Around  one  of 
the  antique  columns  a  stage  is  erected,  from  which  little  maidens  are 
reciting,  with  every  kind  of  pretty  gesticulation,  sermons,  dialogues, 
and  little  speeches,  in  explanation  of  the  Presepio  opposite.  Some- 
times two  of  them  are  engaged  in  alternate  questions  and  answers 
about  the  mysteries  of  the  Incarnation  and  the  Redemption.  .Some- 
times the  recitation  is  a  piteous  description  of  the  agony  of  the  Saviour 
and  the  sufferings  of  the  Ivladonna,  the  greatest  stress  being,  however, 
always  laid  upon  the  latter.  All  these  little  speeches  have  been  writ- 
ten for  them  by  their  priest  or  some  religious  friend,  committed  to 
memory,  and  practiced  with  appropriate  gestures  over  and  over  again 
at  home.  Their  little  piping  voices  are  sometimes  guilty  of  such 
comic  breaks  and  changes,  that  the  crowd  about  them  rustles  into  a 
murmurous  laughter.  Sometimes,  also,  one  of  the  little  preachers  has 
a  tUspetlo,  pouts,  shakes  her  shoulders,  and  refuses  to  go  on  v.'ith  her 
part  ;  another,  however,  always  stands  ready  on  the  platform  to  sup- 
ply the  vacancy,  until  friends  have  coaxed,  reasoned,  or  threatened 
the  little  pouter  into  obedience.  These  children  are  often  very  beauti- 
ful and  graceful,  and  their  comical  little  gestures  and  intonations,  their 
clasping  of  hands  and  rolling  up  of  eyes,  have  a  very  amusing  and  in- 
teresting effect." — Story's  Roba  Ji  Rovia. 

At  Other  times  the  Bambino  dwells  in  the  inner  sacristy, 
where  it  can  be  visited  by  admiring  pilgrims.  It  is  a  fresh- 
colored  doll,  tightly  swathed  in  gold  and  silver  tissue, 
crowned,  and  ^Darkling  with  jewels.  It  has  servants  of  its 
own,  and  a  carriage  in  which  it  drives  out  with  its  attend- 
ants, and  goes  to  visit  the  sick.  Devout  peasants  always 
kneel  as  the  blessed  infant  passes.  Formerly  it  was  taken 
to  sick  persons  and  left  on  their  beds  for  some  hours,  in 
the  hope  that  it  would  work  a  miracle.  Now  it  is  never 
left  alone.  In  explanation  of  this,  it  is  said  that  an  auda- 
cicus  v.oman  formed  the  design  of  appropriating  to  herself 


126  WALKS  IX  ROME. 

the  holy  image  and  its  benefits  She  had  another  doll 
prepared  of  the  same  size  and  appearance  as  the  "  Santis- 
simo,"  and  having  feigned  sickness,  and  obtained  permis- 
sion to  have  it  left  with  her,  she  dressed  the  false  image  in 
its  clothes,  and  sent  it  back  to  Ara-Coeli.  The  fraud  was 
not  discovered  till  night,  when  the  Franciscan  monks  were 
awakened  by  the  most  furious  ringing  of  bells  and  by  thun- 
dering knocks  at  the  west  door  of  the  church,  and  hasten- 
ing thither  could  see  nothing  but  a  wee  naked  pink  foot 
peeping  in  from  under  the  door  ;  but  when  they  opened 
the  door,  without  stood  the  little  naked  figure  of  the  true 
Bambino  of  Ara-Coeli,  shivering  in  the  wind  and  the  rain, 
— so  the  false  baby  was  sent  back  in  disgrace,  and  the  real 
baby  restored  to  its  home,  never  to  be  trusted  away  alone 
any  more. 

In  the  Sacristy  is  the  following  inscription  relating  to  the 
Bambino  : 

"  Ad  hoc  sacellum  Ara  Coeli  a  festo  nativitatis  domini  usque  ad 
festum  Epiphaniae  magna  populi  frequentia  invisitur  et  colitur  in  pre- 
sepio  Christi  nati  infantuli  simalacrum  ex  oleae  ligno  apud  montem 
olivarum  Hierosolymis  a  quodam  devoto  Minorita  sculplum  eo  animo, 
ut  ad  hoc  festum  celebrandum  deportaretur.  De  quo  in  primis  hoc 
accidit,  quod  deficiente  colore  inter  barbaras  gentes  ad  plenam  infantuli 
figurationem  et  formam,  devotus  et  anxius  artifex,  professione  laicus, 
precibus  et  orationibus  impelravit,  ut  sacrum  simulacrum  divinitus  car- 
neo  colore  perfunctum  reperiretur.  Cumque  navi  Italiam  ^■eheretur, 
facto  naufragio  apud  Tusciae  oras,  simulacri  capsa  Liburnum  appulit. 
Ex  quo,  recognita,  expectabatur  enim  a  Fratribus,  et  jam  fama  illius  a 
Hierosolymis  ad  nostras  familiae  partes  advenerat,  ad  destinatam  sibi 
Capitolii  sedem  devenit.  Eertur  etiam,  quod  nliquando  ex  nimia  de- 
votione  a  quadam  devota  foemina  sublalum  ad  suas  aedes  miraculose 
remeaverit.  Quapropter  in  maxima  veneratione  semper  est  habitum  a 
Romanis  civibus,  et  universo  populo  donatum  monilibus,  et  jocalibus 
pretiosis,  liberalioribusque  in  dies  prosequitur  oblationibus." 

The  outer  sacristy  contains  a  fine  picture  of  the  "  Holy 
Family,"  by  Giulio  Romano.  « 

The  scene  on  the  long  flight  of  steps  which  leads  to  the 
west  door  of  Ara-Coeli  is  very  curious  during  Epiphany. 

"  If  any  one  visit  the  Ara-Coeli  during  an  afternoon  in  Christmas 
or  Epiphany,  the  scene  is  very  striking.  The  flight  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty-four  steps  is  then  tlironged  by  merchants  of  Madonna 
wares,  who  spread  them  out  over  the  steps  and  hang  them  against  the 
walls  and  balustrades.  Here  are  to  be  seen  all  sorts  of  curious  little 
colored  prints  of  the  Madonna  and  Child  of  the   most  extraordmary 


MAMERTINE  PRISONS. 


127 


quality,  little  bags,  pewter  medals,  and  crosses  stamped  with  the  same 
figures  and  to  be  worn  on  the  neck — all  offered  at  once  for  the  sum  of 
one  baiocco.  Here  also  are  framed  pictures  of  the  saints,  of  the 
Nativity,  and  in  a  word  of  all  sorts  of  religious  subjects  appertaining 
to  the  season.  Little  wax  dolls,  clad  in  cotton-wool,  to  represent  the 
Saviour,  and  sheep  made  of  the  same  materials,  are  also  sold  by  the 
basket-full.  Children  and  Contadini  are  busy  buying  them,  and  there 
is  a  deafening  roar  all  up  and  down  the  steps  of  '  Mezzo  baiocco, 
bello  colorito,  mezzo  baiocco,  la  Santissima  Concezione  Incoronata,' 
— '  Diario  Romano,  Lunario,  Romano  nuovo,' — '  Ritratto  colorito, 
medaglia  e  quadruccio,  un  baiocco  tutti,  un  baiocco  tutti,' — '  Bambi- 
nella  di  cera,  un  baiocco."  None  of  the  prices  arc  higher  than  one 
baiocco,  except  to  strangers,  and  generally  several  articles  are  held 
up  together,  enumerated,  and  proffered  with  a  loud  voice  for  this  sum. 
Meanwhile,  men,  women,  children,  priests,  beggars,  soldiers,  and 
villani  are  crowding  up  and  down,  and  we  crowd  with  them." — Roba 
di  Roma,  i.  72. 

"  On  the  sixth  of  January  the  lofty  steps  of  Ara-Coeli  looked  like 
an  ant-hill,  so  thronged  were  they  with  people.  Men  and  boys  who 
sold  little  books  (legends  and  prayers\  rosaries,  pictures  of  saints, 
medallions,  chestnuts,  oranges,  and  other  things,  shouted  and  made  a 
great  noise.  Little  boys  and  girls  were  still  preaching  zealously  in 
the  church,  and  people  of  all  classes  were  crov.ding  tliither.  Proces- 
sions advanced  with  the  thundering  cheerful  music  of  the  fire-corps. 
II  Bambino,  a  painted  image  of  wood,  covered  with  jewels,  and  with 
a  yellow  crown  on  its  head,  was  carried  by  a  monk  in  while  gloves, 
and  exhibited  to  the  people  from  a  kind  of  altar-like  erection  at  the 
top  of  the  Ara-Coeli  steps.  Everybody  dropped  down  upon  their 
knees  ;  II  Bambino  was  shown  on  all  sides,  the  music  thundered,  and 
the  smoking  censers  were  swung."' — Frederika  Bremer. 

These  steps,  brought  from  the  Quirinal,  are  the  only 
public  work  executed  in  Rome  during  the  residence  of  the 
popes  at  Avignon,  and  were  a  votive  offering  to  the  Ma- 
donna of  Ara-Coeli,  after  the  deliverance  of  Rome  from 
the  plague. 

The  Convent  of  Ara-Coeli  contains  much  that  is  pic- 
turesque and  interesting.  S.  Giovanni  Capistrano  was 
abbot  here  in  the  reign  of  Eugenius  IV. 

Let  us  now  descend  from  the  Capitoline  Piazza  toward 
the  Forum,  by  the  staircase  on  the  left  of  the  Palace  of  the 
Senator.  Close  to  the  foot  of  this  staircase  is  a  church, 
very  obscure  looking,  with  some  rude  frescoes  on  the  ex- 
terior. Yet  every  one  must  enter  this  building,  for  here 
are  the  famous  Mamertine  Prisons,  so  called  from  Mars 
or  Mamers,  excavated  from  the  solid  rock  under  the 
Capitol. 

The  prisons   are  entered  through   the   low  church  of   S. 


128  WALKS  lA'    ROME. 

Pietro  in  Carcere,  hung  round  with  votive  offerings  and 
blazing  with  lamps. 

"  Tliere  is  an  iijiper  cliamlier  in  the  Mamertine  Prisons,  over  what 
is  said  to  have  been — and  very  possibly  may  liave  been — tlie  dungeon 
of  St.  Peter.  This  chamber  is  now  titled  up  as  an  oratory,  dedicated 
to  that  saint  ;  and  it  lives,  as  a  distinct  and  separate  place,  in  my 
recollection,  too.  It  is  very  small  and  low-roofed  ;  and  the  dread 
and  gloom  of  the  ponderous,  oljclurate  old  jinson  are  on  it,  as  if  they 
had  come  up  in  a  dark  miit  through  the  floor.  Hanging  on  the  walls, 
among  the  clustered  votive  offerings,  are  objects,  at  once  strangely  in 
keeping  and  strangely  at  variance  with  the  place — rusty  daggers, 
knives,  pistols,  clubs,  divers  instruments  of  violence  and  murder, 
brought  here,  fresh  from  use,  and  hung  up  to  propitiate  offended 
Heaven  ;  as  if  the  blood  upon  them  would  drain  off  in  consecrated 
air,  and  have  no  voice  to  cry  with.  It  is  all  so  silent  and  close,  and 
tomblike  ;  and  the  dungeons  below  are  so  black,  and  stealthy,  and 
stagnant,  and  naked  ;  that  this  little  dark  spot  becomes  a  dream 
within  a  dream  :  and  in  the  vision  of  great  churches  which  come 
rolling  past  me  like  a  sea,  it  is  a  small  wave  by  itself,  that  melts  into 
no  other  wave,  and  does  not  ilow  on  with  the  xg.%\." ~ Dickois, 

Enclosed  in  the  church,  near  the  entrance,  may  be  ob- 
served the  outer  frieze  of  the  prison  wall,  with  the  inscrip- 
tion C.  viBius  .  C.  F.  RUFINUS  .  M.  .  COCCEIUS  .  NERV.\  . 
COS  .  EX  .  s  .  c,  recording  the  names  of  two  consuls  of 
A.D.  22,  who  are  supposed  to  have  repaired  the  prison. 
Juvenal's  description  of  the  times  when  one  prison  was 
sufficient  for  all  the  criminals  in  Rome  naturally  refers  to 
this  building. 

"  Felices  proavorum  aiavos,  felicia  dicas 

Saecula,  quae  quondam  sub  regibus  atque  tribunis 
Viderunt  uno  contentarn  carcere  Roman*. " 

Sat.  iii.  312. 

A  modern  staircase  leads  to  the  horrible  dungeon  of  An- 
cus  Martius,  si.Kteen  feet  in  height,  thirty  in  length,  and 
twenty-two  in  breadth.  Originally  there  was  no  staircase, 
and  the  prisoners  were  let  down  here,  and  hence  into  the 
lower  dungeon,  through  a  hole  in  the  middle  of  the  ceiling. 
The  large  door  at  the  side  is  a  modern  innovation,  having 
been  opened  to  admit  the  vast  mass  of  j)ilgrims  during  the 
festa.  The  whole  prison  is  constructed  of  huge  blocks  of 
tufa  without  cement.  Some  remains  are  shown  of  the 
Scalac  Gemoniac,  so  called  from  the  groans  of  the  prisoners 
— by  which  the  bodies  were  dragged  forth  to  be  exposed 


MAMERTINE   PRISONS. 


I2g 


to  the  insults  of  the  populace  or  to  be  thrown  into  the 
Tiber.  It  was  by  this  staircase  that  Cicero  came  forth  and 
announced  the  execution  of  the  Catiline  conspirators  to 
the  people  in  the  Forum,  by  the  single  word  Vixeriint^ 
"they  have  ceased  to  live."  Close  to  the  exit  of  these 
stairs  the  Emperor  Vitellius  was  murdered.  On  the  wall 
by  which  you  descend  to  the  lower  dungeon  is  a  mark, 
kissed  by  the  faithful,  as  a  spot  against  which  S.  Peter's 
head  rested.  The  lower  prison,  called  Robiir,  is  con- 
structed of  huge  blocks  of  tufa,  which  originally  met  in  a 
conical  roof,  but  are  now  fastened  together  by  cramps  of 
iron  and  approach  horizontally  to  a  common  center.  It 
has  been  attributed  from  early  times  to  Servius  Tullius  ; 
but  Ampere'  argues  against  the  idea  that  the  lower  prison 
was  of  later  origin  than  the  upper,  and  suggests  that  it  is 
Pelasgic,  and  older  than  any  other  building  in  Rome.  It 
is  described  by  Livy,  and  by  Sallust,  who  depicts  its  hor- 
rors in  his  account  of  the  execution  of  the  Catiline  con- 
spirators." The  spot  is  shown  to  which  these  victims  were 
attached  and  strangled  in  turn.  In  this  dLingeon,  at  an 
earlier  period,  Appius  Claudius  and  Oppius  the  decemvirs 
committed  suicide  (b.c.  449).  Here  Jugurtha,  king  of 
Mauritania,  was  starved  to  death  by  Marius,  and  exclaimed 
•vyhen  he  found  the  bottom  of  his  cell  covered  with  water, 
"  Hercules,  how  cold  your  bath  is  !  "  Here  Julius  Caesar, 
during  his  triumph  for  the  conquest  of  Gaul,  caused  his 
gallant  enemy  Vercingetorix  to  be  put  to  death.  Here 
Sejanus,  the  friend  and  minister  of  Tiberius,  disgraced  too 
late,  was  executed  for  the  murder  of  Drusus,  son  of  the 
emperor,  and  for  an  intrigue  with  his  daughter  in-law, 
Livilla.  Here  also,  Simon  Bar  Gioras,  the  last  defender 
of  Jerusalem,  suffered  during  the  triumph  of  Titus. 

"  Pourquoi  les  guides  et  les  antiquaircs  qui  nous  ont  si  souvent 
montre  la  voic  trioniphale  qui  mene  au  Capitole  et  nous  en  ont  tant  de 
fois  enumere  les  souvenirs  ;  pourquoi  aucun  d'eux  ne  nous  a-t-il 
jamais  parle  de  ce  qui  survint  le  jour  du  triomphe  de  Titus,  la-bas, 
prcs  des  prisons  Mamertines?  Laisscz-moi  vous  rappeierque  ce  jour- 
la  le  triomphateur,  au  moment  de  monter  au  temple,  devant  verser  le 
sang  d'une  victime,  s'arreta  a  cette  place,  tandis  que  Ton  detachait  de 

'  Hist.  Rome. 

"  Est  locus  in  carcere  quod  Tullianum  appellatur,  ubi  paululum  decenderis  ad 
lacvam,  circiter  duodecim  pedes  liumi  dcpressus.  Eum  muniunt  undique  pari- 
etcs,  atque  insuper  camera  lapideis  fcniicibus  vincta  ;  sed  incuUu,  lenebns, 
cvlorc  foeda,  itque  lerribilis  ejus  facics."— iVt//.  Catil.  Iv. 

6* 


ISO 


WALKS  I.V  ROME. 


son  cortege  uii  captif  de  plus  haute  taiile  et  plus  ricliement  vetu  que 
lesaulres,  et  qu'oii  i'emmciiait  clans  cette  prison  pour  y  achever  son 
supplice  avec  c  iacet  meme  qu'ii  portrait  autour  tlu  ecu.  Ce  ne  fut 
qu'apres  cclte  immolation  que  le  cortege  reprit  sa  marche  ct  acheva  de 
monter  jusqu'au  Capitole  !  Cc  captif  dont  on  ne  daigne  nous  parler, 
c'elait  Simon  Bar-Gioras  ;  c'etait  un  des  irois  derniers  dcfenseurs  de 
Jerusalem  ;  c'etait  un  de  ceux  qui  la  defendirent  jusqu'au  bout,  mais 
helas  !  qui  la  defendirent  comme  des  demons  maitres  d'une  ame  de 
laquclle  ils  ne  veulent  pas  se  laisser  chasser,  et  non  point  comme  des 
champions  heroiques  d  une  cause  sacree  et  perdue.  Aussi  cetle  gran- 
deur que  la  seule  infortune  sufiiit  souvent  pour  donner,  elle  manque  a 
la  calamite  la  plus  grande  que  le  monde  ait  vue,  et  les  noms  attaches 
a  cette  immense  catastrophe  ne  demeurerent  pas  meme  fameux  ! 
Jean  de  Giscala,  Eleazar,  Simon  Bar-Gioras  :  qui  pense  a  eux  aujour- 
d'hui  !  L'univers  en  tier  proclame  et  venere  les  noms  de  deux  pauvres 
juifs  qui,  quatre  ans  auparavant,  dans  cette  meme  prison,  avaient  eux 
aussi  attendu  le  supplice  ;  mais  le  malheur,  le  courage,  la  mort  tra- 
gique  des  aulres,  ne  leur  ont  point  donne  la  gloire,  et  un  dedaigneux 
oubli  les  a  effaces  de  la  memoire  des  homines  !  " — {Anne  Severin) 
Mrs.  Augustus  Craven. 

"  Along  the  sacred  way 
Hither  the  triumph  came,  and,  winding  round 
With  acclamation,  and  llie  martial  clang 
Of  instruments,  and  cars  laden  with  spoil. 
Stopped  at  the  sacred  slair  that  then  appeared, 
Then  thro'  the  daikne.-,s  broke,  ample,  star-bright, 
As  tho'  It  led  to  heaven.      'Twas  night  ;  but  now 
A  thousand  torches,  turning  night  to  day,  , 

Blazed,  and  the  \ictor,  springing  from  his  seat. 
Went  up,  and,  kneeling  as  in  fervent  prayer, 
Entered  the  Capitol.     But  what  are  they 
Who  at  the  foot  withdraw,  a  mournful  train 
In  fetters?      And  who,  yet  incredulous. 
Now  gazing  wildly  round,  now  on  his  sons, 
On  those  so  young,  well  pleased  with  all  they  see, 
Staggers  along,  the  last?      '1  hey  are  the  fallen, 
Those  who  were  spared  to  grace  the  chariot-wheels ; 
And  there  they  parted,  wheie  the  road  di\ides. 
The  victor  and  the  vanquished — theie  withdrev/  ; 
He  to  the  festal  board,  and  they  to  die. 

"Well  might  the  great,  the  miglUy  of  the  world, 
They  who  were  wont  to  fare  deliciously 
And  war  but  for  a  kingdom  more  or  less. 
Shrink  back  nor  from  their  thrones  end.ure  to  look, 
To  think  that  way  !     Weil  miglit  they  in  their  pomp 
Humble  themselves,  and  kneel  and  supplicate 
To  be  delivered  from  a  dream  like  this  !  " 

Ro^^ers*  Italy. 

This  spot  is  more  interesting  to  the  (^hri-ilian  world  a? 


MAMERTINE  PRISONS, 


'3^ 


the  prison  of  SS.  Peter  and  Paul,  who  are  said  to  have  been 
bound  for  nine  months  to  a  pillar,  which  is  shown  here. 
A  fountain  of  excellent  water,  beneath  the  floor  of  the 
prison,  is  attributed  to  the  prayers  of  S.  Peter,  that  he 
might  have  wherewith  to  baptize  his  jailers,  Processus  and 
Martinianus  ;  but,  unfortunately  for  this  ecclesiastical  tra- 
dition, the  fountain  is  described  by  Plutarch  as  having 
existed  at  the  time  of  Jugurtha's  imprisonment.  This 
fountain  probably  gave  the  dungeon  the  name  of  Tullia- 
num,  by  vvhich  it  was  sometimes  known,  tidlius  meaning  a 
spring.'  This  name  probably  gave  rise  to  the  idea  of  its 
connection  with  Servius  Tullius. 

It  is  hence  that  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  believes 
that  S.  Peter  and  S.  Paul  addressed  their  farewells  to  the 
Christian  World. 

That  of  S.  Peter  : 

"  Shortly  I  must  put  off  this  tabernacle,  even  as  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  hath  showed  me.  Moreover  I  will  endeavor  that  ye  may  be 
able  after  my  decease  to  have  these  things  always  in  remembrance. 
For  we  have  not  followed  cunningly  devised  fables,  when  we  made 
known  to  you  the  power  and  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  .  .  . 
Nevertheless  v.'e,  according  to  his  promise,  look  for  new  heavens  and 
a  new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness." — id  S.  Peter. 

That  of  S.  Paul  : 

"  God  hath  not  given  us  a  spirit  of  fear.  ...  Be  not  thou,  therefore, 
ashamed  of  the  testimony  of  our  Lord,  nor  of  me  his  prisoner  ;  but 
be  thou  partaker  of  the  afflictions  of  the  gospel  according  to  the 
power  of  God.  ...  I  suffer  trouble  as  an  evil  doer,  even  unto  bonds  ; 
but  the  word  of  God  is  not  bound.  Therefore  I  endure  all  things, 
for  the  elect's  sake,  that  they  also  may  obtain  the  salvation  which  is 
in  Christ  Jesus.  ...  I  charge  thee  by  God  and  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  who  shall  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead,  ,  .  .  preach  the 
word  ;  be  instant  in  season,  out  of  season  ;  reprove,  rebuke,  exhort 
with  all  longsuffering  and  doctrine  ;  .  .  .  .  watch  in  all  things, 
endure  afflictions,  do  the  work  of  an  evangelist,  make  full  proof  of 
thy  ministiy.  For  I  am  now  ready  to  be  offered,  and  the  time  of  my 
departure  is  at  hand.  I  have  fought  a  good  hght,  I  have  finished  my 
course,  I  have  kept  the  faith." — 2d  Timothy. 

On  July  4,  the  prisons  are  the  scene  of  a  picturesque 
solemnity,  when  they  are  visited  at  night  by  the  religious 
confraternities,  who  first  kneel  and  then  prostrate  them- 
selves in  silent  devotion. 

'  See  AmpJ:re,  Hist.  Rom.  ii.  31. 


132 


WALKS  I.V  ROME. 


Other  chambers  under  the  Vicolo  del  Ghettarello  have 
recently  been  discovered,  which  were  probably  an  extension 
of  the  ancient  prison. 

Above  the  church  of  S.  Pietro  in  Carcere,  is  that  of 
aS".  Giuseppe  del  Faiegnami)  S.  Joseph  of  the  Carpenters. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE    FORUMS   AND    THE   COLISEUM. 

Forum  of  Trajan — (S.  Maria  di  Loreto) — Temple  of  Mars  Ultor-— 
Forum  of  Augustus — Forum  of  Nerva — Forum  of  Julius  Caesar — 
(Academy  of  S.  Luke) — Forum  Romanum — Tribune — Comitium — ■ 
Vulcanal — Temple  of  Concord — Temple  of  Vespasian — Temple  of 
Saturn — Arch  of  Septimus  Severus — Temple  of  Castor  and  Pollux 
— Pillar  of  Phocas — Temple  of  Antoninus  and  Faustina — Basilica 
of  Constantine — (S.  Martina — S.  Adriano — S.  Maria  Liberatrice — 
SS.  Cosmo  and  Damian — S.  Francesca  Romana) — Temple  of  Venus 
and  Rome — Arch  of  Titus — (S.  Maria  Pallara — S.  Buonaventura) 
— Meta  Sudans — Arch  of  Constantine — Coliseum. 

FOLLOWING  the  Corso  to  its  end  at  the  Ripresa  dei 
Barberi,  and  turning  to  the  left,  we  find  ourselves  at 
once  amid  the  remains  of  the  I^orum  of  Trajaji,  erected 
by  the  architect  Apollodorus  for  the  Emperor  Trajan  on 
his  return  from  the  wars  of  the  Danube.  This  forum  now 
presents  the  appearance  of  a  ravine  between  the  Capitoline 
and  Quirinal,  but  is  an  artificial  hollow,  excavated  to 
facilitate  the  circulation  of  life  within  the  city.  An  in- 
scription over  the  door  of  the  column,  which  overtops  the 
other  ruins,  shows  that  it  was  raised  in  order  to  mark  the 
depth  of  earth  which  was  removed  to  construct  the  forum. 
The  earth  was  formerly  as  high  as  the  top  of  the  column, 
which  reaches,  loo  Roman  feet,  to  the  level  of  the  Pala- 
tine Hill.  The  forum  was  sometimes  called  the  "  Ulpian," 
from  one  of  the  names  of  the  emperor. 

"  Before  the  year  a.d.  107  the  splendors  of  the  city  and  the  Campus 
beyond  it  were  still  separated  by  a  narrow  isthmus,  thronged  perhaps 
by  the  squalid  cabins  of  the  poor,  and  surmounted  by  the  remains  of 
the  Servian  wall  which  ran  along  its  summit.  Step  by  step  the  earlier 
emperors  had  approached  with  their  new  forums  to  the  foot  of  this  ob- 
struction. Domitian  was  the  first  to  contemplate  and  commence  its 
removal.  Nerva  had  the  fortune  to  consecrate  and  to  give  his  own 
name  to  a  portion  of  his  predecessor's  construction  ;  but  1  rajan  under- 
took  to  complete   the  bold  design,  and  the  genius  of  his  architeot 

1S3 


'34 


WALK'S  IN  ROME. 


triumphed  over  all  obstacles,  and  executed  a  work  which  exceeded  in 
extcnl  and  splendor  any  pre\  ious  achievement  of  the  kind.  He  swept 
away  every  building  on  the  site,  leveled  the  spot  on  which  they  had 
stood,  and  laid  out  a  vast  area  of  columnar  galleries,  connecting  hails 
and  chambers  for  public  use  and  recreation.  The  new  forum  was 
adorned  with  two  libraries,  one  for  Greek,  the  other  for  Roman  vol- 
umes, and  it  was  bounded  on  the  west  by  a  basilica  of  magnificent  di- 
mensions. Beyond  this  basilica,  and  within  the  limits  of  the  Campus, 
the  same  architect  (Apoilodorus)  erected  a  temple  for  the  worship 
of  Trajan  himself ;  but  this  work  probably  belonged  to  the  reign 
of  Trajan's  successor,  and  no  doubt  the  L'lpian  forum,  with  all  its  ad- 
juncts, occupied  many  years  in  building,  'fhe  area  was  adorned  with 
numerous  statues,  in  which  tie  figure  of  Trajan  was  frequently  re- 
peated, and  among  its  decorations  were  groups  in  bronze  or  marble, 
representing  his  most  illustrious  actions.  The  balustrades  and  cornices 
of  the  whole  mass  of  buildings  flamed  with  gilded  images  of  arms  and 
horses.  Here  stood  the  great  equestrian  statue  of  the  emperor  ;  here 
was  the  trium.phal  arch  decreed  iiim  by  the  senate,  adorned  with  sculpt- 
ure, which  Constantine,  two  centuries  later,  transferred  without  a 
blush  to  his  own,  a  barbarous  act  of  this  first  Christian  emperor,  to 
which,  however,  we  probably  owe  their  preservation  to  this  day  from 
more  barbarous  spoliation." — Mcrivalc,  Romans  under  the  Empire,  ch. 
Ixiii. 

The  beautiful  Column  of  Trajati  was  erected  by  the 
senate  and  people  of  Rome,  a.d.  114.  It  is  composed  of 
thirty-four  blocks  of  marble  and  is  covered  with  a  spiral 
band  of  bas-reliefs  illustrative  of  the  Dacian  wars,  and  in- 
creasing in  size  as  it  nears  the  top,  so  that  it  preserves 
throughout  the  same  proportion  when  seen  from  below.  It 
was  formerly  crowned  by  a  statue  of  Trajan,  holding  a  gilt 
gl;  be,  which  latjer  is  still  preserved  in  the  Hall  of  Bronzes 
in  th^  Capitol.  This  statue  had  fallen  from  its  pedestal 
long  before  Sixtus  V.  replaced  it  by  the  existing  figure  of 
S.  Peter.  At  the  foot  of  the  column  was  a  sepulchral 
chamber,  intended  to  receive  the  imperial  ashes,  which 
were,  however,  preserved  in  a  golden  urn  upon  an  altar  in 
front  of  it." 

"  And  apostolic  statues  climb 
To  crush  the  imperial  urn,  whose  ashes  slept  sublime." 

Cliilde  Harold,  ex. 

It  was  while  walking  in  this  forum,  that  Gregory  the 
Great,  observing  one  of  the  marble  groups  which  told  of  a 
good  and  great  action  of  Trajan,  lamented  bitterly  that  the 

'  There  are  some  who  believe  that  ihe  ashes  of  the  Emperor,  in  their  golden 
um,  would  even  now  be  found  buried  in  front  of  the  column,  wliich  was  erected 
.'.*  b  is  lifetime. 


FORUM  OF    TRAJAN.  135 

soul  of  so  noble  a  man  should  be  lost,  and  prayed  earncbUy 
for  the  salvation  of  the  heathen  emperor.  He  was  told 
that  the  soul  of  Trajan  should  be  saved,  but  that  to  in- 
sure this  he  must  either  himself  undergo  the  pains  of  pur- 
gatory for  three  days,  or  suffer  earthly  pain  and  sickness 
for  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  chose  the  latter,  and  never 
after  was  in  health.  This  incident  is  narrated  by  his  three 
biographers,  John  and  Paul  Diaconus,  and  John  of  Salis- 
bury, and  is  most  picturesquely  told  by  Dante  in  the  loth 
canto  of  the  ''  Purgatorio." 

The  Forum  of  Trajan  was  partly  uncovered  by  Pope 
Paul  III.  in  the  sixteenth  century,  but  excavated  in  its 
present  form  by  the  French  in  1812.  There  is  much  still 
buried  under  the  streets  and  neighboring  houses. 

"  All  over  the  surface  of  whst  once  was  Rome  it  seems  to  be  the 
effort  of  Time  to  bury  up  the  ancient  city,  as  it  were  a  corpse,  and  he 
the  sexton  ;  so  that,  in  eighteen  centuries,  the  soil  over  its  grave  has 
grown  very  deep,  by  this  slow  scattering  of  dust,  and  the  accumula- 
tion of  more  modern  decay  upon  her  older  ruin. 

"  This  was  the  fate,  also,  of  Trajan's  forum,  until  some  papal  anti- 
quary, a  few  hundred  years  ago,  began  to  hollow  it  out  again,  and  dis- 
closed the  whole  height  of  the  gigantic  column,  wreathed  round  with 
bas-reliefs  of  the  old  emperor's  warlike  deeds  (rich  sculpture,  v,'hich, 
twining  from  the  base  to  the  capital,  must  be  an  ugly  spectacle  for  his 
ghostly  eyes,  if  he  considers  that  this  huge,  storied  shaft  must  be  laid 
before  the  judgment  seat,  as  a  piece  of  the  evidence  of  what  he  did  in 
the  f^esh).  In  the  area  before  the  column  stands  a  grove  of  stone, 
consisting  of  the  broken  and  unequal  shafts  of  a  vanished  temple,  sfill 
keeping  a  majestic  order,  and  apparently  incapable  of  further  demoli- 
tion. The  modern  edifices  of  the  piazza  (wholly  built,  no  doubt,  out 
of  the  spoil  of  its  old  magnificence)  look  down  into  the  hollov/  space 
whence  these  pillars  rise. 

"  One  of  the  immense  gray  granite  shafts  lies  in  the  piazza,  on  the 
verge  of  the  area.  It  is  a  great,  solid  fact  of  the  Past,  making  old 
Rome  actually  visible  to  the  touch  and  eye  ;  and  no  study  of  history, 
nor  force  of  thought,  nor  magic  of  song,  can  so  vitally  assure  us  that 
Rome  once  existed,  as  this  sturdy  specimen  of  what  its  rulers  and 
people  wrought.  There  is  still  a  polish  remaining  on  the  hiard  sub- 
.stance  of  the  pillar,  the  polish  of  eighteen  centuries  ago,  as  yet  but 
half  rubbed  off." — Hawthorne. 

On  the  north  of  this  forum  are  two  churches :  that  neai:- 
est  to  the  Corso  is  S.  Maria  di  Lorcta  (fQunded  by  the 
corporation  of  bakers  in  1500),  with  a  dome  surmounted 
by  a  picturesque  lantern  by  Giuliano  di  Sangallo,  c.  1506. 
It  contains  a  statue  of  S.  Susanna  {not  the  Susanna  of  the 
Elders)  by  Fiamr.iingo  (Francois  de  Quesnoy),  which  is 


136  WALJ^S  /A'  ROME. 

justly  considered  the  chef-d'ceuvre  of  the  Bernhii  School, 
The  companion  church  is  called  6".  Maria  di  Vienna,  and 
(like  S.  Maria  della  Vittoria)  commemorates  the  liberation 
of  Vienna  from  the  Turks  in  1683,  by  Sobieski,  king  of 
Poland.     It  was  built  by  Innocent  XI. 

Leaving  the  forum  at  the  opposite  corner  by  the  Via 
Alessandrina,  and  passing  under  the  high  wall  of  the  Con- 
vent of  the  Nunziatina,  a  street,  opening  on  the  left,  dis- 
closes several  beautiful  pillars,  which,  after  having  borne 
various  names,  are  now  declared  to  be  the  remains  of  the 
Temple  of  Mars  Ultor,  built  by  Augustus  in  his  new  forum, 
which  was  erected  in  order  to  provide  accommodaticn  for 
the  crowds  which  overflowed  the  Forum  Romanum  and 
Forum  Julium. 

"  The  title  of  Ultor  marked  the  war  and  the  victory  by  which,  agree- 
ably to  his  vow,  Augustus  had  avenged  his  uncle's  death. 

"  '  Mars,  ades,  et  satia  scelerato  sanguine  ferruni  ; 
Stetque  favor  causa  pro  meliore  tuus. 
Tcmpla  feres,  et,  me  victore,  vocaberis  Ultor.'  ' 

"  The  porticoes,  which  extended  on  each  side  of  the  temple  with  a 
gentle  curve,  contained  statues  of  distinguished  Roman  generais.  The 
banquets  of  the  Salii  were  transferred  to  this  temple,  a  circumstance 
which  led  to  its  identification,  from  the  discovery  of  an  inscription  here 
recording  the  mansioiies  of  these  priests.  Like  the  priesthood  in  gen- 
eral, they  appear  to  have  been  fond  of  good  living,  and  there  is  a  well- 
known  anecdote  of  the  Emperor  Claudius  having  been  lured  by  the 
steams  of  their  banquet  from  his  judicial  functions  in  the  adjacent 
forum,  to  come  and  take  part  in  their  feast.  The  temple  was  appro- 
priated to  meetings  of  the  senate  in  which  matters  connected  with  wars 
and  triumphs  were  debated.  .  .  .  Here,  while  Tiberius  was  building  a 
temple  to  Augustus  upon  the  Palatine,  his  golden  statue  resposed  upon 
a  couch." — Dyers  City  of  Rome. 

"  Up  to  the  time  of  Augustus,  the  god  Mars,  the  reputed  father 
of  the  Roman  race,  had  never,  it  is  said,  enjoyed  the  distinction  of  a 
temple  within  the  walls.  He  was  then  introduced  into  the  city  which 
he  had  saved  from  overthrow  and  ruin  ;  and  the  aid  he  had  lent  in 
bringing  the  murderers  of  Caesar  to  justice,  was  signalized  by  the  title 
of  Avenger,  by  which  he  was  now  specially  addressed.  .  .  .  The  tem- 
ple of  Mars  Ultor,  of  gigantic  proportions,  '  Et  deus  est  ingens  ct 
opus,'  was  erected  in  the  new  forum  of  Augustus  at  the  foot  of  the 
Capitoline  and  Quirinal  hills." — Merivale,  Romans  under  the  Empire. 

"  Ce  teqpple  ctait  jxarticulicrement  chcr  a  Auguste.  II  voulut  que 
les  magistrals  en  panisseul  pour  aller  dans  leurs  provinces  ;  que  I'hon- 
neur  du  triomphe  y  fut  decerne,  et  que  les  triomphateurs  y  fissent 
honimage  a  Mars  Vengeurde  leurcouronne  et  de  leur  sceptre  ;  que  les 

'  Ovid,  t'osti.  V.  575. 


TEMPLE    OF  MARS    ULTOR. 


137 


drapeaux  pris  a  I'ennemi  y  fussent  consenes;  que  les  chefs  de  la  cava- 
lerie  executassent  des  jeux  en  avant  dcs  marches  de  ce  temple;  enfin 
que  les  censeurs,  en  sortent  de  leur  charge,  y  plantassent  le  clou  sacre, 
vieil  usage  etrusque  jusque-la  attache  au  Capitole.  Auguste  desirait 
que  ce  temple  fonde  par  lui  prit  I'lmporlance  du  Capitole. 

"  II  fit  dedier  le  temple  par  ses  petits-fils  Caius  et  Lucius;  et  son 
autre  petit-fils,  Agrippa,  a  la  tete  des  plus  nobles  enfants  de  Rome,  y 
celebra  le  jeude  Troie,  qui  rappelait  I'origine  pretendue  troyenne  de 
Cesar;  deux  cent  soixante  lions  furent  egorges  dans  le  cirque,  c'etait 
leur  place;  deux  troupes  de  gladiateurs  combattirent  dans  les  Septa  oil 
se  faisaient  les  elections  au  temps  de  la  republique,  comme  si  Auguste 
eiit  voulu,  par  ces  combats  qui  se  livraient  en  I'honneur  des  morts, 
celebrer  les  funerailles  de  la  liberie  romaine." — Ampere,  Efiip.  i.  224. 

The  temple  of  Mars  stands  at  the  north-eastern  corner 
of  the  magnificent  Forum  of  Augustus,  which  extended 
from  here  as  far  as  the  present  Via  Alessandrina,  surpass- 
ing in  size  the  forum  of  JuHus  Caesar,  to  which  it  was  ad- 
joining. It  was  of  sufficient  size  to  be  frequently  used  for 
fights  of  animals  (venationes).  Among  its  ornaments  were 
statues  of  Augustus  triumphant  and  of  the  subdued  prov- 
inces—with inscriptions  illustrative  of  the  great  deeds  he 
had  accomplished  there;  also  a  picture  by  Apelles  repre- 
senting War  with  her  hands  bound  behind  her,  seated  upon 
a  pile  of  arms.  Part  of  the  boundary  wall  exists,  inclosing 
on  two  sides  the  remains  of  the  temple  of  Mars  Ultor,  and 
is  constructed  of  hugh  masses  of  peperino.  The  arch,  in 
the  wall  close  to  the  temple,  is  known  as  Arco  dei  Pantani. 
The  sudden  turn  in  the  wall  here  is  interesting  as  commem- 
orating a  concession  made  to  the  wish  of  some  proprie- 
tors, who  were  unwilling  to  part  with  their  houses  for  the 
sake  of  the  forum. 

"Cast  I'hisloire  du  moulin  de  Sans-Souci,  qui  du  reste  parait  n'etre 
pas  vraie. 

"  II  est  piquant  d'assister  aujourd'hui  a  ce  menagement  d 'Auguste 
pour  I'opinion  qu'd  voulait  gagner.  En  voyant  le  mur  s'mfle'chirparce 
qu'il  a  fallu  epargner  quelques  maisons,  on  croit  voir  la  toute-puis- 
sance  d'Auguste  gauchir  a  dessein  devant  les  interets  particuliers,  seule 
puissance  avec  laquelle  il  reste  a  compter  quand  tout  interet  general  a 
disparu.  L'obliqliite  de  la  politique  d'Auguste  est  visible  dans  I'obli- 
quiie  de  cemur,  qui  montreet  rend  pour  ainsi  dire  palpable  le  manege 
adroit  de  la  tyrannic,  se  deguisant  pour  se  fonder.  Le  mur  biaise, 
comme  biaisa  constamment  I'empereur." — A/upere,  Emp.  i.  233. 

(The  street  on  the  left — passing  the  Arco  dei  Pantani — 
the  Via  della  Salita  del  prillo^  commemorates  the  approach 


138  WALKS  JN  ROME. 

to  the  castle  of  the  great  mediaeval  family  Dei  Grille  ;  the 
street  on  the  right  leads  through  the  ancient  Suburra. ) 

At  the  corner  of  the  next  street  (Viadella  Croce  Bianca) 
— on  the  left  of  the  Via  Alessandrina — is  the  ruin  called 
the  "  Golonnace,"  being  part  of  the  Portico  of  Pa/las  Mi- 
nerva, which  decorated  the  Forum  Transitorium,  begun  by 
Domitian,  but  dedicated  in  the  short  reign  of  Nerva,  and 
hence  generally  called  the  Forum  of  Nerva,  on  account  of 
the  execration  with  which  the  memory  of  Domitian  was 
regarded.  Up  to  the  seventeenth  century  seven  magnifi- 
cent columns  of  the  temble  of  Minerva  were  still  standing, 
but  they  were  destroyed  by  Paul  V.,  who  used  part  of  them 
in  building  the  Fontana  Paolina.  Part  of  the  casement  of 
the  temple  was  found  in  18S2,  built  up  into  a  house  at  the 
corner  of  the  Via  Alessandrina  and  the  Tor  de'  Conti.  But 
the  principal  existing  remains  consist  of  two  half-buried 
Corinthian  columns  with  a  figure  of  Minerva,  and  a  frieze 
of  bas-reliefs. 

"  Les  bas-reliefs  du  forum  de  Nerva  represenlent  des  femmes  oc- 
cupees  de  travaux  d'aiguille,  auxquels  pre'sidait  Minerve.  (^uand  on 
se  rappelle  que  Domitien  avail  place  a  Albano,  pres  du  temple  de 
cette  deesse,  un  college  de  pretres  quiimitaieiit  la  panire  et  les  moeurs 
de  femmes,  on  est  tenle  de  croire  c|u"il  y  a  dans  le  choix  des  sujets 
figures  ici  une  allusion  aux  habitudes  effeminces  de  ces  prelres. " — 
Ampere,  Em  p.  ii.  161. 

"  The  portico  of  the  temple  of  Minerva  is  most  lich  and  beautiful 
in  architecture,  but  wofully  gnawed  by  time  and  shattered  by  violence, 
besides  being  buried  midway  in  the  accumulation  of  the  soil,  that 
rises  over  dead  Rome  like  a  flood-tide." — Ilaiuthorne. 

It  was  in  this  forum  that  Nerva  caused  Vetronius  Turi- 
nus,  vv'ho  had  trafficked  with  his  court-interest,  to  be  suf- 
focated with  smoke,  a  herald  proclaiming  at  the  time, 
"  Fumo  punitur  qui  vendidit  fumum." 

Returning  a  short  distance  down  the  Via  Alessandrina, 
and  turning  (left)  down  the  Via  Bonella,  we  traverse  the 
site  of  the  Forum  of  Julius  Caesar,  upon  which  loo.coo 
sestertia  (900,000/.)  were  expended,  and  which  is  described 
by  Dion  Cassius  as  having  been  more  beautiful  than  the 
Forum  Romanum.  It  was  ornamented  with,  a  Temple  of 
Venus  Genitrix — from  whom  Julius  Caesar  claimed  to  be 
descended — which  contained  a  statue  of  the  goddess  by 
Archesilaus,  a  statue  of  Caesar  himself,  and  a  group  of 
Ajax  and  Medea  by  Timomacus,     Here,  alsc,  Caesar  had 


FORUM  OF  JULIUS   CAESAR.  139 

the  effrontery  to  place  the  statue  of  his  mistress,  Cleo- 
patra, by  the  side  of  that  of  the  goddess.  In  front  of  the 
temple  stood  a  bronze  figure  of  a  horse — supposed  to  be 
the  famous  Bucephalus — the  work  of  Lysippus. 

"  Cedat  equus,  Latiae  qui  contra  teinpla  Diones, 
Caesarei  stat  sede  fori  ; — quern  Iraderis  ausus 
Pellaeo,  Lysippe,  duci,  mox  Caesaris  ora 
Aurata  cervice  tulit  !  "  Statins,  Silv.  i.  84. 

The  only  visible  remains  of  this  forum  are  some  courses 
of  huge  square  blocks  of  stone  (Lapis  Gabinus),  in  a  dirty 
court. 

Part  of  the  site  of  the  forum  of  Julius  Caesar  is  now 
occupied — on  the  right  near  the  end  of  the  Via  Bonelia — 
by  the  Accademia  di  San  Liica,  founded  in  1595,  Federigo 
Zuccaro  being  its  first  director.  The  collections  are  open 
from  9  to  5  daily.  A  ceiling  representing  Bacchus  and 
Ariadne  is  by  Gtiido.     The  best  pictures  are : 

Poussin  :  Bacchus  and  Ariadne. 

Fau/  Veronese  :  Vanity. 

Titian:  Calista  and  the  Nymphs. 

Gitido  Cagnacci  :  The  murder  of  Lucretia.  .,.  '. 

Guido  :  Fortune.  : . 

Velasquez  :  Innocent  XI. 

Titian  :  The  Saviour  and  the  Pharisee. 

Raffaelle :  A  lovely  fresco  of  a  child.* 

Attributed  to  Raffaelle  :  S.  Luke  painting  the  Virgin. 

"  S.  Luke  painting  the  Virgin  has  been  a  frequent  and  favorite  sub- 
ject. The  most  famous  of  all  is  a  picture  in  the  Academy  of  S.  Luke, 
ascribed  to  Raffaelle.  Here  S.  Luke,  kneeling  on  a  footstool  before 
an  easel,  is  busied  painting  the  Virgin  with  the  Child  in  her  arms, 
who  appears  to  him  out  of  heaven,  sustained  by  clouds  ;  behind  S. 
Luke  stands  Raffaelle  himself,  looking  on." — Mrs.  Jameson. 

A  skull  preserved  here  was  long  supposed  to  be  that  of 
Raffaelle,  but  his  true  skull  has  since  been  found  in  his 
grave  in  the  Pantheon. 

"  On  a  longtemps  venere  ici  un  crane  que  Ton  croyait  ttre  celui  de 
Raffaelle  ;  crane  etroit  sur  lequel  les  phrenologistes  auront  prononce 
de  vains  oracles,  devant  lequel  on  aura  bien  profondement  reve  et  qui 
n'etait  que  celui  d'un  obscur  chanoine  bien  innocent  de  toutes  ces 
imaginations." — A.  Du  Pays. 

Just  beyond  S.  Luca,  we  enter  the  Forum  Roraanum. 


The  interest  of  Rotne  comes  to  its  climax  in  the  Forum. 


I40 


IF  A  LA'S  /:V  ROME. 


In  spite  of  all  that  is  destroyed,  and  all  that  is  buried,  so 
much  still  remains  to  be  seen,  and  every  stone  has  its  story. 
Even  without  entering  into  all  the  vexed  archaeological 
questions  which  have  filled  the  volumes  of  Canina,  Bun- 
sen,  Niebuhr,  and  many  others,  the  occupation  which  a 
traveler  interested  in  history  will  find  here  is  almost  inex- 
haustible. The  study  of  the  Roman  Forum  is  complicated 
by  the  succession  of  public  edifices  by  which  it  has  been  oc- 
cupied, each  period  of  Roman  history  having  a  different 
set  of  buildings,  and  each  in  a  great  measure  supplanting 
that  which  went  before.  Another  difficulty  has  naturally 
arisen  from  the  exceedingly  circumscribed  space  in  which 
all  these  buildings  have  to  be  arranged,  and  which  shows 
that  many  of  the  ancient  temples  must  have  been  mere 
chapels,  and  the  so-called  "  lakes  "  little  more  than  foun- 
tains. The  recent  excavations  have  been  chiefly  remark- 
able for  the  discovery  of  nothing  which  was  expected 
and  of  everything  which  was  not  expected. 

"  This  spot,  where  the  senate  had  its  assemblies,  where  the  rostra 
were  placed,  where  the  destinies  of  the  world  were  discussed,  is  the 
most  celebrated  and  the  most  classical  of  ancient  Rome.  It  was  adorned 
with  the  most  magnificent  monuments,  which  were  so  crowded  upon 
one  another,  that  their  heaped  up  ruins  are  not  sufficient  for  all  the 
names  which  are  handed  down  to  us  by  history.  The  course  of  cent- 
uries has  overthrown  the  Forum,  and  made  it  impossible  to  define  ; 
the  level  of  the  ancient  soil  is  twenty-four  feet  below  that  of  lo-day, 
and  however  great  a  desire  one  may  feel  to  reproduce  the  past,  it  must 
be  acknowledged  that  this  very  difference  of  level  is  a  terrible  obstacle 
to  the  powers  of  imagination  ;  again,  the  uncertainties  of  archaeolo- 
gists are  discouj-aging  to  curiosity  and  the  desire  of  illusion.  For 
more  than  three  centuries  learning  has  been  at  work  upon  this  field  of 
ruins,  without  being  able  even  to  agree  upon  its  bearings  :  some  de- 
scribing it  as  extending  from  north  to  south,  others  from  east  to 
west.  Following  the  common  opinion,  its  length  was  from  the  arch 
of  Septimius  Severus  to  the  temple  of  Antoninus  and  Faustina,  and 
its  breadth  from  the  church  of  S.  Adriano  to  the  steps  of  the  Basilica 
Julia.  Equal  uncertainty  prevails  as  to  many  of  tlie  existing  ruins. 
The  origin  of  the  Forum  goes  back  to  the  alliance  of  the  Romans  and 
Sabines.  It  was  a  space  surrounded  by  marshes,  which  extended  be- 
tween the  Palatine  and  the  Capitol,  occupied  by  the  two  colonics,  and 
serving  as  a  neutral  ground  where  they  could  meet.  The  Curtian 
Lake  was  situated  in  the  midst.  Constantly  adorned  under  the  repub- 
lic and  the  empire,  it  appears  that  it  continued  to  exist  until  the 
eleventh  century.  Its  total  ruin  dates  from  Robert  Guiscard,  who, 
when  called  to  the  assistance  of  Gregory  VII.,  left  it  a  heap  of  ruins. 
Abandoned  for  many  centuries,  it  became  a  receptacle  for  rubbish., 
which  gradually  ralse4  the  level  of  the  soil-    About  154",  Paul  III.. 


FORUM  ROMAN UM.  141 

began  to  make  excavations  in  the  Forum.  Then  tlie  place  became  a 
cattle-market,  and  the  glorious  name  of  Forum  Romanum  changed 
into  that  of  Campo  Vaccino. 

"  The  Forum  was  surrounded  by  a  portico  of  two  stories,  the  lower 
of  which  was  occupied  by  shops  (tabernae).  In  the  beginning  of  the 
sixth  century  of  Rome,  two  fires  destroyed  part  of  the  edifices  with 
which  it  had  been  embellished.  This  was  an  opjwrtunity  for  isolat- 
ing the  Forum,  and  basilicas  and  temples  were  raised  in  succession 
along  its  sides,  which  in  their  turn  were  partly  destroyed  in  the  fire  of 
Nero.  Domitian  rebuilt  a  part,  and  added  the  temple  of  Vespasian, 
and  Antoninus  that  of  Faustina." — A.  Dii  Pays. 

The  excavations  made  in  the  Forum  before  1876  were 
for  the  most  part  due  to  the  generosity  of  Elizabeth, 
Duchess  of  Devonshire.  About  extending  these  the  papal 
government  always  displayed  the  most  extraordinary 
apathy,  but  they  have  been  considerably  increased  since 
the  fall  of  the  popes. 

If  we  stand  in  front  of  the  arch  of  Septimius  Severus, 
and  turn  toward  the  Capitol,  we  look  upon  the  Clivus 
Capitolinus,  which  is  perfectly  crowded  with  historical 
sites  and  fragments,  viz. : 

1.  The  modern  Capitol,  resting  on  the  Tabularium. 
This  is  one  of  the  earliest  architectural  relics  in  Rome. 
It  is  built  in  the  Etruscan  style,  of  huge  blocks  of  tufa  or 
peperino  placed  long-  and  cross-ways  alternately.  It  was 
formerly  composed  of  two  stages  called  Camellaria.  Only 
the  lower  now  remains.  It  contained  the  tables  of  the 
laws.  The  corridor  which  remains  in  the  interior  is  used 
as  a  museum  of  architectural  fragments.  The  Tabularium 
probably  communicated  with  the  Aerarium  in  the  temple 
of  Saturn. 

2.  On  the  right  of  the  excavated  space,  and  nearest  the 
Tabularium,  the  site  of  the  Tribune,  in  front  of  which 
were  the  Rostra^  to  which  the  head  of  Octavius  was  affixed 
by  Marius,  and  the  head  and  hand  of  Cicero  by  Antony, 
and  where  Fulvia,  the  widow  of  Clodius,  spat  in  his  dead 
face,  and  pierced  his  inanimate  tongue  with  the  pin  which 
she  wore  in  her  hair.  In  front  of  the  rostra  were  the 
statues  of  the  three  Sibyls  called  Tria  Fata. 

3.  Below,  a  little  more  to  the  right,  is  the  site  of  the 
Comitiutn,  where  the  survivor  of  the  Horatii  was  con- 
demned to  death,  and  saved  by  the  voice  of  the  people. 
Here,  also,  was  the  trophied  pillar  which  bore  the  arms  of 


142 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


the  Curiatii.  In  the  area  of  the  Comitium  grew  the  fa- 
mous fig-tree  which  was  always  preserved  here  in  com- 
memoration of  the  tree  under  which  Romulus  and  Remus 
were  suckled  by  the  wolf,  and  beneath  which  was  a  bronze 
representation  of  the  wolf  and  the  children. 

4.  A  little  more  to  the  left,  is  the  site  of  theViiIcanal,  so 
called  from  an  altar  dedicated  to  Vulcan,  a  platform  (still 
defined)  where,  in  the  earliest  times,  Romulus  and  Tatius 
used  to  meet  on  intermediate  ground  and  transact  affairs 
common  to  bodi  ;  and  where  Brutus  was  seated,  when, 
without  any  change  of  countenance,  he  saw  his  two  sons 
beaten  and  beheaded.  Adjoining  the  Vulcanal  was  the 
Graecosiasis,  where  foreign  ambassadors  waited  before 
they  were  admitted  to  an  audience  of  the  senate. 

.5.  Below  the  Vulcanal,  and  just  behind  the  Arch  of  Sev- 
erus,  is  the  site  of  the  Temple  0/  Co?icord,  dedicated  with 
blasphemous  inappropriateness,  B.C.  121,  by  the  consul 
Opimius,  immediately  after  the  murder  of  Caius  Gracchus. 
Here  Cicero  pronounced  his  orations  against  Catiline  be- 
fore the  senate.  A  pavement  of  colored  marbles  re- 
mains. At  its  base  are  still  to  be  seen  some  small  remains 
of  the  Colonna  Maenia,  which  was  surmounted  by  the  statue 
of  C.  Maenius,  who  decorated  the  rostra  with  the  iron 
beaks  of  vessels  taken  in  war. 

6.  Th5  three  beautiful  columns  which  are  still  standing 
were  attributed  to  a  temple  of  Jupiter  Tonans,  but  are 
now  decided  to  belong  to  the  Teviple  of  Vespasian.  The  en- 
gravings of  Piranesi  represent  them  as  buried  almost  to 
their  capitals,  and  they  remained  in  this  state  until  they 
were  disinterred  during  the  first  French  occupation.  The 
space  was  so  limited  in  this  part  of  Rome,  that  in  order  to 
prevent  encroaching  upon  the  street  Clivus  Capitolinus, 
which  descends  the  hill  between  this  temple  and  that  of 
Saturn,  the  temple  of  Vespasian  Vv^as  raised  on  a  kind  of 
terrace,  and  the  staircase  which  led  to  it  was  thrust  in  be- 
tween the  columns.  This  temple  was  restored  by  Septi- 
mius  Severus,  and  to  this  the  letters  on  the  entablature 
refer,  being  part  of  the  word  Restituere.  Instruments  of 
sacrifice  are  sculptured  on  the  frieze. 

7.  On  the  left  of  the  excavated  space,  close  beneath  the 
Tabularium,  a  low  range  of  columns  recently  re-erected 
represents  the  building  called  the  School  0/  Xanthus,  cham- 


ARCH  OF  SEPTIMIUS  SEVER  US. 


143 


bers,  for  the  use  of  the  scribes  and  persons  in  the  service 
of  the  curule  aediles,  which  derived  their  name  from  Xaii- 
thus.  a  freedman,  by  whom  they  were  rebuilt. 

8.  The  eight  Ionic  columns  still  standing,  part  of  the 
Temple  of  Saturn,  the  ancient  god  of  the  Capitol.  Before 
this  temple  Pompey  sat  surrounded  by  soldiers,  listening 
to  the  orations  v/hich  Cicero  was  delivering  from  the  ros- 
tra, when  he  received  the  personal  address,  "  Te  enim  jam 
appello,  et  ea  voce  ut  me  exaudire. "  Here  the  tribune 
Metellus  flung  himself  before  the  door  and  vainly  attempted 
to  defend  the  treasure  of  the  Aerai-iicni  in  this  temple 
against  Julius  Caesar.  The  present  remains  are  those  of 
an  indifferent  and  late  renovation  of  an  earlier  temple, 
being  composed  of  columns  vv'hich  differ  in  diameter,  and  a 
frieze  put  together  from  fragments  v/hich  do  not  belong  to 
one  another.  The  original  temple  was  built  by  Tarquin, 
and  was  supposed  to  mark  the  site  of  the  ancient  Sabine 
altar  of  the  god  and  the  limit  of  the  wood  of  refuge  men- 
tioned by  Virgil. 

9.  Just  below  the  Temple  of  Saturn  is  the  site  of  the 
Arch  of  Tiberius,  erected,  according  to  Tacitus,  upon  the 
recovery  by  Germanicus  of  the  standards  which  Varus  had 
lost. 

10.  The  remains  of  the  Milliarium  Aureutn,  which 
formed  the  upper  extremity  of  a  wall  faced  with  marbles, 
ending  near  the  arch  of  Severus  in  a  small  conical  pyramid. 
Distances  without  the  walls  were  inscribed  upon  the  Mil- 
liarium Aureum,  as  distances  within  the  walls  were  upon 
the  pyramid  (from  which  in  this  case  they  were  also  meas- 
ured) which  bore  the  name  of  Umbilicus  Romae.  The  Via 
Sacra,  which  is  still  visible,  descended  from  the  Capitol 
between  the  temples  of  Saturn  and  Vespasian — being 
known  here  as  the  Clivus  CapitoHnus,  and  passed  to  the 
left  of— 

11.  The  Arch  of  Septimius  Sn'erus,yN\{\ckv  was  erected 
by  the  senate  a.d.  205,  in  honor  of  that  emperor  and  his 
two  sons,  Caracalla  and  Geta.  It  is  adorned  with  bas- 
reliefs  relating  his  victories  in  the  East — his  entry  into 
Babylon,  and  the  tower  of  the  temple  of  Belus  are  repre- 
sented. A  curious  memorial  of  imperial  history  m.ay  be 
observed  in  the  inscription,  where  we  may  still  discern  the 
erasure   made  by  Caracaila  after  he  had  put  his  brotlier 


144 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


Geta  to  death  in  a.d.  213,  for  the  sake  of  obHterating  his 
memory.  The  added  words  are  optimis  fortissimisqve 
PRiNCiPiBUS — but  the  ancient  inscription,  p,  sept.  lvc. 
FiL.  GETAE.  NOBLiss.  CAE3ARI,  has  been  made  out  by 
painstaking  decipherers.  In  one  of  the  piers  is  a  staircase 
leading  to  the  top  of  the  arch,  which  was  formerly  (as  seen 
from  coins  of  Severus  and  Caracalla)  a.dorned  by  a  car 
drawn  by  six  horses  abreast,  and  containing  figures  of 
Severus  and  his  sons.  It  was  in  front  of  this  arch  that  the 
statue  of  Marcus  Aurelius  stood,  which  is  now  at  the 
Capitol. 

"  Les  proportions  de  Tare  de  Septime-Severe  sont  encore  belles. 
L'aspect  en  est  imposant ;  il  est  solide  sans  etre  lourd.  La  grande  in- 
scription ou  se  lisent  les  epithetes  victorieuses  qui  rappellent  les  succes 
militaires  de  I'empereur,  Parthique,  Dacique,  Adiabenique,  se  deploie 
sur  une  vaste  surface  et  donne  a  I'entablement  un  airde  majeste  qu'ad- 
mirent  les  artistes.  Cette  inscription  est  doublement  historique  ;  elle 
rappelle  les  campagnes  de  Severe  et  la  tragedie  domestique  qui  apres 
lui  ensanglanta  sa  famille,  le  meurtre  d'un  de  ses  fils  immole  par 
I'autre,  et  racharnement  de  celui-ce  a  poursuivre  la  memoire  du  frere 
qu'il  avait  fait  assassiner.  Le  nom  de  Geta  a  ete  visiblement  efface  par 
Caracalla.  La  meme  chose  se  remarque  dans  une  inscription  sur  bronze 
qu'on  voit  au  Capitole  et  sur  le  petit  arc  du  Marche  aux  Boeufs  dont 
j'ai  parle,  ou  I'image  de  Geta  a  ete  effacee  comme  son  nom.  Caracalla 
ne  permit  pas  meme  a  ce  nom  proscrit  de  se  cacher  parmi  les  hiero- 
glyphes.  En  Egypte,  ceux  qui  composaient  le  nom  de  Geta  ont  ete 
grattes  sur  les  monuments." — Amph-e,  Emp.  ii.  278. 

On  the  right  of  the  Forum,  at  the  foot  of  the  Capitol,  is 
the  Via  della  Consolazione,  occupying  the  site  of  the  an- 
cient Vicus  Jugarius,  where  Augustus  erected  an  altar  to 
Ceres,  and  another  to  Ops  Augusta,  the  goddess  of  wealth. 
(In  this  street,  on  the  left,  is  a  good  cinque-cento  door- 
way.) Where  this  street  leaves  the  Forum  was  the  so- 
called  Lacus  Scf'vilius,  a  basin  which  probably  derived  its 
name  from  Servilius  Ahala  (who  slew  the  philanthropist 
Sp.  Maelius  with  a  dagger  near  this  very  spot),  and  which 
was  encircled  with  a  ghastly  rov\^  of  heads  in  the  massacres 
under  Sulla.  This  fountain  was  adorned  by  M.  Agrippa 
with  the  figure  of  a  hydra.  The  right  side  of  the  Forum 
is  now  occupied  for  a  considerable  distance  by  the  disin- 
terred remains  of  the  Basilica  Julia,  begun  by  Julius  Caesar, 
and  finished  by  Augustus,  who  dedicated  it  in  honor  of 
the  sons  of  his  daughter  Julia.  A  basilica  of  this  descrip- 
tion was  intended  partly  as  a  Law  Court   and   partly  as  an 


TEMPLE   OF  CASTOR  A.\'D   POLLUX. 


145 


Exchange.     In  this  basilica  the  judges   called  Centumviri 
held  their  courts,  which  were  four  in  number : 

"  Jam  clamor,  centumque  viri,  densumque  coronae 
Vulgus  :  et  infanti  Julia  tecta  placent." 

Martial,  vi.  Ep.  38. 

Here  Suetonius  narrates  that  the  mad  Caligula  used  to 
stand  upon  the  roof  and  throw  money  into  the  Forum  for 
the  people  to  scramble  for.  The  Arch  of  Tiberius  is  sup- 
posed to  have  stood  near  the  corner  of  this  basilica. 

Beyond  the  basilica  are  three  beautiful  columns  which 
belong  to  a  restoration  of  the  Temple  of  Castor  and  Pollux^ 
dedicated  by  Postumius,  B.C.  484.  Here  costly  sacrifices 
were  always  offered  in  the  ides  of  July,  at  the  anniversary 
of  the  battle  of  the  Lake  Regillus,  after  which  the  Roman 
knights,  richly  clothed,  crowned  with  olive,  and  bearing 
their  trophies,  rode  past  it  in  military  procession,  starting 
from  the  temple  of  Mars  outside  the  Porta  Capena.  The 
entablature  which  the  three  columns  support  is  of  great 
richness,  and  the  whole  fragment  is  considered  to  be  one 
of  the  finest  existing  specimens  of  the  Corinthian  order. 
None  of  the  Roman  ruins  have  given  rise  to  more  discus- 
sion than  this.  It  has  perpetually  changed  its  name. 
Bunsen  and  many  other  authorities  considered  it  to  belong 
to  the  temple  of  Minerva  Chalcidica  ;  but  as  it  is  known 
that  the  position  of  the  now  discovered  Basilica  Julia  was 
exactly  between  the  temple  of  Saturn  and  that  of  Castor, 
and  a  passage  of  Ovid  describes  the  latter  as  being  close 
to  the  site  of  the  temple  of  Vesta,  which  is  also  ascertained, 
it  seems  almost  certain  now  that  it  belonged  to  the  temple 
of  the  Dioscuri.  Dion  Cassius  mentions  that  Caligula  made 
this  temple  a  vestibule  to  his  house  on  the  Palatine.  It 
was  also  frequently  used  for  meetings  of  the  senate. 

Here,  on  the  right,  branches  off  the  Via  dei  Fienili, 
once  the  Vicus  Tiiscus,  or  Etruscan  quarter  (see  Chap, 
v.),  leading  to  the  Circus  Maximus.  At  its  entrance  was 
the  bronze  statue  of  Vertumnus,  the  god  of  Etruria,  and 
patron  of  the  quarter.  The  long  trough-shaped  fountain 
here,  at  which  such  picturesque  groups  of  oxen  and  buffa- 
loes are  constantly  standing,  is  a  memorial  of  the  Lake  of 
Juturna,  the  sister  of  Turnus,  or,  as  she  was  sometimes 
described,  the  wife  of  Janus  the   Sabine  war-god.     This 


146  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

fountain,  for  such   it   must  have  been,  was  dried   up  by 
Paul  V. 

"  At  quae  venturas  praecedet  sexta  kalendas, 
Hac  sunt  Ledaeis  templa  dicata  deis. 
Fratribus  ilia  deis  fratres  de  gente  deorum 
Circa  Juturnae  composuere  lacus." 

Ovid,  Fast.  i.  705. 

Here,  close  under  the  Palatine,  on  the  Via  Nova,  vi^as 
the  site  of  the  famous  Temple  of  Vesta,  in  which  the  sacred 
fire  was  preserved,  with  the  palladium  saved  from  Troy. 
On  the  altar  of  this  temple,  blood  was  sprinkled  annually 
from  the  tail  of  the  horse  which  was  sacrificed  to  Mars  in 
the  Campus-Martius.  The  foundation  of  the  temple  was 
attributed  to  Numa,  but  the  worship  must  have  existed  in 
Pelasgic  times,  as  the  mother  of  Romulus  was  a  vestal.  It 
was  burnt  down  in  the  fire  of  Nero,  rebuilt  and  again 
burnt  down  under  Commodus,  and  probably  restored  for 
the  last  time  by  Heliogabalus.  Here,  during  the  consulate 
of  the  young  Marius,  the  high  priest  Scaevola  was  mur- 
dered, splashing  the  image  of  Vesta  with  his  blood  ;  and 
here  (a.d.  68)  Piso,  the  adopted  son  of  Galba,  was  mur- 
dered in  the  sanctuary  whither  he  had  fled  for  refuge,  and 
his  head,  being  cut  off,  was  affixed  to  the  rostra.  Behind 
the  temple,  along  the  lower  ridge  of  the  Palatine,  stretched 
the  sacred  grove  of  Vesta,  and  the  site  of  the  church  of 
S.  Maria  Liberatrice  was  occupied  by  the  Atrium  Vestae, 
2l  kind  of  convent  for  the  vestal  virgins.  Here  Numa 
Pompilius  fixed  his  residence,  hoping  to  conciliate  both  the 
Latins  of  the  Palatine  and  the  Sabines  of  the  Capitoline 
by  occupying  a  neutral  ground  between  them. 

'*  Quaeris  iter  ?  dicam  :  vicinum  Castora,  canae 
Transibis  Vestae,  virgineamque  domum, 
Inde  sacio  veneranda  petes  palatia  clivo." 

Martial,  i.  Ep.  70. 

Hie  focus  est  Vestae,  qui  Pallada  servat  et  ignem. 
Hie  fuit  antiqui  regia  parva  Numae." 

Ovid,  Trist.  iii.  El.  I. 

Hie  locus  exiguus,  qui  sustinet  atria  Vestae, 

Tunc  eral  inlonsi  regia  magna  Numae. 
Forma  tamen  templi,  quae  nunc  manet,  ante  fuisse 

Dicitur  ;   et  formae  causa  probanda  subest. 


VIA    NOVA.  147 

Vesta  eadem  est,  et  Terra  ;  subest  vigil  ignis  utrique, 

Significant  sedcm  terra  focusque  suam. 
Terra  pilae  similis,  nullo  fulcimine  nixa, 

Acre  subjeuto  tarn  grave  penclet  onus. 
Arce  Syracosia  suspensus  in  acre  clauso 

Stat  globus,  immensi  parva  figura  poll  ; 
Et  quantum  a  summis,  tantum  secessit  ab  iinis 

Terra.     Quod  ut  fiat,  forma  rotunda  facit. 
Par  facies  templi  :  nullus  procurrit  ab  illo 

Angulus.     A  pluvio  vindicat  imbre  tholus." 

Ovid,  Fast.  vi.  263. 

"  Servat  et  Alba,  Lares,  et  quorum  lucet  in  aris 

Ignis  adhuc  Phrygius,  nullique  adspecta  virorum 
Pallas,  in  abstruse  pignus  memorabile  templo." 

Ltican,  ix.  gg2. 

Close  to  the  temple  of  Vesta  was  the  Regia,  or  Atrium 
Vestae,  an  atrium  surrounded  by  columns,  the  official  resi- 
dence of  the  pontifices  maximi,  where  Julius  Caesar  lived 
(as  pontifex  maximus)  where  Pompeia  his  second  wife  ad- 
mitted her  lover  Ciodius  in  the  disguise  of  a  woman  to  the 
mysteries  of  the  Bona  Dea — whence  Caesar  Avent  forth  to 
his  death — and  from  which  his  last  wife  Calpurnia  rushed 
forth  with  loud  outcries  to  receive  his  dead  body.  The 
smallness  of  the  space  occupied  by  the  Regia  is  described 
by  Ovid. 

When  Horace  says,  "  Ventum  erat  ad  Vestae,"  '  he  means 
the  atrium,  not  the  temple  of  Vesta.  After  the  great  fire 
under  Nero,  the  Regia  appears  never  to  have  been  rebuilt, 
and  its  site  to  have  been  occupied  by  new  buildings. 

The  Via  Nova,  in  the  fourth  century  B.C.,  ran  along  the 
west  slope  of  the  Palatine,  turning  the  north  corner  of  the 
hill,  and  continuing  along  the  east  slope  of  the  Palatine  till 
it  reached  "  Summa  Velia."  In  the  reign  of  Augustus,  its 
course  was  changed,  that  it  might  pass  the  corner  of  the 
temple  of  Castor,  to  join  the  Via  Sacra  near  the  temple  of 
Romulus.     Thus  Ovid  saw  it — 

"  Qua  nova  Romano  nunc  Via  juncta  Foro  est." 

Fast.  vi.  389. 

This  famous  lane,  of  which  the  name  is  connected  with 
so  many  stirring  events  of  the  kingly  period,  has  been 
traced  for  1 20  feet  at  the  foot  of  the  Palace  of  Caligula, 
midway  between  the  Via  Sacra  and  the  Clivus  Victoriae. 

'Sat.  I.  IX.  35. 


14^ 


WALK'S  IX  ROME. 


On  this  side  of  the  Forum,  wliere  the  Cloaca  Maxima  is 
now  laid  bare,  was  the  famous  Curtian  Lake,  so  called 
from  Mettus  Curtius,  a  Sabine  warrior,  who  with  difficulty 
escaped  from  its  quagmires  to  the  Capitol  aftei  a  battle 
between  Romulus  and  Tatius.'  Tradi'.ion  declares  that 
the  quagmire  afterward  became  a  gulf,  which  an  oracle 
declared  would  never  close  until  that  which  was  most  im- 
portant to  the  Roman  people  v.-as  sacrificed  to  it.  Then 
the  young  Marcus  Curtius,  equipped  in  full  armor,  leapt  his 
horse  into  the  abyss,  exclaiming  that  nothing  was  more 
important  to  the  Roman  people  than  arms  and  courage  ; 
and  the  gulf  was  closed.'  Two  altars  were  afterward 
erected  on  the  site  to  the  two  heroes,  and  a  vine  and  an 
olive  tree  grew  there. ^ 

"  Hoc,  ubi  nunc  fora  sunt,  udae  tenuere  paludes  : 
Amne  redundatis  fossa  madebat  aquis. 
Curtius  il!e  lacus,  siccas  qui  sustinet  aras, 
Nunc  solida  est  tellus,  sed  lacus  ante  fuit." 

Ozdd,  Fast.  vi.  401. 

Some  fountain,  like  those  of  Servilius  and  Juturna,  bear- 
ing the  name  of  Lacus  Curtius  must  have  existed  on  this 
site  to  imperial  times,  for  the  Emperor  Galba  was  mur- 
dered there. 

"A  single  cohort  still  surrounded  Galba,  when  the  standard-bearer 
tore  the  Emperor's  image  from  his  spear-head,  and  dashed  it  on  the 
ground.  The  soldiers  were  at  once  decided  for  Otho  ;  swords  were 
drawn,  and  every  symptom  of  favor  for  Galba  amongst  the  bystanders 
was  repressed  by  menaces,  till  they  dispersed  and  fled  in  horror  from 
the  Forum.  At  last,  the  bearers  of  the  emperor's  litter  overturned  it 
at  the  Curtian  pool  beneath  the  Capitol.  In  a  few  moments  enemies 
swarmed  around  his  body.  A  few  words  he  muttered,  which  have  been 
diversely  reported  :  some  said  that  they  were  abject  and  unbecoming  ; 
others  affirmed  that  he  presented  his  neck  to  the  assassin's  sword,  and 
bade  him  strike  '  if  it  were  for  the  good  of  the  republic  ; '  but  none 
listened,  none  perhaps  heeded  the  words  actually  spoken  ;  Galba's 
throat  was  pierced,  but  even  the  author  of  his  mortal  wound  was  not 
ascertained,  while,  his  breast  being  protected  by  the  cuirass,  his  legs 
and  arms  were  hacked  with  repeated  gashes." — Merroalc,  vii.  73. 

Opposite  the  Basilica  Julia  is  the  Column  of  Phocas, 
raised  to  that  emperor  bv  the  exarch  Smaragdus  in  608. 
This  is— 

"  The  nameless  column  with  a  buried  base," 

'  Statius,  i.  6.     Livy,  vii.  6.  '  Livy,  vii.  6.    Varr.  iv.  3»< 

'  Pliny,  XV.  18. 


PILLAR   OF  P  HOC  AS.  149 

of  Byron,  but  is  now  neither  nameless  nor  buried,  its  ped- 
estal having  been  laid  bare  by  the  Duchess  of  Devonshire 
in  1813,  and  bearing  an  inscription  which  shows  an  origin 
that  no  one  ever  anticipated. 

"  In  the  age  of  Phocas  (602-610),  the  art  of  erecting  a  column  like 
that  of  Trajan  or  M.  Aurelius  had  been  lost.  A  large  and  handsome 
Corinthian  pillar,  taken  from  some  temple  or  basilica,  was  therefore 
placed  in  the  Forum,  on  a  huge  pyramidal  bac-is  quite  out  of  proportion 
to  it,  and  was  surmounted  with  a  statue  of  Phocas  in  gilt  bronze.'  It 
has  so  liltle  the  appearance  of  a  monumental  column,  that  for  a  long 
while  it  was  thought  to  belong  to  some  ruined  building,  till,  in  1813, 
the  inscription  was  discovered.  The  name  of  Phocas,  had,  indeed,  been 
erased  ;  but  that  it  must  have  been  dedicated  to  him  is  shown  by  the 
date.  .  .  .  The  base  of  this  column,  discovered  by  the  excavations 
of  1816  to  have  rested  on  the  ancient  pavement  of  the  Forum,  proves 
that  this  former  center  of  Roman  life  was  still,  at  the  beginning  of  the 
seventh  century,  unencumbered  with  ruins." — Dyers  History  of  the 
City  of  Rome. 

"  Ce  monument  et  I'in'^cription  qui  I'accompagne  sent  precieux  pour 
I'histoire,  car  ils  montrent  le  dernier  terme  de  ravilissement  ou  Rome 
devait  toniber.  Smaragdus  est  le  premier  magistrat  de  Rome, — niais 
ce  magi.itrat  est  un  prefet,  Teludu  pouvoir  imperial  et  non  de  ses  con- 
citoyens  ; — il  commande,  non,  il  est  vrai,  a  la  capilale  du  monde,  mais 
au  chef-lieu  du  duche  de  Rome.  Ce  prefet,  qui  n'est  connu  de  I'his- 
toire que  par  ses  laches  menagements  envers  les  Barbares,  imagine  de 
voler  une  colonne  a  un  beau  temple,  au  temple  d'un  empereur  de 
quelque  merite,  pour  la  dedier  a  un  execrable  tyran  monte  sur  le  trone 
par  des  assabsinals,  au  meurtrier  de  I'empereur  Maurice,  a  I'ignoble 
Phocas,  que  loute  le  monde  connait,  grace  a  Corneille,  qui  I'a  encore 
trop  menage.  Et  le  plat  drole  ose  appeler  trer-clement  celui  qui  fit 
egorger  sous  les  yeux  de  Maurice  ses  qualre  fils  avant  de  I'egorger 
lui-meme.  II  decerne  le  litre  de  tnomphateur  a  Phocas,  qui  laissa 
conquerir  par  Chosroes  une  bonne  part  de  I'empire.  II  ose  ecrire  : 
'  Pour  les  innombrables  bienfaits  de  sa  piele,  pour  le  repos  procure  i 
ITlalie  et  a  la  liberte.'  Amsi  I'histoire  monumeiUale  de  la  Rome  de 
I'empne  Hnit  honteusement  par  un  hommage  ridicule  de  la  basses.se  ii 
la  violence." — Ampere,  Enip.  ii.  389. 

The  Pillar  of  Phocas  may  bo  regarded  as  the  center  of 
the  Forum  Romanum.  Near  the  east  comer  of  its  base 
two  low  Vv'alls  of  white  marble,  evidently  of  the  time  of 
Trajan,  were  discovered  in  September,  1873.  Their  inner 
surface  is  adorned  with  reliefs  of  the  three  sacrificial  ani- 
mals, the  pig,  ram,  rnd  bull,  which  in  their  united  names 
gave  the  title  of  Suovetaiirilia  to  the  great  lustral  ceremony. 
On  the  outer  side  of  the  wall  nearest  the  Capitol  is  a  repre- 
sentation of  the  provision  made  by  Trajan  for  the  children 
of  poor  citizens — "  pueri  et  puellae  alimentarii."     On  the 


,50  WALK'S  JX  ROME. 

outside  .of  the  further  wall  is  represented  the  burning  oi 
bonds  on  his  remission  of  debts  due  to  the  public  treasury. 
On  the  background  of  these  reliefs  the  buildings  existing 
on  the  north  and  west  sides  of  the  Roman  Forum  in  the 
time  of  Trajan  are  depicted.  Some  imagine,  from  the  sac- 
rificial animals,  that  these  walls  were  the  approach  to  a 
statue  and  altar  of  the  deified  emperor  ;  others  think  that 
they  marked  the  place  where  citizens  going  to  vote  at  elec- 
tions had  to  show  their  tesserae  of  admission  as  they 
passed. 

At  the  foot  of  the  Clivus  Capitolinus,  on  the  left  (looking 
toward  the  Arch  of  Titus)  stood  the  Temple  of  Janus 
Quirhws,  between  the  great  Forum  and  the  Forum  of  Ju- 
lius Caesar,  and  near  the  ascent  of  the  Porta  Janualis,  by 
which  Tarpeia  admitted  the  Sabines  to  the  Capitol.  Pro- 
copius,  in  the  sixth  century,  saw  the  little  bronze  temple 
of  Janus  still  standing.  This  was  one  of  the  many  temples 
of  the  great  Sabine  god. 

"  Quum  tot  sint  Jani  ;  cur  stas  sacratus  in  uno, 
Hie  ubi  juncta  foris  templa  duobus  habes?" 

OziJ,  Fas/,  i.  257. 

This  was  the  temple  which  was  the  famous  index  of 
peace  and  war,  closed  by  Augustus  for  the  third  time  from 
its  foundation  after  the  victory  of  Actium.' 

"   .   .   .   .  et  vacuum  duellis 

Janum  Quirini  clausit,  et  ordinem 
Rectum,  evaganli  fraena  licentiae 
Injecit." 

Horace,  Ode  iv.  15. 

Besides  this  temple  there  were  three  arches,  wnose  sites 
are  unknown,  dedicated  to  Janus  in  different  parts  of  the 
Forum. 

"  .   .    .   .    Haec  Janus  summus  ab  imo 

Perdocet " 

Horace,  Ep.  I.  i.  54. 

The  central  arch  was  the  resort  of  brokers  and  moriTey- 
lenders.  * 

".    .    Postquam  omnis  res  mea  Janum 
Ad  medium  fracta  est." 

Hor.  Sat.  II.  iii    18. 

Suetonius,  Aug.  22.  :>  Cicero,  de  Off.  11.  25. 


1 


THE    CURIA.  151 

On  the  left  of  the  Forum,  looking  toward  the  Coliseum, 
stood  the  Tabernae  Argentariae,  the  silversmiths'  shops, 
and  beyond  them — probably  in  front  of  S.  Adriano-were 
the  Tabernae  Novae,  where  Virginia  was  stabbed  by  her 
father  with  a  butcher's  knife,  which  he  had  seized  from 
one  of  the  stalls,  saying,  "  This,  my  child,  is  the  only  way 
to  keep  thee  free,"  as  he  plunged  it  into  her  heart.'  Near 
this  also  was  the  statue  of  Venus  Cloacina.'^ 

The  front  of  the  church  of  S.  Adriano  is  a  fragment  of 
the  Basilica  0/  Aefiiilius  Fauius,  built  with  part  of  1,500 
talents  which  Caesar  had  sent  from  Gaul  to  win  him  over 
to  his  party.  The  basilica  occupied  the  site  of  the  famous 
Curia  of  Tullus  Hostilius. 

"  La  se  reunit,  pour  la  premiere  fois  sous  un  toit,  le  conseil  des 
anciens  rois  que  le  savant  Properce,  avec  un  sentiment  vrai  des  anti- 
quite's  romaines,  nous  montre  tel  qu'il  etait  dans  I'origine,  se  rassem- 
blant  au  son  de  la  trompe  pastorale  dans  un  pre,  comme  le  peuple  dans 
certains  petits  cantons  de  la  Suisse." — Atiifire,  Hist.  Rom.  ii.  310. 

The  Curia  was  capable  of  containing  six  hundred  sena- 
tors, their  number  in  the  time  of  the  Gracchi.  It  had  no 
tribune  ;  each  speaker  rose  in  turn  and  spoke  in  his  place. 
Here  was  the  "  hall  of  the  assembly  in  which  the  fate  of 
the  world  was  decided."  The  Curia  was  destroyed  by 
fire,  which  it  caught  from  the  funeral  pyre  of  Clodius. 
Around  the  Curia  stood  many  statues  of  Romans  who  had 
rendered  especial  service  to  the  State.  The  Curia  Julia 
occupied  the  site  of  the  Curia  Hostilia  in  the  early  part  of 
the  reign  of  Augustus.  Close  by  the  old  Curia  was  the 
Basilica  Porcia,  built  by  Cato  the  Censor,  which  was  like- 
wise burnt  down  at  the  funeral  of  Clodius.  Near  this  the 
base  of  the  rostral  column,  Coloivia  Duilia,  has  been  found. 
Beyond  this,  on  the  left,  are  the  remains  of  the  Teinple  of 
Antoninus  and  Faustina.,  erected  by  the  flattery  of  the  sen- 
ate to  the  memory  of  the  licentious  Empress  Faustina,  the 
faithless  wife  of  Antoninus  Pius,  whom  they  elevated  to  the 
rank  of  a  goddess.  Her  husband,  dying  before  its  com- 
pletion, was  associated  in  her  honors,  and  the  inscription, 
which  still  remains  on  the  portico,  is  "  Divo  antonino  et 
DiVAE  FAUSTiNAE.  EX.  s.  c."  The  facade  is  adorned 
with  eight  columns  of  cipolino,  forty-three  feet  high,  sup- 
porting a  frieze  ornamented- with   griffins  and  candelabra. 

»  Livy,  iit  48.  ■  !>  Pliny,  .".v.  20. 


,-,  irALA'S   JX  ROME. 

The  marble  cteps  and  coating  of  the  walls  were  removed 
as  material  for  the  Fabbrica  di  S.  Pietro  in  1540.  The  ef- 
fect of  the  temple  is  greatly  injured  by  the  hideous  church 
of  S.  Lorenzo  in  Miranda,  built  by  the  Roman  apothe- 
caries in  1602,  which  incloses  the  cella  of  the  ancient 
building,  and  whose  name,  says  Ampere,  naively  expresses 
the  admiration  in  which  its  builders  held  these  remains.' 
Some  huge  blocks  of  travertine  recently  found  opposite 
this  temple  are  supposed  to  be  remains  of  the  arch  (built 
B.C.  120  in  the  severest  style  of  republican  times)  in  honor 
of  Q.  Fabius  Ma.ximus  Allobrogicus,  the  conqueror  of 
Savoy. 

Almost  opposite  the  Temple  of  Antoninus,  near  the 
Temple  of  Castor,  and  facing  the  Capitol,  stood,  on  a  lofty 
base,  the  small  Temple  of  Julius  Caesar  (Aedes  Divi 
Julii),'  surrounded  with  a  colonnade  of  closely  placed 
columns  and  surmounted  by  a  statue  of  the  deified  trium- 
vir. This  was  the  first  temple  in  Rome  which  was  dedi- 
cated to  a  mortal. 

"  Fratribus  assimilis,  quos  proxima  lempla  tenentes 
Divus  ab  excelsa  Julius  aede  videt." 

O-did,  Pont.  El.  ii.  2. 

"  Hanc  animam  interea  caeso  de  coipore  raptam 
Fac  jubar,  ut  semper  Capitolia  nostra  Forumque 
Divus  ab  excelsa  prospectet  Julius  aede 

/(/.  Metam.  xv.  840. 

Dion  Cassius  narrates  that  this  temple  was  erected  on 
the  spot  where  tlie  body  of  Julius  was  burnt.  It  was 
adorned  by  Augustus  with  the  beaks  of  the  vessels  taken 
in  the  battle  of  Actium,  and  hence  obtained  the  name  of 
Rostra  Julia.  He  also  placed  here  the  statue  of  Yen  as 
Anadyomene  of  Apelles,  because  Caesar  had  claimed 
descent  from  that  goddess.  Here,  in  a.d.  14,  the  body  of 
Augustus,  being  brought  from  Nola,  where  he  died,  was 
placed  upon  a  bier,  while  Tiberius  pronounced  a  funeral 
oration  over  it,  before  it  was  carried  to  the  Campus  Mar- 
tins. The  marble  foundations  of  this  temple  and  of  that 
of  Castor  and  Pollux  were  burnt  into  lime  or  sold  to  stone- 
cutters in  1547,  together  with  the  stone  walls  supporting 
their  cella  and  colonnades. 

The  line  of  the  Via  Sacra  was  made  to  turn  sharply  by 

••  Anxpcnc  jEjr>  ii.  =43.  ^  Vitnivtua,  lU. 


TEMPLE   OF  ROMULUS.  1 53 

the  erection  of  the  Temple  of  Caesar  and  other  buildings. 
The  earliest  Via  Sacra  was  straight.  The  Republican  Via 
Sacra  bent  at  the  corner  of  the  Vicus  Tuscus  to  the  south- 
east, skirting  the  Temples  of  Castor  and  Vesta  and  the 
Regia,  a  line  which  was  the  shortest  and  to  which  it  is 
evident  that  the  population  returned  after  the  fall  of  the 
empire.  The  imperial  Via  Sacra,  between  the  Temple  of 
Faustina  and  the  Arch  of  Titus,  was  a  handsome  wide 
street,  with  sidewalks,  ornamented  by  a  population  of 
honorary  statues,  some  of  them  placed  in  elaborate  shrines, 
of  which  the  shrine  in  honor  of  the  young  Emperor  Gor- 
dian  is  an  example.  Pedestals  with  inscriptions  to  Septi- 
mius  Severus,  Claudius,  Caracalla,  Antoninus  Pius,  and 
Fabius  Titianus  (prefect  of  Rome,  a.d.  339)  were  found  in 
the  excavations  of  1882.' 

On  the  left,  in  front  of  the  Church  of  SS.  Cosmo  and 
Damian,  the  remains  of  a  Temple  of  Romulus,  son  0/  Max- 
eiitius  (formerly  called  the  Temple  of  Remus,  then  of  the 
Penates),  have  been  excavated  to  the  old  le\el.  The 
round  cella  of  the  temple  was  occupied  by  Felix  IV.  (a.d. 
527)  as  a  vestibule  to  his  church.  Its  facade  was  orna- 
mented by  four  columns  of  cipoHino,  of  which  two  occupy 
their  old  pedestals.  One  v/as  taken  away  by  Urban  VIII.  ; 
of  the  fourth  only  the  pedestal  remains.  The  bronze  door 
with  its  porphyry  columns,  which  had  been  raised  by  Felix 
IV.  to  the  modern  level  of  the  church,  was  lowered  to  its 
old  site  in  1880. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  Via  Sacra  are  remains  of  a 
Memorial  Shrine  raised  by  the  people  of  Tarsus  to  the 
Emperor  Gordian  the  Younger,  but  with  an  inscriptior. 
which  gives  less  praise  to  the  Emperor  than  to  the  town — 
"  the  most  excellent,  the  largest,  the  handsomest,  the 
metropolis  of  these  provinces."  Near  this  Valerius  Pub- 
licola  had  a  house,  to  which  he  removed  from  the  Velia, 
in  deference  to  the  wishes  of  the  Roman  people. 

"  Le  sentiment  d'effroi  que  la  demeure  feodale  des  Valerius  causait, 
etait  pareil  a  celui  qu'inspiraient  aux  Remains  du  moyen  age  les  tours 
des  barons,  que  le  peuple,  des  qu'il  etait  le  maitre,  se  hatait  de  de- 
molir.  Valerius  n'attendit  pas  qu'on  se  portat  a  cette  extremite,  el 
il  vint  habiler  au  pied  de  la  Velia.  C'est  le  premier  triomphe  des 
plebeiens  sur  raristocratie  romaine  et  la  premiere  concession  de  cette 
anstocratie . ■" — Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.   ii.  274. 

See  the  Letters  of  Rudolfb  Lanciani  in  the  Athe^-aetiM-,  .htne  ick,  laSz. 


'54 


IV A  LA'S  IX   ROME. 


Close  to  this  portion  of  the  Via  Sacra  stood  a  statue  of 
Valeria,  daughter  of  Publicola,  by  whom  the  honors  of  the 
virgin  Cloelia  were  disputed.  A  branch  of  the  Via  Sacra 
turned  to  the  left,  from  hence,  toward  the  sacellum  of  the 
goddess  Strenia  in  the  Carinae. 

A  little  further  on  are  three  gigantic  arches,  being  all 
that  remains  of  the  magnificent  Basilica  of  Cotisiafitine, 
which  was  320  feet  in  length  and  235  feet  in  width.  The 
existing  ruins  are  only  those  of  one  of  the  aisles  of  the 
basilica.  There  are  traces  of  an  entrance  toward  the 
Coliseum.  The  roof  was  supported  by  eight  Corinthian 
columns,  of  which  one,  remaining  here  till  the  time  of  Paul 
v.,  was  removed  by  him  to  the  piazza  of  S.  Maria  Mag- 
giore,  where  it  still  stands.  This  site  was  previously  oc- 
cupied by  the  Temple  of  Peace,  burnt  down  in  the  time  of 
Commodus.  This  temple  was  the  great  museum  of  Rome 
under  the  empire,  and  contained  the  seven-branched  candle 
stick  and  other  treasures  brought  from  Jerusalem,'  as  well 
as  all  the  works  of  art  which  had  been  collected  in  the  palace 
of  Nero  and  which  were  removed  hither  by  Vespasian.  A 
statue  of  the  Nile,  with  children  playing  round  it,  is  men- 
tioned by  Pliny  as  among  the  sights  in  the  temple  of  Peace.* 
The  building  of  Constantine  is  remarkable  as  the  last 
which  bears  the  impress  of  the  grandeur  of  ancient  Roman 
genius. 

On  the  right,  on  either  side  of  the  gate  of  Vignola, 
which,  till  1882,  formed  the  entrance  to  the  Palatine,  were 
placed  two  ancient  pedestals,  found  in  1547,  near  the  Arch 
of  Septimius  Severus.  That  on  the  right  belonged  to  an 
equestrian  statue  of  Constantius,  erected  by  Neraetius 
Cerealis,  prefect  of  the  city,  a.d.  353,  in  honor  of  the  vic- 
tory over  Maxentius.  On  the  left-hand  pedestal,  the 
Suovetaurilia  is  sculptured,  with  a  congratulatory  inscrip- 
tion to  Constantius  and  Galerius. 

Besides  those  which  we  have  noticed,  there  is  mention 
in  classical  authors  of  many  other  buildings  and  statues 
which  were  once  crowded  into  the  narrow  space  which  has 
been  described. 

The  modern  name  of  Camf>o  Vaccina,  by  which  the 
Forum  is  now  known,  is  supposed  by  sonie  antiquaries  to  be 
derived  from  Vitruvius  Vacca,  who  once  had  a  house  there. 

»  Jcsephus,  vii.  37.  s  Pliny,  .■ucxvi.  7. 


THE    CAMPO    VACCINO.  15:5 

"  La  guerre  aux  habitants  de  Privenium  (Piperno)  rattache  a  une 
localite  du  Palatiii.  .  .  .  Les  habitants  de  Fondi  avaient  fait  cause 
commune  avec  les  habitants  de  Privernum.  Leur  chef,  Vitruvius 
Vacca,  possedait  une  maison  sur  le  Palatin  ;  c'etait  un  homme  con- 
siderable dans  son  pays  et  meme  a  Rome,  lis  demanderent  et  obtin- 
rent  grace.  Privernum  fut  pris,  et  Vitruvius  Vacca,  qui  s'y  etait 
refugie,  conduit  a  Rome,  enfcrme  dans  la  prison  Mamertine  pour  y 
etre  garde  jusqu'au  retour  du  consul,  et  alors  battu  de  verges  et  mis 
a  mort ;  sa  maison  du  Palatin  fut  rasee,  et  le  lieu  oii  elle  avail  ete 
garda  le  nom  de  Pres  de  Vacca  J" — Ampere,  Histoire  Rornaine,  iii.  I?- 

But  the  name  will  seem  singularly  appropriate  to  those  who 
are  familiar  with  the  groups  of  meek-faced  oxen  of  the 
Campagna,  which  are  always  to  be  seen  lying  in  the  shade 
under  the  trees  of  the  Forum,  or  drinking  at  its  water- 
troughs. 

"  '  Romanoque  Fore  et  lautis  mugire  Carinis.' 

"  Ce  vers  m'a  toujours  profondement  frappe,  lorsque  je  traversais  le 
Fonun,  aujourd'hui  Campo  Vaccina  (le  champ  du  betail);  je  voyais 
en  effet  presque  toujours  a  son  extremite  des  bceufs  couches  au  pied 
du  Palatin.  Virgile,  se  reportant  de  la  Rome  de  son  temps  a  la  Rome 
ancienne  d'Evandre,  ne  trouvait  pas  d'image  plus  frappante  du  change- 
ment  produit  par  les  siecles,  que  la  presence  d'un  troupeau  de  bojufs 
dans  le  lieu  destine  a  etre  le  Forum.  Eh  bien,  le  jour  devait  veniroii 
ce  qui  etait  pour  Virgile  un  passe  lointain  et  presque  incroyable  se 
reproduirait  dans  la  suite  des  ages  ;  le  Forum  devait  etre  de  nouveau 
un  lieu  agreste,  ses  magnificences  s'en  aller  et  les  bceufs  y  revenii. 

'' J'aimais  a  les  contempler  a  travers  quelques  colonnes  moins  vieil- 
les  que  les  souvenirs  qu'ils  me  retracaient,  reprenant  possession  de  ce 
sol  d'ou  les  avail  chasses  la  liberie,  la  gloire,  Ciceron,  Cesar,  et  oil 
devait  les  ramener  la  plus  grande  vicissitude  de  Thistoire,  la  destruc- 
tion de  I'empire  romain  par  les  barbares.  Ce  que  Virgile  trouvait  si 
etrange  dans  le  passe  n'etonne  plus  dans  le  present;  les  boeufs  mugis- 
sent  au  Forum;  ils  s'y  couchent  et  y  ruminent  aujourd'hui,  de  meme 
qu'au  temps  d'Evandre  et  comme  s'il  n'etait  rien  ^xnsi..''— Ampere, 
Hist.  Pom.  i.  211. 

"  In  many  a  heap  the  ground 
Heaves,  as  if  Ruin  in  a  frantic  mood 
Had  done  its  utmost.      Here  and  there  appears, 
As  lefr  to  show  his  handy-work  not  ours, 
An  idle  column,  a  half  buried  arch, 
A  wall  of  some  great  temple.     It  was  once 
And  long,  the  center  of  their  Universe, 
The  Forum — whence  a  mandate,  eagle-winged. 
Went  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.     Let  us  descend 
Slowly.     At  every  step  much  may  be  lost. 
The  very  dust  we  tread,  stirs  as  with  life 
And  not  a  breath  but  from  the  ground  sends  up 
Something  of  human  grandetir. 


Ije,  ir.lLA'S  I\  ROME. 

Now  all  is  changed  ;  and  here,  as  in  the  wild. 

The  day  is  silent,  dreary  as  the  night; 

None  stirring,  save  the  herdsman  and  his  herd, 

Savage  alike  ;  or  they  that  would  explore, 

Discuss  and  learnedly  ;  or  they  that  come 

(And  there  are  many  who  have  crossed  the  earth), 

That  they  may  give  the  hours  to  meditation, 

And  wander,  often  saying  to  themselves, 

'  This  was  the  Roman  Forum! '  " 

Rogers  Italy. 

"  We  descended  into  the  Forum,  the  light  fast  fading  away  and 
tlirowing  a  kindred  soberness  over  the  scene  of  ruin.  The  soil  has 
risen  from  rubbish  at  least  iifteen  feet,  so  that  no  wonder  that  the  hills 
look  lower  than  they  used  to  do,  having  been  never  very  considerable 
at  the  first.  There  it  was  one  scene  of  desolation,  from  the  massy 
foundation  stones  of  the  Capitoline  Temple,  which  were  laid  by  Tar- 
quinius  the  Proud,  to  a  single  pillar  erected  in  honor  of  Phocas,  the 
eastern  emperor  in  the  fifth  century.  What  the  fragments  of  pillars 
belonged  to,  perhaps  we  can  never  know;  but  that  I  think  matters 
little.  I  care  not  whether  it  was  a  temple  of  Jupiter  Stator  or  the 
Basilica  Julia,  but  one  knows  that  one  is  on  the  ground  of  the  Forum, 
under  the  Capitol,  the  place  where  the  tribes  assembled,  and  the 
orators  spoke  ;  the  scene,  in  short,  of  all  the  internal  struggles  of  the 
Roman  people." — Arnold's  Journal. 

"They  passed  the  solitary  column  of  Phocas, and  looked  dov/n  into 
the  excavated  space,  where  a  confusion  of  pillars,  arches,  pavements 
and  shattered  blocks  and  shafts — the  crumbs  of  various  ruins  dropped 
from  the  devouring  maw  of  Time  — stand,  or  lie,  at  the  base  of  the 
Capitoline  Hill.  That  renowned  hillock  (for  it  is  little  more")  now 
rose  abruptly  above  them.  The  ponderous  masonry,  with  which  the 
hillside  is  built  up,  is  as  old  as  Rome  itself,  and  looks  likely  to  endure 
while  the  world  retains  any  substance  or  permanence.  It  once  sus- 
tained the  Capitol,  and  now  bears  up  the  great  pile  which  the  medi- 
aeval builders  raised  on  the  antique  foundation,  and  that  still  loftier 
tower,  which  looks  abroad  upon  a  larger  page  of  deeper  historic  in- 
terest than  any  other  scene  can  show.  On  the  same  pedestal  of  Roman 
masonry  other  structures  will  doubtless  arise,  and  vanisli  like  ephem- 
eral tlnngs. 

"  To  a  spectator  on  the  spot,  it  is  remarkable  that  the  events  of 
Roman  history,  and  of  Roman  life  itself,  appear  not  so  distant  as  the 
Gothic  ages  which  succeeded  them.  We  stand  in  the  Forum,  or  on 
the  height  of  the  Capitol,  and  seem  to  see  the  Roman  epoch  close  at 
hand.  We  forget  that  a  chasm  extends  between  it  and  ourselves,  in 
which  lie  all  those  dark,  rude,  unlettered  centuries,  around  the  birth- 
time  of  Christanity,  as  well  as  the  age  of  chivalry  and  romance,  the 
feudal  system,  and  the  infancy  of  a  better  civilization  than  that  of 
RorO';.  Or,  if  we  remember  these  mediaeval  times,  they  look  further 
o(T  than  the  Augustan  age.  The  reason  may  be,  that  the  old  Roman 
liternture  survives,  and  creates  for  us  an  intimacy  with  the  classicages, 
which  wq  have  no  means  of  forming  with  the  subsequent  ones. 

■'  The  Italian    dimatR,  moreover,  robs  age  of   its   reverence,  aivd 


S.    MARTINA. 


157 


makes  it  look  nearer  than  it  is.  Not  the  Coliseum,  nor  the  tombs  of 
the  Appian  Way,  nor  the  oldest  pillar  in  the  Forum,  nor  any  other 
Roman  ruin,  be  it  as  dilapidated  as  it  may,  ever  give  the  impression 
of  venerable  antiquity  which  we  gaiiier,  along  with  the  ivy,  Irom  the 
gray  walls  of  an  English  abbey  or  castle.  And  yet  every  brick  and 
stone,  which  we  pick  up  among  the  former,  had  fallen,  ages  before  the 
foundation  of  the  latter  was  begun." — Haiuihorne. 

"  A  Rome,  vous  marchez  sur  les  pierres  qui  ont  e'te  les  dieux  de 
Cesar  et  de  Pomoee  :  vous  considerez  la  ruin  de  ces  grands  ouvrages, 
dont  la  vieillesse  est  encore  belle,  et  vous  vous  promtnerez  tous  les 
jours  parmi  les  histoires  et  les  fables.  .  .  .  II  n'y  a  que  Rome  oil 
la  \ae  soit  agreable,  ou  le  corps  trouve  ses  plaisirs  et  I'esprit  les  siens, 
oil  Ton  est  a  la  source  des  belles  choses.  Rome  est  cause  que  vous 
n'etes  plus  barbares,  elle  vous  a  appris  la  civilite  et  la  religion.  .  .  . 
II  est  certain  que  je  ne  monte  jamais  au  Palatin  ni  au  Capitole  que  je 
n'y  change  d'esprit,  et  qu'il  ne  me  vienne  d'autres  pensees  que  les 
miennes  ordinaires.  Cet  air  m'inspire  quelque  chose  de  grand  et  de 
genereux  que  je  n'avais  point  auparavant :  si  je  reve  deu.\  heures  au 
bord  du  Tibre,  je  suis  aussi  savant  que  si  j'avais  etudie  huit  jours." — 
Balzac. 


Before  leaving  the  Forum  we  must  turn  from  its  clas- 
sical to  its  mediaeval  remains,  and  examine  the  very  inter- 
esting group  of  churches  which  have  sprung  up  amid  its 
ruins. 

Almost  opposite  the  Mamertine  Prisons,  surmounted  by 
a  handsome  dome,  is  the  C/iurch  of  S.  Marti?ia,  which  con- 
tains the  original  model,  bequeathed  by  the  sculptor,  Thor- 
waldsen,  of  his  Copenhagen  statue  of  Christ  in  the  act  of 
benediction.  The  opposite  transept  contains  a  very  in- 
inferior  statue  of  Religion  by  Canova.  The  figure  of  the 
saint  by  Guerini  reposes  beneath  the  high  altar,  as  at  S. 
Cecilia.  The  subterranean  church  beneath  this  building 
is  well  worth  visiting.  An  ante-chapel  adorned  with  statues 
of  four  virgin  martyrs  leads  to  a  beautiful  chapel  erected 
at  the  cost  and  from  the  designs  of  Pietro  da  Cortona, 
whoF-e  tomb  stands  near  its  entrance  with  a  fine  bust  by 
Bernini.  In  the  center  of  the  inner  chapel,  lamps  are  al- 
ways burning  round  the  magnificent  bronze  altar  which 
covers  the  shrine  of  S.  Martini,  and  beneath  it  you  can 
discover  the  martyr's  tomb  by  the  light  of  a  torch  which  a 
monk  lets  down  through  a  hole.  In  the  tribune  is  an  an- 
cient throne.  A  side  chapel  contains  the  grave  in  Avhich 
the  body  of  the  virgin  saint,  with  three  other  martyrs,  her 
companions,  was  found  in  1634;  it   is  adorned  with  a  fine 


158 


HA  LAS    IN  ROME. 


bas-relief  by  Aii:^ardi.  An  inscription,  found  in  the  Cnta- 
conibs  of  S.  Agnese,  commemorates  the  Christian  Gauden- 
tius,  the  supposed  architect  of  the  Coliseum,  afterward 
martyred  in  his  own  building. 

"  At  the  foot  of  the  Capitoline  hill,  on  the  left  hand  as  we  descend 
from  the  Ara-Coeli  into  the  Porum,  there  stood  in  \ery  ancient  times  a 
small  chapel,  dedicated  to  S.  Martina,  a  Roman  virgin.  The  venera- 
tion paid  to  her  was  of  very  early  date,  and  the  Roman  people  were 
accustomed  to  assemble  there  on  the  first  day  of  the  year.  This  ob- 
servance was,  however,  confined  to  the  people,  and  not  very  general 
till  1O34,  an  era  which  connects  her  in  rather  an  interesting  manner 
with  the  history  of  art.  In  this  year,  as  they  were  about  to  repair  her 
chapel,  they  discov-ered,  walled  into  the  foundations,  a  sarcophagus  of 
terra-cotta,  in  which  was  the  body  of  a  young  female,  whose  severed 
head  reposed  in  a  separate  casket.  These  remains  were  very  naturally 
supposed  to  be  those  of  the  saint  who  had  been  so  long  venerated  on 
that  spot.  The  discovery  was  hailed  with  the  utmost  exultation,  not 
by  the  people  only,  but  by  those  who  led  the  minds  and  consciences 
of  the  people.  The  pope  himself,  Urban  VIII.,  composed  hymns  in 
her  praise  ;  and  Cardinal  Francesco  Barberini  undertook  to  rebuild  her 
church.  Amongst  those  who  shared  the  general  enthusiasm  was  the 
painter  Pietro  da  Cortona,  who  was  at  Rome  at  the  time,  who  very 
earnestly  dedicated  himself  and  his  powers  to  the  glorification  of  S. 
Martina.  Her  church  had  already  been  given  to  the  Academy  of 
Painters,  and  consecrated  to  S.  Luke,  their  patron  saint.  It  is  now 
'  San  Luca  and  Santa  Martina.'  Pietro  da  Cortona  erected,  at  his  own 
cost,  the  chapel  of  S.  Martina,  and,  when  he  died,  endowed  it  with  his 
whole  fortune.  He  painted  for  the  altarpiece  his  best  picture,  in  which 
the  saint  is  represented  as  triumphing  over  the  idols,  while  the  temple 
in  which  she  has  been  led  to  sacrifice  is  struck  by  lightning  from 
heaven,  and  falls  in  ruins  around  her.  In  a  votive  picture  of  S.  Mar- 
tina, kneeling  at  the  feet  of  the  Virgin  and  Child,  she  is  represented 
as  very  young  and  lovely  ;  near  her,  a  horrid  instrument  of  torture,  a 
two-pionged  fork  with  barbed  extremities,  and  the  lictor's  axe,  signi- 
fying the  manner  of  her  dQ^iih."— Jameson's  Sucre  J  and  Legendary 
Art. 

The  feast  of  the  saint  is  observed  here  on  Jan.  30,  with 
much  scii-emnity.  Then,  in  all  the  Roman  churches  is 
sung  the  Hymn  of  S.  Martina  : 

"  Martinae  celebri  plauditc  noraini 
Gives  Romulei,  plaudite  gloriae  ; 
Insignem  meritis  dicite  virginem, 
Christi  dicite  martyrem. 

Haec  dum  conspicuis  orta  parentibus. 
Inter  delicias,  inter  amabiles 
Luxus  illeccbrns,  ditibus  affluit 
Faustae  muneribus  dnmus. 


SS.    CO  SAW   AND  D  AMI  AN.  159 

Vitae  despiciens  commoda,  dedicat 
Se  rerum  Domino,  et  muniiica  manu 
Christi  pauperibus  distribuens  opes 
Quaerit  praemia  coelitum. 

A  nobis  abigas  iubrica  gaudia 
Tu,  qui  martyribus  dexter  ades,  Deus 
Una  et  trine  :  tuis  da  famulis  jubar 
Quo  Clemens  animos  beas.     Amen." 

There  is  nothing  especial  to  notice  in  6".  Adriano,  which 
is  built  in  the  ruins  of  the  basilica  of  Emilius  Paulus,  or  in 
S.  Lorenzo  in  Miranda,  which  occupies  the  temple  of  An- 
toninus and  Faustina,  but  S.  Maria  Libcratrice,  built  on 
the  site  of  the  house  of  Numa  and  the  convent  of  the  Ves- 
tals (and  threatened,  1882,  with  destruction  by  the  Italian 
Government),  commemorates  by  its  name  a  curious  legend 
of  the  fourth  century.  On  this  site,  it  is  said,  dwelt  in  a 
cave,  a  terrible  dragon  who  had  slain  three  hundred  per- 
sons with  the  poison  of  his  breath.  Into  this  cave,  in- 
structed thereto  by  S.  Peter,  and  intrusting  himself  to  the 
care  of  the  Virgin,  descended  S.  Silvester  the  Pope,  at- 
tended by  two  acolytes  bearing  torches,  and  here,  having 
pronounced  the  name  of  Christ,  he  was  miraculously  en- 
abled to  bind  the  dragon,  and  to  shut  him  up  till  the  daj* 
of  Judgment.  But  when  he  ascended  in  safety,  he  found  at 
the  mouth  of  the  cave  two  magicians  who  had  followed  him 
in  the  hope  of  discovering  some  imposture,  dying  from  the 
poison  of  the  dragon's  breath, — and  these  also  he  saved  alive. 

We  now  reach  the  circular  edifice  which  has  been  so 
long  known  as  the  temple  of  Remus,  and  which,  owing  to 
recent  excavations,  must  nov*'  be  entered  from  the  side 
street.  The  porphyry  pillars  at  the  original  entrance,  sup- 
porting a  richly  sculptured  cornice,  were  probably  set  up 
thus  when  the  temple  was  turned  into  a  church.  The 
bronze  doors  were  brought  from  Perugia.  If,  as  was  long 
supposed,  the  temple  on  this  site  v/as  that  of  the  Penates, 
the  protectors  against  all  kinds  of  illness  and  misfortune, 
the  modern  dedication  to  the  protecting  physicians  Cosmo 
and  Damian  may  have  had  some  reference  to  that  which 
went  before. 

The  Church  of  SS.  Cos7no  e  Da7nia?io  was  founded 
within  the  ancient  temple  by  Pope  Felix  IV.  in  527,  and 
restored  by  Adrian  I.  in  780  ;    Sergius  I.   built  the    am- 


l6o  WALKS  LV    ROME. 

bones  and  ciborium  above  the  confession  in  695.  In  1633 
the  whole  building  was  modernized  by  Urban  VIII.,  who, 
in  order  to  raise  it  to  the  later  level  of  the  soil,  cut  the 
ancient  church  in  half  by  the  vaulting  which  now  divides 
the  upper  and  lower  churches.  To  visit  the  lower  church 
a  monk  must  be  summoned,  who  will  bring  a  torch.  This 
is  well  worth  while.  It  is  of  great  size,  and  contains  a  cu- 
rious well  into  which  Christian  martyrs  in  the  time  of  Nero 
are  said  to  ha\e  been  precipitated.  The  tomb  of  the  mar- 
tyrs Cosmo  and  Damian  is  beneath  the  altar,  which  is 
formed  of  beautiful  transparent  marble.  Under  a  side 
altar  is  the  grave  of  Felix  IV.  The  third  and  lowest  church 
(the  original  crypt),  ^which  is  very  small,  is  said  to  have 
been  a  place  of  refuge  during  the  early  Christian  persecu- 
tions. Here  is  shown  the  altar  at  which  Felix  IV.  cele- 
brated mass  while  his  converts  were  hiding  here — the  grave 
in  which  tlie  body  of  the  pope  was  afterward  discovered — 
and  a  miraculous  spring,  still  flowing,  which  is  said  to  have 
burst  forth  in  answer  to  his  prayers  that  he  might  have 
wherewithal  to  baptize  his  disciples.  A  passage  which 
formerly  led  from  hence  to  the  Catacombs  of  S.  Sebastian, 
was  walled  up,  twenty  years  ago,  by  the  paternal  govern- 
ment, because  twenty  persons  were  lost  in  it.  In  this 
crypt  was  found  the  greater  portion  of  the  famous  "  Pianta 
Capitolina,"  now  preserved  in  the  Capitol.  In  the  upper 
church,  on  the  right  of  the  entrance  from  the  circular  ves- 
tibule into  the  body  of  the  building  is  this  inscription  : 

"  L'  imagine  di  Madonna  Santissima  che  es^iste  all'  altar  magg. 
parlo  a  S.  (Jregoiio  Papa  dicendogli,  '  Perche  piu  non  mi  !-aluti  menlie 
passando  eri  solilo  salutarmi  ?'  II  santo  domando  pcrdona  c  concesse 
a  quelli  che  celebrano  in  quell'  altare  la  iibeiazione  dell'  anima  dal 
purgatorio,  cioe  per  quell'  anima  per  la  quale  si  celebra  la  mesba."  * 

Another  inscription  narrates  : 

"  Gregorius  primus  concessit  omnibus  et  singulis  visilantibus  ecclc- 
siam  islam  sanctorum  Cosmae  et  Damiani  mille  annos  de  indulgentia, 
ct  in  die  slationis  ejusdem  ecclesiae  idem  Gregorius  concessit  decern 
millia  annorum  de  indulgentia." 

Among  the  many  relics  preserved  in  this  church  are, 
"  Una  ampulla  lactis  Beatae  Mariae  Virginis  ;  "  "  De  Domo 
Sanctae  Mariae  Magdalenae;  "  "  De  Domo  Sancti  Zachariae 
profetae  !  " 

'  See  Percy's  Romaiiisir^ 


SS.    COSMO  .-LVD  DA  MI  A  A'.  l6i 

Deserving  of  the  most  minute  attention  is  the  grand 
mosaic  of  Christ — conning  on  the  clouds  of  sunset. 

"The  mosaics  of  SS.  Cosmo  and  Damian  (a. D.  526-530)  are  the 
finest  of  ancient  Christian  Rome.  Above  the  arch  appear,  on  each 
side  of  the  Lamb,  four  angels,  of  excellent  but  somewhat  severe  style  ; 
then  follow  various  apocalyptic  emblems  ;  a  modern  walling-iip  having 
left  but  few  traces  of  the  twenty-four  elders.  A  gold  surface,  dimmed 
by  age,  with  little  purple  clouds,  forms  the  background  :  though  in 
Rome,  at  least,  at  both  an  earlier  and  later  date,  a  blue  ground  pre- 
vailed. In  the  apsis  itself,  upon  a  dark  blue  ground,  with  golden- 
edged  clouds,  is  seen  the  colossal  figure  of  Christ ;  the  right  hand 
raised,  either  in  benediction  or  teaching,  the  left  holding  a  written 
scroll  :  above  is  the  hand,  which  is  the  emblem  of  the  First  Person  of 
the  Trinity.  Below,  on  each  side,  the  apostles  Peter  and  Paul  are 
leading  SS.  Cosmo  and  Damian,  each  with  crowns  in  their  hands, 
toward  the  Saviour,  followed  by  S.  Theodore  on  the  right,  and  by 
Pope  Felix  IV.,  the  founder  of  the  church,  on  the  left.  This  latter, 
unfortunately,  is  an  entirely  restored  figure.  Two  palm-trees,  spark- 
ling with  gold,  above  one  of  which  appears  the  emblem  of  eternity, 
the  phoenix — with  a  star-shaped  nimbus,  close  the  composition  on 
each  side.  Further  below,  indicated  by  water-plants,  sparkling  also 
with  gold,  is  the  river  Jordan.  The  figure  of  Clirist  may  be  regarded 
as  one  of  the  most  marvelous  specimens  of  the  art  of  the  middle  ages. 
Countenance,  attitude,  and  drapery  combine  to  give  him  an  expres- 
sion of  quiet  majesty,  which,  for  many  centuries  after,  is  not  found 
again  in  equal  beauty  and  freedom.  The  drapery,  especially,  is  dis- 
posed in  noble  folds,  and  only  in  its  somewhat  too  ornate  details  is  a 
further  departure  from  the  antique  observable.  The  saints  are  not  as 
yet  arranged  in  stiff  parallel  forms,  but  are  advancing  forward,  so  that 
their  figures  appear  somewhat  distorted,  while  we  already  remark 
something  constrained  and  inanimate  in  their  step.  The  apostles 
Peter  and  Paul  wear  the  usual  ideal  costume.  SS.  Cosmo  and  Dami- 
an are  attired  in  the  late  Roman  dress  :  violet  mantles,  in  gold  stuff, 
with  red  embroideries  of  Oriental  barbaric  effect.  Otherwise  the  chief 
motives  of  the  drapery  are  of  great  beauty,  though  somewhat  too 
abundant  in  folds.  The  high  lights  are  brought  out  by  gold  and  other 
sparkling  materials,  producing  a  gorgeous  play  of  color  which  relieves 
the  figures  vigorously  from  the  dark  blue  background.  Altogether, 
a  feeling  for  color  is  here  displayed,  of  which  no  later  mosaics  with 
gold  grounds  give  any  idea.  The  heads,  with  the  exception  of  the 
jirincipal  figure,  are  animated  and  individual,  thougli  without  any 
particular  depth  of  expression  ;  somewhat  elderly,  also,  in  physiog- 
nomy, but  still  far  removed  from  any  Byzantine  stiffness.  S  Peter 
has  already  the  bald  head,  and  S.  Paul  the  short  brown  hair  and  dark 
beard,  by  which  they  were  afterwards  recognizable.'  Under  this  chief 
composition,  on  a  gold  ground,  is  seen  the  Lamb  upon  a  hill,  with  the 

'  There  is  no  aureole  round  the  heads  of  the  saints.  This  emblem  of  glory, 
which  belonged  to  Apollo  and  the  deified  emperors,  v/£is  not  bestowed  upon  the 
martyrs  of  the  catacombs  till  the  time  of  Constantine,  and  had  not  yet  become 
universal. 


1 62  WALKS   I.V    ROME. 

four  rivers  of  Paradise,  and  the  twelve  sheep  on  either  liand.  The 
great  care  of  execution  is  seen  in  the  five  or  six  gradations  of  tints 
which  the  artist  has  adopted." — Kuglcr. 

SS.  Cosmo  and  Damian,  to  whom  this  church  is  dedi- 
cated, the  Esculapii  of  Christianity,  were  two  Arabian 
physicians  who  exercised  their  art  from  charity.  They 
suffered  under  Diocletian.  "  First  they  were  thrown  into 
the  sea,  but  an  angel  saved  them  ;  and  then  into  the  fire, 
but  the  fire  refused  to  burn  them  ;  then  they  were  bound 
to  crosses  and  stoned,  but  the  stones  either  fell  harmless 
or  rebounded  on  their  executioners  and  killed  them,  so 
then  the  pro-consul  Lycias,  believing  them  to  be  sorcerers, 
commanded  that  they  should  be  beheaded,  and  thus  they 
died. "  SS.  Cosmo  and  Damian  were  the  patron  saints  of 
the  Medici,  and  their  gilt  statues  were  carried  in  state  at 
the  coronation  of  Leo  X.  (Giovanni  de'  Medici).  Their 
fame  is  general  in  many  parts  of  France,  where  their  fete 
is  celebrated  by  a  village  fair — children  who  ask  for  their 
fairing  of  a  toy  or  gingerbread  calling  it  their  "  S.  Come." 

"  It  is  related  that  a  certain  man,  who  was  aflVicted  with  a  cancer  in 
his  leg,  went  to  perform  his  devotions  in  the  church  SS.  Cosmo  and 
Damian  at  Rome,  and  he  prayed  most  earnestly  that  these  beneficent 
saints  would  be  pleased  to  aid  him.  When  he  had  piayed,  a  deep 
sleep  fell  upon  him.  Then  he  beheld  S.  Cosmo  and  S.  Damian,  who 
stood  beside  him  ;  and  one  carried  a  bo.\  of  ointments,  and  the  other 
a  sharp  knife.  And  one  said,  'What  shall  we  do  1o  replace  this  dis- 
eased leg  when  we  have  cut  it  off  ?'  And  the  other  replied,  'There 
is  a  Moor  who  has  been  buried  just  now  at  S.  Pietro  in  Vincoli  ;  let 
us  take  his  leg  for  the  purpose."  So  they  brought  the  leg  of  the  dead 
man,  and  with  it  they  replaced  the  leg  of  the  sick  man  ;  anointing  it 
with  celestial  ointment,  so  that  he  remained  whole.  When  he  awoke 
he  almost  doubted  v.hether  it  could  be  liimself ;  but  his  neighbors, 
seeing  that  he  was  healed,  looked  into  the  tomb  of  the  Moor,  and 
found  that  there  had  been  an  exchange  of  legs  :  and  tluis  the  truth  of 
this  great  miracle  was  proved  to  all  beholders." — Mrs.  Jufiieson,  from 
tlie  Lcgenda  A  urea. 

Just  beyond  the  basilica  of  Constantinc,  stands  the 
Church  of  S.  Francesca  Romana,  which  is  full  of  interest. 
It  was  first  built  by  S.  Sylvester  on  the  site  of  the  temple 
of  Venus  and  dedicated  to  the  Virgin,  under  the  title  of 
S.  Maria  Antica.  It  was  rebuilt  in  a.d.  872  by  John  VIII., 
who  resided  in  the  adjoining  mraastery  during  his  i)ontifi- 
cate.  An  ancient  picture  attributed  to  S.  Luke,  brought 
from  Troy  in  1 100,  was  the  only  object  in  this  church  which 


5.    FRANCLSCA    ROM  AN  A. 


163 


was  preserved  when  the  building  was  totally  destroyed  by 
fire  in  12 16,  after  which  the  church,  then  called  S.  Maria 
Nuova,  was  restored  by  Honorius  III.  During  the  resto- 
ration the  picture  was  kept  at  S.  Adriano,  and  its  being 
brought  back  led  to  a  contest  among  the  people,  which 
was  ended  by  a  child  exclaiming — "  What  are  you  doing  ? 
the  Madonna  is  already  in  her  own  church.'"  She  had  be- 
taken herself  thither  none  knew  how. 

In  the  twelfth  century  the  church  was  given  to  the  Lat- 
eran  Canons,  in  the  fourteenth  to  the  Olivetan  monks  ; 
under  Eugenius  IV.  the  latter  extended  their  boundaries 
so  far  that  they  included  the  Coliseum,  but  their  walls 
were  forced  down  in  the  succeeding  pontificate.  Gregory 
XL,  Paul  II.,  and  Caesar  Borgia,  were  cardinals  of  S. 
Maria  Novella.  In  1440  the  name  was  changed  to  that  of 
S.  Francesca  Romana,  when  that  saint,  Francesca  de'  Pon- 
ziani,  foundress  of  the  Order  of  Oblates,  was  buried  here. 
Her  tomb  was  erected  in  1640  by  Donna  Agata  Pamfili, 
sister  of  Innocent  X.,  herself  an  Oblate.  It  is  from  the 
designs  of  Bernini,  and  is  rich  in  marbles.  The  figure  was 
not  added  till  1868. 

"After  the  death  of  Francesca,  her  body  remained  during  a  night 
and  a  day  at  the  Ponziani  Palace,  the  Oblates  watching  by  turns  over 
the  beloved  remains.  .  .  .  Francesca's  face,  which  had  recently  borne 
traces  of  age  and  suffering,  became  as  beautiful  again  as  in  the  days  of 
youth  and  prosperity  ;  and  the  astonished  bystanders  gazed  with 
wonder  and  awe  at  her  unearthly  loveliness.  Si  any  of  them  carried 
away  particles  from  her  clothes,  and  employed  them  for  the  cure  of 
several  persons  who  had  been  considered  beyond  the  possibility  of 
recovery.  In  the  course  of  the  day  the  crowd  augmented  to  a  degree 
which  alarmed  the  inhabitants  of  the  palace.  Battista  Ponziani  took 
measures  to  have  the  body  removed  at  once  to  the  church,  and  a  pro- 
cession of  the  regular  and  secular  clergy  escorted  the  venerated  remains 
to  Santa  Maria  Nuova,  where  they  were  to  be  interred. 

"  The  popular  feeling  burst  forth  on  the  occasion  ;  it  was  no  longer 
to  be  restrained.  Francesca  was  invoked  by  the  crowd,  and  her  be- 
loved name  was  heard  in  every  street,  in  every  piazza,  in  every  corner 
of  the  Eternal  City.  It  flew  from  mouth  to  mouth,  it  seemed  to  float 
in  the  air,  to  be  borne  aloft  by  the  grateful  enthusiasm  of  a  whole 
people,  who  had  seen  her  walk  to  that  church  by  her  mother's  side  in 
her  holy  childhood  ;  who  had  seen  her  kneel  at  that  altar  in  the  grave 
beauty  of  womanhood,  in  the  hour  of  bereavement,  and  now  in  death 
carried  thither  in  state,  she  the  gentle,  the  humble  saint  of  Rome,  the 
poor  woman  of  the  Trastevere,  as  she  was  sometimes  called  at  her  own 
desire." — Lady  G.  FulU-ytoiis  Life  of  S.  Francesca  Romana. 

A  chapel  on  the  right  of  the  church  contains  the  monu- 


I  64  WALKS  IX  ROME. 

mont  of  Cardinal  Vulcani,  1322,  supiwrting  his  figure, 
witli  Faitli,  Hope,  and  Ciiariiy  sculj/iured  in  liigh  relief 
below.  Near  the  door  is  the  tomb  of  Cardinal  Adimari, 
1432,  who  died  here  after  an  ineffectual  mission  to  tlic 
anti-pope  Pedro  da  Luna.  In  the  left  transept  was  a  fine 
Perugino  (removed  1S67)  ;  in  the  right  transept  is  the 
tomb  of  Pope  Gregory  XL,  by  Pietro  Paolo  Olivicri, 
erected  by  the  senate  in  1584  in  gratitude  for  his  h.aving 
restored  the  papal  court  to  Rome  from  Avignon.  A  bas- 
relief  represents  his  triumphal  entry,  with  S.  Catherine  of 
Siena,  by  whose  entreaties  he  was  induced  to  return, 
walking  before  his  mule.  A  breach  in  the  walls  indicates 
the  ruinous  state  into  which  Rome  had  fallen  ;  the  chair 
of  S.  Peter  is  represented  as  floating  back  through  the  air, 
while  an  angel  carries  the  papal  tiara  and  keys  ;  a  meta- 
phorical figure  of  Rome  i^  coming  forth  to  v/elcome  the 
Pope. 

"  The  greatest  part  of  the  praise  due  to  Gregory's  return  to  Rome 
belongs  to  S.  Catherine  of  Siena,  who,  with  iniinite  courage,  traveled 
to  Avignon,  and  persuaded  the  pope  to  return,  and  by  his  presence  to 
dispel  tlie  evils  which  disgraced  Italyj  in  consequence  of  tlie  absence 
of  the  popes.  Thus  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  those  writers  who 
rightly  understand  the  matter  should  have  said  that  Catherine,  tht 
virgin  of  Siena,  brought  back  to  God  the  abandoned  apostolical  chair 
upon  her  shoulders." — Ughelli,  Ital.  Sacra,  vi.  col.  45. 

Near  Pope  Gregory's  tomb  some  blackened  marks  in  the 
wall  are  shown  as  holes  made  by  the  (gigantic)  knees  of 
S.  Peter,  when  he  knelt  to  pray  that  Simon  INLagus  might 
be  dropped  by  the  demons  he  had  invoked  to  support 
him  in  the  air,  which  he  is  said  to  have  done  to  show  his 
power  on  this  spot. 

"  When  the  error  of  Simon  was  spreading  farther  and  farther,  the 
illustrious  pair  of  men,  Peter  and  Paul,  tlie  rulers  of  the  Church, 
arrested  it  by  going  thither,  who  suddenly  exhibited  as  dead,  Simon, 
the  putative  god,  on  his  appearance.  Kor  when  Simon  declared  that 
he  would  ascend  aloft  into  heaven,  the  servants  of  God  cast  him  head- 
long to  the  earth,  and  though  tliis  occurrence  was  wonderful  in  itself, 
it  was  not  wonderful  under  the  circumstances,  for  it  was  Peter  who 
did  it.  he  who  bears  with  him  the  keys  of  heaven  ...  it  was  Paul 
who  did  it,  he  who  was  caught  up  into  the  third  heaven." — S.  Cyril  o J 
Jerusalem. 

"Simon  promised  to  fly,  ;ind  ihus  ascend  to  the  heavenly  abodes. 
On  the  day  agreed  u])on,  \v:  %\cnt  to  the  Capitulinj  hill,  and  throwing 


TEMPLE    OF    VENUS  AND   ROME.  165 

himself  from  the  rock,  began  his  ascent.  Then  Peter,  standing 
in  the  midst,  said,  'O  Lord  Jesus,  show  him  that  his  arts  are  in 
vain.'  Hardly  had  the  words  been  uttered,  when  the  wings  which 
Simon  had  made  use  cf  became  entangled,  and  he  fell.  His  thigh 
was  fractured,  never  to  be  healed — and  some  lime  afterward,  the  un- 
happy man  died  at  Aretia,  whither  he  had  retired  after  his  discomfi- 
ture.'" — S.  Ambrose-.'- 

"  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  there  existed  in  the  first  century  a 
Simon,  a  Samaritan,  a  pretender  to  divine  authority  and  supernatural 
powers  ;  who,  for  a  time,  had  many  followers  ;  who  stood  in  a  certain 
relation  to  Christianity  ;  and  who  may  have  held  some  opinions  more 
or  less  similar  to  those  entertained  by  the  most  famous  heretics  of  the 
early  ages,  the  Gnostics.  Irenaeus  calls  this  Simon  the  father  of  all 
heretics.  '  All  those,'  he  says,  '  who  in  any  way  corrupt  the  truth,  or 
mar  the  preaching  of  the  Church,  are  disciples  and  successors  of 
Simon,  the  Samaritan  magician.'  Simon  gave  himself  forth  as  a  God, 
and  carried  about  with  him  a  beautiful  woman  named  Helena,  whom 
he  represented  as  the  first  conception  of  his — that  is,  of  the  divine — 
mind,  the  symbol  and  manifestation  of  that  portion  of  spirituality  which 
had  become  entangled  in  matter.'  " — -Jamesons  Sacred  Art,  p.  204. 

The  vault  of  the  tribune  is  covered  with  mosaics. 

"The  restored  tribune  mosaics  (a.d.  85S-8S7,  during  the  pontificate 
of  Nicholas  I.)  close  the  list  of  Roman  Byzantine  works.  By  their 
time  it  had  liiecome  apparent  tliat  such  figures  as  the  art  of  the  day 
was  alone  able  to  achieve,  could  have  no  possible  relation  to  each 
other,  and  therefore  no  longer  constitute  a  composition  ;  the  artists 
accordingly  separated  the  Madonna  on  the  throne,  and  the  four  saints 
with  uplifted  hands,  by  graceful  arcades.  The  ground  is  gold,  the 
nimbuses  blue.  The  faces  consist  only  of  feeble  lines — the  cheeks 
are  only  red  blotches  ;  the  folds  merely  dark  strokes  ;  nevertheless  a 
certain  flow  and  fullness  in  the  forms,  and  the  character  of  a  few  ac- 
cessories (for  instance,  the  exchange  of  a  crown  upon  the  Virgin's 
head  for  the  invariable  Byzantine  veil),  seem  to  indicate  that  we  have 
not  so  much  to  do  here  with  the  decline  of  Byzantine  art,  as  with  a 
northern  and  probably  Prankish  influence." — Kugler. 

The  convent  attached  to  this  church  was  the  abode  of 
Tasso  during  his  first  visit  to  Rome. 

Behind  S.  Francesca  Romana,  and  facing  the  Cohseum, 
are  the  remains  generally  known  as  the  Temple  of  Venus 
and  Rome^  also  called  Templum  Urbis  (now  sometimes 
called  by  objectors  the  "  Portico  of  Livia"),  which,  if  this 
name  is  the  correct  one,  was  originally  planned  by  the 
Emperor  Hadrian  to  rival  the  Forum  of  Trajan,  erected 
by  the  architect  Apollodorus.     It   was  built  upon  a  site 

'  See  the  whole  question  of  Simon  Magnus  discussed  in  Waterworth's  England 
and  Rotne. 


J  66  WALKS  I.V  ROME. 

previously  occupied  by  the  atrium  of  Nero's  Golden 
House.  Little  remains  standing  except  a  cella  facing  the 
Coliseum,  and  another  in  the  cloisters  of  the  adjoining 
convent  (these,  perhaps,  being  restorations  by  Maxentius, 
c.  307,  after  a  fire  had  destroyed  most  of  the  building  of 
Hadrian),  but  the  surrounding  grassy  height  is  positively 
littered  with  fragments  of  the  gray  granite  columns  which 
once  formed  the  grand  portico  (400  by  200  feet)  of  the 
building.  A  large  mass  of  Corinthian  cornice  remains 
near  the  cella  facing  the  Coliseum.  This  was  the  last 
pagan  temple  which  remained  in  use  in  Rome.  It  was 
only  closed  by  Theodosius  in  391,  and  remained  entire  till 
625,  when  Pope  Honorius  carried  off  the  bronze  tiles  of  its 
roof  to  S.  Peter's. 

"  .\c  sacram  resonare  viam  mugitibus,  ante 

Delubrum  Romae  ;  colitur  nam  sanguine  et  ipsa 
More  deae,  nomenque  loci,  ecu  numen,  habetur. 
Alque  Uibis,  Venerisque  pari  se  culmine  tollunt 
Templa,  simul  geminis  adolentur  thura  deabus." 

Priident'ius  contr.  Symm,  v.  214. 

"When  about  to  construct  his  magnificent  temple  of  Venus  and 
Rome,  Hadrian  produced  a  design  of  his  own  and  showed  it  with 
proud  satisfaction  to  the  architect  Apollodorus.  The  creator  of  the 
Trajan  column  remarked  with  a  sneer  that  the  deities,  if  they  rose 
from  their  seats  must  thrust  their  heads  through  the  ceiling.  The 
emperor,  we  are  assured,  could  not  forgive  this  banter  ;  but  we  can 
hardly  take  to  the  letter  the  statement  that  he  put  his  critic  to  death 
for  it." — Merivale,  ch.  Ixvi. 

In  front  of  this  temple  stood  the  bronze  statue  of 
Cloclia,  mentioned  by  Livy  and  Seneca,  and  (till  the  sixth 
century)  the  bronze  elephants  mentioned  by  Cassiodorus. 
Nearer  the  Coliseum  may  still  be  seen  the  remains  of  the 
foundation  prepared  by  Hadrian  for  the  Colossal  Staiiie  oj 
Nero,  executed  in  bronze  by  Zenodorus.  This  statue  was 
twice  moved,  first  by  Vespasian,  in  a.d.  75,  that  it  might 
face  the  chief  entrance  of  his  amphitheatre,'  whose  plan 
had  been  already  laid  out.  At  the  same  time — though  it 
was  a  striking  likeness  of  Nero — its  head  was  surrounded 
with  rays  that  it  might  represent  Apollo,  In  its  second 
position  it  is  described  by  Martial : 

'  Dion  Cassius,  Ixvi.  15, 


ARCH  OF    TITUS.  167 

■'  Hie  ubi  sidereus  propius  videt  astra  colossus 
Et  crescunt  media  pegmata  celsa  via, 
Invidiosa  feri  radiabant  atria  regis, 

Unaque  jam  tota  stabat  in  urbe  domus." 

Dc  Sped.  ii. 

It  was  again  moved  (with  the  aid  of  forty-two  elephants) 
a  few  yards  further  north,  by  Hadrian,  when  he  built  his 
temple  of  Venus  and  Rome.  Pliny  describes  the  colossus 
as  no,  Dion  Cassius  as  too  feet  high. 

"  Hadrian  employed  an  architect  named  Decrianus  to  remove  the 
colossus  of  Nero,  the  face  of  which  had  been  altered  into  a  Sol.  He 
does  not  seem  to  have  accomplished  the  design  of  ApoUodorus  to 
erect  a  companion  statue  of  Luna." — Mcrivalc,  ch.  Ixvi. 

Near  the  church  of  S.  Francesca,  the  Via  Sacra  passes 
under  the  Arch  of  Titus,  which,  even  in  its  restored  con- 
dition, is  the  most  beautiful  monument  of  the  kind  remain- 
ing in  Rome.  Its  Christian  interest  is  unrivaled,  from  its 
having  been  erected  by  the  senate  to  commemorate  the 
taking  of  Jerusalem,  and  from  its  bas-reliefs  of  the  seven- 
branched  candlestick  and  other  treasures  of  the  Jewish 
Temple.  In  mediaeval  times  it  was  called  the  Arch  of  the 
Seven  Candlesticks  (septem  lucernarum)  from  the  bas- 
relief  of  the  candlestick,  concerning  which  Gregorovius 
remarks,  that  the  fantastic  figures  carved  upon  it  prove  that 
it  was  not  an  exact  likeness  of  that  which  came  from  Jeru- 
salem. The  bas-reliefs  are  now  greatly  mutilated,  but  they 
are  shown  in  their  perfect  state  in  a  drawing  of  Giuliano 
di  Sangallo.  On  the  frieze  is  the  sacred  river  Jordan,  as 
an  aged  man,  borne  on  a  bier.  The  arch,  which  was  in  a 
very  ruinous  condition,  had  been  engrafted  in  the  middle 
ages  into  a  fortress  tov/er  called  Turris  Cartularia,  and  so 
it  remained  till  the  present  century.  This  tower  originally 
formed  the  entrance  to  the  vast  fortress  of  the  powerful 
Frangipani  family,  which  included  the  Coliseum  and  a 
great  part  of  the  Palatine  and  Coelian  hills  ;  and  here, 
above  the  gate,  Pope  Urban  II.  dwelt  in  1093,  under  the 
protection  of  Giovanni  Frangipani.  The  arch  was  repaired 
by  Pius  VII.,  who  replaced  in  travertine  the  lost  marble 
portions  at  the  top  and  sides. 

"  Standing  beneath  the  arch  of  Titus,  and  amid  so  much  ancient 
dust,  it  is  diiificult  to  forbear  the  commonplaces  of  enthusiasm,  on 
which  hundreds  of  tourists  have  alre;;dv  insisted.     Over  the  half-worn 


J 68  WALK'S  IN  ROME. 

pavement  and  beneath  this  arch,  the  Roman  armies  had  trodden  in 
their  outward  march,  to  light  battles,  a  world's  width  away.  Return- 
ing victorious,  with  royal  captive;.,  and  inestimible  spoil,  a  Roman 
triumph,  that  most  gorgeous  pageant  of  earthly  pride,  has  streamed 
and  flaunted  in  hundred-fold  succession  over  these  same  flagstones, 
and  through  this  yet  stalwart  archway.  It  is  politic,  however,  to  make 
few  allusions  to  such  a  past ;  nor  is  it  wise  to  suggest  how  Cicero's 
feet  may  have  stepped  on  yonder  stone,  or  how  Horace  was  wont  to 
stroll  near  by,  making  his  footsteps  chime  with  the  measure  of  the  ode 
that  was  ringing  in  his  mind.  The  very  gliosis  of  that  massive  and 
stately  epoch  have  r^o  much  density  that  the  people  of  lo-day  seem  the 
thinner  of  the  tu-o,  and  stand  more  ghost-like  by  the  arches  and 
columns,  letting  the  rich  sculpture  be  discerned  through  their  ill- 
compacted  substance. " — Haiiithorne. 

"  We  passed  on  to  the  arch  of  Titus.  Amongst  the  reliefs  there  is 
the  figure  of  a  man  bearing  the  golden  candlestick  from  the  Temple 
at  Jerusalem,  as  one  of  the  spoils  of  the  triumph.  Vet  He  who  aban- 
doned His  visible  and  local  temple  to  the  hands  of  the  heathen  for  the 
sins  of  His  nominal  worshipers,  has  taken  to  Him  His  great  power, 
and  has  gotten  Him  glory  by  destroying  the  idols  of  Rome  as  He  had 
done  the  idols  of  Babylon  ;  and  the  golden  candlestick  bums  and  shall 
burn  with  an  everlasting  light,  v/hile  the  enemies  of  His  holy  name, 
Babylon,  Rome,  or  the  carcass  of  sin  in  every  land,  vi'hich  the  eagles 
of  His  wrath  will  surely  find  out,  perish  for  ever  from  before  him." — 
A  niold  s  Journal. 

"  The  Jewish  trophies  are  sculptured  in  bas-relief  on  the  inside  of 
the  arch  beneath  the  vaulting.  Opposite  to  these  is  another  bas-relief 
representing  Titus  in  the  quadriga,  the  reins  borne  by  the  goddess 
Roma.  In  the  center  of  the  arch  Titus  is  borne  to  heaven  by  an 
eagle.  It  may  be  conjectured  that  these  ornaments  to  his  glory  were 
designed  after  the  death  of  Vespasian,  and  completed  after  his  own. 
These  witnesses  to  the  truth  of  history  are  scanned  at  this 
day  by  Christians  passing  to  and  fro  between  the  Coliseum  and  the 
Forum  ;  and  at  this  day  the  Jev/  refuses  to  walk  beneath  them,  and 
creeps  stealthily  by  the  side,  with  downcast  eyes,  or  countenance 
averted." — Merivale,  Romans  nmlcr  the  Empire.,  vii.  250. 

"  On  the  inner  compartment  of  the  arch  of  Titus  is  sculptured,  in 
deep  relief,  the  desolation  of  a  city.  On  one  side,  tlie  walls  of  the 
Temple,  split  by  the  fury  of  conflagrations,  hang  tottering  in  the  act 
of  ruin.  The  accompaniments  of  a  town  taken  by  assault,  matrons 
and  virgins  and  children  and  old  men  gathered  into  groups,  and  the 
rapine  and  license  of  a  barbarous  and  enraged  soldiery,  are  imaged  in 
the  distance.  The  foreground  is  occupied  by  a  procession  of  the  vic- 
tors, bearing  in  their  profane  hands  the  holy  candlesticks  and  the  tables 
of  shcwbread,  and  the  sacred  instruments  of  the  eternal  worship  of  the 
Jews.  On  the  opposite  side,  the  reverse  of  this  sad  picture,  'i'itus  is 
represented  standing  in  a  chariot  drawn  by  four  horses,  crowned  with 
laurel  and  surrounded  by  the  tumultuous  numbers  of  his  triumphant 
army,  and  the  magistrates,  and  priests,  and  generals,  and  philosophers, 
dragged  in  chains  beside  his  wheels.  Behind  him  stands  a  Victory 
eagle-winged. 


ARCH  OF    TITUS.  169 

"  he  arch  is  now  mouldering  into  ruins,  and  the  imagery  almost 
er^"  d  by  the  lapse  of  fifty  generations.  .  .  .  The  Flavian  ampiii- 
thc:.tre  has  become  a  habitation  for  owls.  The  power  of  whose  pos- 
session it  was  once  the  type,  and  of  whose  departure  it  is  now  the  em- 
blem, is  become  a  dream  and  a  memory.  Rome  is  no  more  than  Jeru- 
salem."— Shelley. 

"  The  restoration  of  the  arch  of  Titus  reflects  the  greatest  credit  on 
the  commission  oppointed  by  Pius  VII.  for  the  restoration  of  ancient 
edifices.  This,  not  only  beautiful,  but  precious  monument,  had  been 
made  the  nucleus  of  a  hideous  castellated  fort  by  the  P"rangipani 
family.  Its  masonry,  however,  embraced  and  held  together,  as  well 
as  crushed,  the  marble  arch  ;  so  that  on  freeing  it  from  its  rude  but- 
tresses there  was  fear  of  its  collapsing,  and  it  had  first  to  be  well  bound 
together  by  props  and  bracing  beams,  a  process  in  which  the  Roman 
architects  are  unrivaled.  The  simple  expedient  was  then  adopted  by 
the  architect.  Stern,  of  completing  the  arch  in  stone  ;  for  its  sides  had 
been  removed.  Thus  increased  in  solid  structure,  which  continued  all 
the  architectural  lines,  and  renewed  its  proportions  to  the  mutilated 
center,  the  arch  was  both  completely  secured  and  almost  restored  to 
its  pristine  elegance." — IVisettians  Life  of  Pius  VII. 

The  procession  of  the  popes  going  to  the  Lateran  for 
their  solemn  installation,  used  to  halt  beside  the  arch  of 
Titus,  while  a  Jew  presented  a  copy  of  the  Pentateuch, 
with  a  humble  oath  of  fealty.  This  humiliating  ceremony 
was  omitted  for  the  first  time  at  the  installation  of  Pius 
IX. 

At  this  point  it  may  not  be  inappropriate  to  notice  two 
other  buildings,  which,  though  situated  on  the  Palatine, 
are  totally  disconnected  with  the  other  objects  occupying 
that  hill. 

A  lane  runs  up  to  the  right  from  the  arch  of  Titus.  On 
the  left  is  a  gateway,  surmounted  by  a  faded  fresco  of  S. 
Sebastian.  Here  is  the  entrance  to  a  wild  and  beautiful 
garden,  possessing  most  lovely  views  of  the  various  ruins, 
occupying  the  site  of  the  Gardens  of  Adonis.  This  garden 
is  the  place  where  S.  Sebastian  underwent  his  (so-called) 
martyrdom,  and  will  call  to  mind  the  many  fine  pictures 
scattered  over  Europe,  of  the  youthful  and  beautiful  saint, 
bound  to  a  tree,  and  pierced  with  arrows.  The  finest  of 
these  are  the  Domenichino,  in  S.  Maria  degli  Angeli,  and 
the  Sodom.a  at  Florence.  He  is  sometimes  represented  as 
bound  to  an  orange  tree,  and  sometimes,  as  in  the  Guido 
at  Bologna,  to  a  cypress,  like  those  we  still  see  on  this  spot. 
Here  was  an  important  Benedictine  convent,  where  Pope 
8 


I  70 


IVALA'S  IX  ROME. 


Boniface  IV.  was  a  monk  before  his  election  to  the  papacy, 
and  where  the  famous  abbots  of  Monte  Cassino  had  their 
Roman  residence.  Here,  in  1 1 18,  fifty-one  cardinals  took 
refuge,  and  elected  Gelasius  II.  as  pope.  The  only  building 
remaining  is  the  Church  0/  S.  Maria  Pallara  or  S.  Sebas- 
tiano,  containing  some  curious  inscriptions  relating  to  events 
which  have  occurred  here,  and,  in  the  tribune,  frescoes,  of 
the  Saviour  in  benediction  with  four  saints,  and  below,  two 
other  groups  representing  the  Virgin  with  saints  and  an- 
gels, placed,  as  we  learn  by  the  inscription  beneath,  by  one 
Benedict — probably  an  abbot. 

Further  up  the  lane  a  "  Via  Crucis  "  leads  to  the  Church 
of  S.  Buonaventura,  "  the  seraphic  doctor  "(Cardinal  and 
Bishop  of  Albano,  ob.  July  14,  1274),  who  in  childhood 
was  raised  from  the  point  of  death  (1221)  by  the  prayers 
of  S.  Francis,  who  was  so  surprised  when  he  came  to  life,  that 
he  involuntarily  exclaimed,  "  O  buona  ventura" — ("what 
a  happy  chance  ") — whence  the  name  by  which  he  was 
afterward  known.' 

The  little  church  contains  several  good  modern  monu- 
ments. Beneath  the  altar  is  shown  the  body  of  the  Blessed 
Leonardo  of  Porto-Maurizio  (d.  1751),  who  arranged  the 
recently  destroyed  Via  Crucis  in  tlie  Coliseum,  and  who 
is  much  revered  by  the  ultra-Romanists  for  having  proph- 
esied the  proclamation  of  the  dogma  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception.  The  crucifix  and  the  picture  of  the  Madonna 
which  lie  carried  with  him  in  his  missions  are  preserved  in 
niches  on  either  side  of  the  tribune,  and  many  other  relics 
of  him  are  shown  in  his  cell  in  the  adjoining  convent  of 
Minor  Franciscans.  Entered  through  the  convent  is  a 
lovely  little  garden,  whence  there  is  a  grand  view  of  the 
Coliseum,  and  where  a  little  fountain  is  shaded  by  two  tall 
palm  trees. 

"Oswald  went  next  to  the  monastery  of  S.  Buonaventura,  built  on 
the  ru;ns  of  Nero's  palace.  There,  where  so  many  crimes  had  reigned 
remorselessly,  poor  friars,  tormented  by  conscientious  scruples,  doom 
themselves  to  fasts  and  stripes  for  the  least  omission  of  duty.  '  Our 
only  hope,'  said  one,  'is  tliat  when  we  die,  our  faults  will  not  have 
exceeded  our  penances.'  Nevill,  as  he  entered,  stumbled  over  a  trap, 
and  asked  its  purpose.  '  It  is  through  that  we  are  interred,'  answered 
one  of  the  youngest,  already  a  prey  to  the  bad  air.    The  natives  of  the 

'  S.  Buonaventura  is  perhaps  best  known  to  the  existins:  Christian  world  as 
the  author  of  The  beautiful  hymn,  "  I't-cordars  sanctac  crixis." 


AJiCII   OF    TITUS. 


171 


south  fear  death  so  much  that  it  is  wondrous  to  find  there  these  per- 
petual mementoes  :  yet  nature  is  often  fascinated  by  what  she  dreads, 
and  such  an  intoxication  fills  the  soul  exclusively.  The  antique  sar- 
cophagus of  a  child  serves  as  the  fountain  of  this  institution.  The 
boasted  palm  of  Rome  is  the  only  tree  of  its  garden." — Aladame  de 
Stael,  Corinne. 


The  Arch  of  Titus  is  spoken  of  as  being  "  in  summa  Via 
Sacra,"  as  the  street  was  called  which  led  from  the  southern 
gate  of  Rome  to  the  Capitol,  and  by  which  the  victorious 
generals  passed  in  their  triumphant  processions  to  the 
temple  of  Jupiter.  Between  the  arch  of  Titus  and  the 
Coliseum,  the  ancient  pavement  of  this  famous  road,  com- 
posed of  huge  polygonal  blocks,  was  allowed  to  remain 
till  1879.  Here  we  may  imagine  Horace  taking  his  favor- 
ite walk. 

"  Ibam  forte  Via  Sacra,  sicut  meus  est  mos, 

Nescio  quid  meditans  nugarum,  et  totus  in  illis." 

Sai,  i.  9. 

It  appears  to  have  been  the  favorite  resort  of  the  fldneurs 
of  the  day  : 

"  Videsne,  sacram  metiente  te  viam 
Cum  bis  ter  ulnarum  toga, 
Ut  ora  vertat  hue  et  hue  euntium 
Liberrima  indignatio  ?  " 

Horace,  Epod.  4. 

The  Via  Sacra  was  originally  bordered  with  shops.  Ovid 
alludes  frequently  to  the  purchases  which  might  be  made 
there  in  his  time.  In  this  especial  part  of  the  Via  was  the 
market  for  fruit  and  honey.' 

"  Dum  bene  dives  ager,  dum  rami  pondere  nutant ; 
Adferat  in  calatho  rustica  dona  puer. 
Rure  suburbano  poteris  tibi  dicere  missa  ; 
Ilia  vel  in  Sacra  sint  licet  empta  Via." 

Ovid,  Art.  Aman.  ii.  263. 

At  the  foot  of  the  hill  are  the  remains  of  the  bason 
and  the  brick  cone  of  a  fountain  called  Mcta  Suda/is, 
where  the  gladiators  used  to  wash.  Seneca,  who  lived  in 
this  neighborhood,  complains'^  of  the  noise  which  was 
made  by  a  showman  who  blew  his  trumpet  close  to  this 
fountain. 

On  the  right,  the  Via  Trumphalis  leads  to  the  Via  Appia. 

'  Varro,  De  R.  Rtist.  i.  2,  and  iii.  16.  "  Epist.  Ivi. 


]-2  WALKS  LV  ROME. 

passing  under  the  Arch  of  Coiistantiiic.  The  lower  bas- 
reliefs  upon  the  arch,  which  are  crude  and  ill  designed, 
refer  to  the  deeds  of  Constantine  ;  but  the  upper,  of  fine 
workmanship,  illustrate  the  life  of  Trajan,  which  has  led 
some  to  imagine  that  the  arch  was  originally  erected  in 
honor  of  Trajan,  and  afterward  appropriated  by  Constan- 
tine. They  were,  howe\er,  removed  from  an  arch  of  Tra- 
jan (whose  ruins  existed  in  1430'),  and  were  appropriated 
by  Constantine  for  his  own  arch. 

"  Constantin  a  enleve  a  un  arc  de  triomphe  de  Trajan  les  statues  de 
prisonniers  daces  que  Ton  voit  au  sommet  du  sien.  Ce  vol  a  ete  puni 
au  seiziL-me  siccle,  car,  dans  ce  qui  semble  unaccesde  folia,  Lorenzino, 
le  bizarre  assassin  d'Alexandre  de  Medicis,  a  decapite  toutes  les  statues 
qui  surmontaient  I'arche  Constantin,  moins  une,  la  seule  dont  la  tete 
soit  antique.  Heureusement  on  a  dans  les  musees,  a  Rome  et  ailleurs, 
bon  nombre  de  ces  statues  de  captifs  barbares  avec  le  meme  costume, 
c'est-a-dire  le  pantalon  et  le  bonnet,  souvent  les  mains  liees,  dans  une 
attitude  de  soumission  morne,  quelquefois  avec  une  expression  de 
sombre  fierte,  car  I'art  romain  avait  la  noblesse  de  ne  pas  humilier  les 
A-aincus  ;  il  ne  les  representait  point  a  genoux,  foules  aux  pieds  par 
leurs  vainqueurs  ;  on  ne  donnait  pas  a  leurs  traits  etranges  un  aspect 
qu'on  cut  pu  rendre  hideux  ;  on  les  placait  sur  les  sommet  des  arcs  de 
triomphe,  debout,  la  tcte  baissee,  I'air  triste. 

"  '  Summus  tristis  captivus  in  arcu.' " 

AtiipL're,  Emp.  ii,  169. 

The  arch  was  further  plundered  by  Clement  VIII.,  who 
carried  off  one  of  its  eight  Corinthian  columns  to  finish  a 
chapel  at  the  Lateran.  They  were  formerly  all  of  giallo- 
antico.  But  it  is  still  the  most  striking  and  beautiful  of 
the  Roman  arches. 

"  L'inscription  gravee  sur  Tare  de  Constantin  est  curieuse  par  le 
vague  de  I'expression  en  ce  qui  touche  aux  idees  religieuscs,  par  Tin- 
decision  calculcfe  des  termes  dont  se  servait  un  senat  qui  voulait  eviter 
de  se  compromettre  dans  un  sens  comme  dans  I'autre.  L'inscription 
porte  que  cet  arc  a  ete  dedie  a  I'cmpereur  parce  qu'il  a  dclivre  la  re- 
publique  d'un  tyran  (on  dit  encore  la  rcpublique  !)  par  la  grandeur  de 
son  ame  et  une  inspiration  de  la  Divinite,  instinctti  Divinitatis.  II 
parait  meme  que  ces  mots  ont  ete  ajoutc's  aprcs  coup  pour  rcmplacer 
une  formule  peut-etre  plus  explicitement  paienne.  Ce  monument, 
qui  celcbre  le  triomphe  de  Constantin,  ne  proclame  done  pas  encore 
nettement  le  triomphe  du  christianisme.  Comment  s'en  etonner, 
quand  sur  les  monnaies  de  cet  empereur  on  voit  d'un  cote  le  mono- 
gramme  du  Christ  et  I'autre  I'effigie  de  Rome,  qui  ctait  une  divinite 
pour  les  paiens  ?  " — Ampire,  Emp.  ii.  355. 

'  See  Poggio,  De  Vanitate  Fortunae. 


COLISEUM.  173 

We  now  turn  to  the  Coliseum,  originally  called  The 
Flavian  Amphitheater.  This  vast  building  was  begun  in 
A.D.  72,  upon  the  site  of  the  reservoir  of  Nero,  by  the 
Emperor  Vespasian,  who  built  as  far  as  the  third  row  of 
arches,  the  last  two  rows  being  finished  by  Titus  after  his 
return  from  the  conquest  of  Jerusalem,  It  is  said  that 
12,000  captive  Jews  were  employed  in  this  work,  as  the 
Hebrews  in  building  the  Pyramids  of  Egypt,  and  that  the 
external  walls  alone  cost  a  sum  equal  to  17,000,000  francs. 
It  consists  of  four  stories,  the  first  Doric,  the  second  Ionic, 
the  third  and  fourth  Corinthian.  The  circumference  of 
the  ellipse  externally  is  1790  feet,  its  length  is  620,  its  width 
525,  its  height  157.  Tlie  entrance  for  the  emperor  was 
between  two  arches  facing  the  Esquiline,  where  there  is  no 
cornice.  Here  there  are  remains  of  stucco  decoration. 
On  the  opposite  side  was  a  similar  entrance  from  the  Pala- 
tine. Toward  S.  Gregorio  has  been  discovered  the  sub- 
terranean passage  in  which  the  Emperor  Commodus  was 
near  being  assassinated.  The  numerous  holes  visible  all 
over  the  exterior  of  the  building  were  made  in  the  middle 
ages,  to  extract  the  iron  cramps,  at  that  time  of  great  value. 
The  arena  was  surrounded  by  a  wall  sufficiently  high  to 
protect  the  spectators  from  the  wild  beasts,  who  were  intro- 
duced by  subterranean  passages  closed  by  huge  gates, 
from  the  side  toward  the  Coelian.  The /£'<////;«  contained 
the  places  of  honor  reserved  for  the  Emperor  and  his 
family,  the  Senate,  and  the  Vestal  virgins.  The  places  for 
the  other  spectators,  who  entered  by  openings  called  vomi- 
toria,  were  arranged  in  three  stages  {ca^rae),  separated  by 
a  gallery  {praecinctio).  The  first  stage,  for  knights  and 
tribunes,  had  24  steps  ;  the  second,  for  the  common  peo- 
ple, 16  ;  the  third,  for  the  soldiery,  10.  The  women,  by 
order  of  the  emperor,  sat  apart  from  the  men,  and  married 
and  unmarried  men  were  also  divided.  The  epigrams  of 
Martial  show  how  jealously  any  particular  order  guarded 
the  seats  to  which  they  were  privileged.  The  whole  build- 
ing was  probably  capable  of  containing  ioo,oco  persons. 
At  the  top,  on  the  exterior,  may  be  seen  the  remains  of  the 
consoles  which  sustained  the  velarium  which  was  drawn 
over  the  arena  to  shelter  the  spectators  from  the  sun  or 
rain.  The  arena  could  on  occasions  be  filled  with  water 
for  the  sake  of  naval  combats. 


,y4  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

Nothing  is  known  with  certainty  as  to  the  architect  of 
the  CoHseum,  though  a  tradition  of  the  cliurch  (founded 
on  an  inscription  now  preserved  in  the  crypt  of  S.  Martina) 
ascribes  it  to  Gaudentius,  a  Christian  martyr,  who  after- 
ward suffered  on  the  spot.' 

"  The  name  of  ihe  arcliitect  to  whom  the  great  work  of  the  Coliseum 
was  intrusted  has  not  come  down  to  us.  i'iic  ancients  seem  them- 
selves to  have  regarded  this  name  as  a  matter  of  little  interest  ;  nor, 
in  fact,  do  they  generally  care  to  specify  the  authorship  of  their  most 
illustrious  buildings.  The  reason  is  obvious.  The  forms  of  ancient 
art  in  this  department,  were  almost  wholly  conventional,  and  the 
limits  of  design  within  which  they  were  executed  gave  little  room  for 
the  display  of  original  taste  and  special  character.  ...  It  is  only  in 
periods  of  eclecticism  and  renaissance,  when  the  taste  of  the  architect 
has  wider  scope,  and  may  lead  the  eye  instead  of  following  it,  tnal  in- 
terest attaches  to  his  personal  merit.  Thus  it  is  that  the  Coliseum, 
the  most  conspicuous  type  of  Roman  civilization,  the  monument  v/hicli 
divides  the  admiration  of  strangers  in  modern  Rome  with  S.  Peter's 
itself,  is  nameless  and  parentless,  while  every  stage  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  great  Christian  temple,  the  creation  of  a  modern  revival, 
is  appropriated  with  jealous  care  to  its  special  claimants. 

"  The  dedication  of  the  Coliseum  afforded  to  'litus  an  opportunity 
for  a  display  of  magnificence  hitherto  unrivaled.  A  battle  of  cranes 
with  dwarfs  representing  the  pigmies  was  a  fanciful  novelt}',  and  might 
afford  diversion  for  a  moment  ;  there  were  combats  of  gladiators, 
among  whom  women  were  included,  though  no  noble  matron  was  al- 
lowed to  mingle  in  the  fray  ;  and  the  capacity  of  the  vast  edifice  was 
tested  by  the  slaughter  of  five  thousand  animals  in  its  circuit.  The 
show  was  crowned  with  the  immission  of  water  into  the  arena,  and 
with  a  sea-fight  representing  the  contests  of  the  Corinthians  and  Cor- 
cyreans,  related  by  Thucydides.  .  .  .  When  all  was  over,  Titus  him- 
self was  seen  to  weep,  perhaps  from  fatigue,  possibly  from  vexation 
and  disgust ;  but  his  tears  were  interpreted  as  a  presentiment  of  his 
death,  which  was  now  impending,  and  it  is  probable  that  he  was  al- 
ready suffering  from  a  decline  of  bodily  strength.  ...  He  lamented 
effeminately  the  premature  decease  he  too  surely  .nnticipated,  and, 
looking  wistfully  at  the  heavens,  exclaimed  that  he  did  not  desers'e  to 
die.  He  expired  on  the  13th  September,  81,  not  having  quite  com- 
pleted his  fortieth  year." — Merivale,  ch.  Ix. 

_"  Hadrian  gave  a  series  of  entertainments  in  honor  of  his  birthday, 
with  the  slaughter  of  a  thousand  beasts,  including  a  hundred  lions  and 
as  many  lionesses.  One  magical  scene  was  the  representation  of  for- 
ests, when  the  whole  arena  became  planted  with  li\ing  trees,  shrubs, 
and  flowers  ;  to  complete  which  illusion  the  ground  was  made  to  open, 

'  This  inscription,  found  in  the  catacomb  of  S.  Agnese,  runs  : 
"  Sic  praemia  'ervas  Vespasiane  dire 
Premiatus  cs  morte  Gaudenti  letare 
Civitatis  ubi  {'lonac  tuae  autori, 
Promisit  iste  Kristus  omnia  tibi 
Quialium  paravil  theatruin  in  coelo." 


COLISEUM.  175 

and  send  forth  wild  animals  from  yawning  clefts,,  instantly  recovered 
with  bushes. 

' '  One  may  imagfine  the  frantic  excess  to  which  the  taste  for  gladia- 
torial combats  was  carried  in  Rome,  from  the  preventive  law  of 
Augustus  that  gladiators  should  no  more  combat  without  permission 
of  the  senate  ;  that  praetors  should  not  give  these  spectacles  more 
than  twice  a  year  ;  that  more  than  sixty  couples  should  net  engage  at 
the  same  time  ;  and  that  neither  knights  nor  senators  should  ever  con- 
tend in  the  arena.  The  gladiators  were  classified  according  to  the 
national  manner  of  fighting  which  they  imitated.  Thus  were  distin- 
guished the  Gothic,  Dacian,  Thracian,  and  Samnite  combatants  ;  the 
Rcilaiii,  who  entangled  their  opponents  in  nets  thrown  with  the  left 
hand,  defending  themselves  with  tridents  in  the  right ;  the  Sccutores, 
whose  special  skill  was  in  pursuit  ;  the  Laqucalores,  who  threw  slings 
against  their  adversaries  ;  the  Dimachae,  armed  with  a  short  sword  in 
each  hand  ;  the  Jloplomac/ii,  armed  at  all  points  ;  the  Myrmillones, 
so  called  from  the  figure  of  a  fish  at  the  crest  of  the  Gallic  helmet 
they  wore  ;  the  Bustnarii,  who  fought  at  funeral  games  ;  the  Besti- 
arii,  who  only  assailed  animals  ;  other  classes  who  fought  on  horse- 
back, called  Andabates ;  and  those  combating  in  chariots  drawn  by 
two  horses,  Essedarii.  Gladiators  were  originally  slaves,  or  prisoners 
of  war;  but  the  armies  who  contended  on  the  Kcm.an  arena  in  later 
epochs  were  divided  into  compulsory  and  voluntary  combatants,  the 
former  alone  composed  of  slaves,  or  condemned  criminals.  The  lat- 
ter went  through  a  laborious  education  in  their  art,  supported  at  the 
public  cost,  and  instructed  by  m.asters  called  Lanistae,  resident  in  col- 
leges, called  Liidi.  To  the  eternal  disgrace  of  the  morals  of  Imperial 
Rome,  it  is  recorded  that  women  sometimes  fotght  in  the  arena,  with- 
out more  modesty  than  hired  gladiators.  The  exhibition  cf  himself  in 
this  character  by  Commodus,  was  a  degradation  of  the  imperial  dignity, 
perhaps  more  infamous,  according  to  ancient  Roman  notions,  than  the 
theatrical  performances  of  Nero." — Hcmans'  Story  of  Monuments  in 
Rome. 

Th-  Emperor  Commodus  (a.d.  180-182)  frequently 
fought  in  the  Coliseum  himself,  and  killed  both  gladiators 
and  wild  beasts,  calling  himself  Hercules,  dressed  in  a 
lion's  skin,  with  his  hair  sprinkled  with  gold-dust. 

The  gladiatorial  combats  came  to  an  end,  when,  in  a.d. 
403,  an  Oriental  monk  named  Telemachus  was  so  horrified 
at  them,  that  he  rushed  into  the  midst  of  the  arena  and 
besought  the  spectators  to  renounce  them  :  but  instead  of 
listening  to  him,  they  stoned  him  to  death.  The  first  mar- 
tyrdom here  was  that  of  S.  Ignatius — said  to  have  been  the 
child  especially  blessed  by  our  Saviour — the  disciple  of 
John,  and  the  companion  of  Polycarp — who  was  sent  here 
from  Antioch,  where  he  was  bishop.  When  brought  into 
the  arena  he  knelt  down,  and  exclaimed,  "  Romans  who 


176  WALK'S  IN  ROME. 

are  present,  know  that  I  have  not  been  brougnt  into  this 
place  for  any  crime,  but  in  order  that  by  this  means  I  may 
merit  the  fruition  of  the  glory  of  God,  for  love  of  whom  I 
have  been  made  prisoner.  I  am  as  the  grain  of  the  field, 
and  must  be  ground  by  the  teeth  of  the  lions,  that  I  may 
become  bread  fit  for  His  table."  The  lions  were  then  let 
loose,  and  devoured  him,  except  the  larger  bones,  v/liich 
the  Christians  collected  during  the  night. 

"It  is  related  of  Ignatius  that  he  grew  up  in  such  innocence  of 
heart  and  purity  of  life,  that  to  him  it  was  granted  to  hear  the  angels 
sing  ;  hence,  when  he  became  bishop  of  Antioch,  he  introduced  into 
the  service  of  liis  church  the  practice  of  singing  the  praises  of  God  in 
responses,  as  lie  liad  heard  the  clioirs  of  angels  answering  each  other. 

.  .  His  story  and  fate  are  so  well  attested,  and  so  sublimely  affect- 
ing, that  it  has  always  been  to  me  a  cause  of  surprise  as  well  as  regret 
to  find  so  few  representations  of  liim." — ya!itcson''s  Sacred  .ht,  693. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  Ignatius,  1 1 5  Christians  were 
shot  down  here  with  arrows.  Under  Hadrian,  A.  D.  218, 
a  patrician  named  Placidus,  his  wife,  Theophista,  and  his 
two  sons,  were  first  exposed  here  to  the  wild  beasts,  but 
when  these  refused  to  touch  them,  were  shut  up  in  a  brazen 
bull,  and  roasted  by  a  fire  lighted  beneath.  In  253,  Abdon 
and  Sennen,  two  rich  citizens  of  Babylon,  were  exposed 
here  to  two  lions  and  four  bears,  but  on  their  refusing  to 
attack  them,  were  killed  by  the  swords  of  the  gladiators. 
In  A.  D.  259,  Sempronius,  Olympius,  Theodulus  and  Exu- 
peria,  were  burnt  at  the  entrance  of  the  Coliseum,  before 
the  statue  of  the  Sun.  In  a.d.  272,  S.  Prisca  was  vainly 
exposed  here  to  a  lion,  then  starved  for  three  days,  then 
stretched  on  a  rack  to  have  her  flesh  torn  by  iron  hooks, 
then  put  into  a  furnace,  and — having  survived  all  these  tor- 
ments— was  finally  beheaded.  In  a.d.  277,  S.  Martina, 
another  noble  Roman  lady,  was  exposed  in  vain  to  the 
beasts  and  afterward  beheaded  in  the  Coliseum.  S.  Alex- 
ander under  Antoninus;  S.  Potitus,  168  ;  S.  Eleutherius, 
bishop  of  lUyria,  under  Pladrian  ;  S.  Maximus,  son  of  a 
senator,  284;  and  Vitus,  Crescentia,  and  Modesta,  under 
Domitian,  were  also  martyred  here.' 

"  It  is  no  fiction,  but  plain,  sober,  honest  truth,  to  say  :  so  suggestive 
and  distinct  is  it  at  this  hour,  that,  for  a  moment — actually  in  passing 
in — they  who  will,  may  have  the  whole  great  pile  before  them,  as  it 

'  See  Hcmans'  Calkolic  Italv. 


COLISEUM.  I -J -J 

used  to  be,  with  thousands  of  eager  faces  staring  down  into  the  arena, 
and  such  a  whirl  of  strife,  and  blood,  and  dust  going  on  there,  as  no 
language  can  describe.  Its  solitude,  its  awful  beauty,  and  its  utter 
desolation,  stnl<e  upon  the  stranger,  the  next  moment,  like  a  softened 
sorrow  ;  and  never  in  his  life,  perhaps,  will  he  be  so  moved  and  over- 
come by  any  sight,  not  immediately  connected  with  his  own  affections 
and  afflictions. 

"  To  see  it  crumbling  there,  an  inch  a  year;  its  walls  and  arches 
overgrown  with  green,  its  corridors  open  to  the  day  ;  the  long  grass 
growing  \n  its  porches  ;  young  trees  of  yesterday  springing  up  on  its 
ragged  parapets,  and  bearing  fruit  :  chance  produce  of  the  seeds 
dropped  there  by  the  birds  who  build  their  nests  within  its  chinks  and 
crannies ;  to  see  its  pit  of  fight  filled  up  with  earth,  and  the  peaceful 
cross  planted  "in  the  center  ;  to  climb  into  its  upper  halls,  and  look 
down  on  ruin,  ruin,  ruin,  all  about  it  ;  the  triumphal  arches  of  Con- 
stantine,  Septimius  Severus,  and  Titus,  the  Roman  Forum,  the  Palace 
of  the  Caesars,  the  temples  of  the  old  religion,  fallen  down  and  gone; 
is  to  see  the  ghost  of  old  Rome,  wicked,  wonderful  old  city,  haunting 
the  very  ground  on  which  its  people  trod.  It  is  the  most  impressive, 
the  most  stately,  the  most  solemn,  grand,  majestic,  mournful  sight 
conceivable.  Never,  in  its  bloodiest  prime,  can  the  sight  of  the  gigan- 
tic Coliseum,  full  and  running  over  with  the  lustiest  life,  have  moved 
one  heart  as  it  must  move  all  who  look  upon  it  now,  a  ruin.  God  be 
thanked  :  a  ruin  !  " — Diikois. 

The  spot  where  the  Christian  martyrs  suffered  was  marked 
till  1872  by  a  tall  cross,  devoutly  kissed  by  the  faithful, — and 
all  round  the  arena  of  the  Coliseum,  were  the  small  chapels 
or  "stations,"  used  in  the  Via  Crucis,  which  was  observed 
here  at  4  p.m.  every  Friday,  when  the  confraternity  clothed 
in  gray,  with  only  the  eyes  visible,  was  followed  by  a  crowd 
of  worshipers  who  chanted  and  prayed  at  each  station  in 
turn — a  most  picturesque  and  striking  scene — after  which 
a  Capuchin  monk  preached  from  a  pulpit  on  the  left  of  the 
arena.  These  sermons  were  often  very  striking,  being  de- 
livered in  a  familiar  style,  and  upon  popular  subjects  of 
the  day,  but  they  also  often  bordered  on  the  burlesque. 

"Oswald  voulut  aller  au  Colisee  pour  entendre  le  Capucin  qui 
devait  y  precher  en  plein  air  au  pied  de  I'un  des  autels  qui  designent, 
dans  I'lnterieur  de  I'enceinte,  ce  qu'on  appelle  la  route  de  la  Croix. 
Quel  plus  beau  sujet  pour  I'eloquence  que  I'aspect  de  ce  monument, 
que  cette  arene  ou  les  martyrs  ont  succede  aux  gladiateurs  !  Mais  il 
ne  faut  rien  esperer  a  cet  egard  du  pauvre  Capucin,  qui  ne  connait 
de  I'histoire  des  hommes  que  sa  propre  vie.  Neanmoins,  si  1  on  par- 
vient  a  ne  pas  ecouter  son  mauvais  sermon,  on  se  sent  emu  par  les 
divers  objets  dont  il  est  entoure.  La  plupart  de  ses  auditeurs  sont  de 
la  confrcrie  des  Camaldules  ;  ils  se  revetent,  pendant  les  exercises  re- 
ligicux,  d'une  espece  de  ivbc  grise  qui  couvre  entierement  la  tetc  et 
8* 


178  WAl./i'S  IN  ROME. 

le  corps,  ct  ne  laisse  que  deux  petites  ouvertures  pour  les  yeux  ;  0*651 
ainsi  que  les  ombres  pounaient  ctre  lepreseniees.  Ces  hommes, 
ain-Ni  caches  sous  leurs  velements,  se  prosternenl  la  face  centre  lerre, 
et  se  frappent  la  poilime.  Quand  ie  predicateur  se  jette  a  ge- 
noux  encriant  mist'ricordc  et  pitic  !  le  peuple  qui  renvironne  se  'ette 
auisi  a  genoux,  et  rtfpete  ce  meme  cri,  qui  va  se  perdre  sous  les  vieux 
poi  tiques  du  Colise'e.  II  est  impossible  de  ne  ])as  eprouver  alors  une 
emotion  profondemeiit  religieuse  ;  cet  appel  de  la  douleur  a  la  bonte, 
de  la  terre  au  ciel,  remue  I'ame  jusqae  dans  son  sanctuaire  le  plus 
intime." — Madame  de  Stacl. 

The  pulpit  of  the  Coliseum  was  used  for  the  stormy 
sermons  of  Gavazzi,  who  called  the  people  to  arms  from 
thence  in  the  revolution  of  March,  1848. 

In  1872,  Signer  Rosa  obtained  leave  to  remove  the  cross 
and  all  tlie  shrines  in  the  Coliseum,  which  was  done,  to 
the  great  indignation  of  the  Roman  people.  The  excava- 
tions made  by  Gregory  XVI.,  and  closed  again  on  account 
of  their  unhealthiness,  after  careful  ]:)lans  had  been  made, 
which  still  exist  in  the  Barberini  Library,  were  then  re- 
opened. It  has  since  been  affirmed  that  the  ancient  level 
of  the  Coliseum  was  originally  only  a  movable  boarded 
floor,  through  which  the  hundred  lions  which  were  slain 
by  Commodus  sprang  up  by  trap-doors.  The  excavations 
are  of  little  interest,  though  they  display  the  anatomy  of 
the  labyrinthine  passages  which  underlie  the  whole  of  the 
arena,  and  the  arrangements  by  which  water  could  be  sup- 
plied for  the  naval  combats.  These  passages  are  frequent- 
ly flooded,  and  cannot  be  inspected  for  long  together 
without  great  danger  of  fever,  and  the  excavations  which 
have  laid  them  bare  have  annihilated  the  beauty  of  the 
Coliseum. 

It  is  well  worth  while  to  ascend  to  the  upper  galleries  (a 
man  who  lives  near  the  entrance  from  the  Forum  will  open 
a  locked  door  for  the  purpose),  as  then  only  is  it  possible 
to  realize  the  vast  size  and  grandeur  of  the  building. 

"May,  1S27. — Lastly,  we  ascended  lo  ibc  toj)  of  the  Coliseum. 
Bunsen  leaving  us  at  the  door,  to  go  home  :  and  I  seated  myself  just 
above  the  main  entrance,  towards  the  Foiuni,  and  there  look  my  fare- 
well look  over  Rome.  It  was  a  delicious  evening,  and  everything 
was  looking  to  advantage  : — the  huge  Coliseum  just  under  me,  the 
tufts  of  ilex  and  aliteinus  and  other  shrubs  that  fringe  the  vails  every- 
where in  the  lower  jjarl,  while  the  outside  wall,  with  its  tup  of  gigan- 
tic stones,  lifts  itself  high  above,  and  seems  like  a  mountain  barrier 
of  bare  rock,  inclosing  a  green  and  varied  valley.     I  sat  and  gazed 


COLISEUM. 


179 


upon  the  scene  with  an  intense  and  mingled  feeling.  The  world 
could  show  nothing  grander  ;  it  was  one  which  for  years  I  had  longed  to 
see,  and  I  was  now  looking  at  it  for  the  last  time.  When  I  last  see  the 
dome  of  S  Peter's  I  shall  seem  to  be  parting  from  more  than  a  mere 
town  full  of  cunositiL-s,  where  the  eye  has  been  amused,  and  the  intel- 
lect gratified.  I  never  thought  to  have  felt  thus  tenderly  towards 
Rome  ;  but  the  ine.xplical^le  solemnity  and  beauty  of  her  ruined  condi- 
tion has  quite  bewitched  me,  and  to  the  latest  hour  of  my  life  I  shall 
remember  the  Forum,  the  surrounding  hills,  and  the  magnificent  Col- 
iseum .  —A  mold's  Lcttc)  s. 

The  upper  arches  frame  a  series  of  views  of  the  Aven- 
tine,  the  Capitohne,  the  Coelian,  and  the  Campagna,  like  a 
succession  of  beautiful  pictures. 

Those  who  visit  the  Coliseum  by  moonlight  will  realize 
the  truthfulness  of  the  following  descriptions  : 

"  I  do  remember  me,  that  in  my  youth, 

When  I  was  wandering — upon  such  a  night, 

I  stood  within  the  Coliseum's  wall, 

Midst  the  chief  relics  of  almighty  Rome  ; 

The  trees  which  grew  along  the  broken  arches 

Waved  dark  in  the  blue  midnight,  and  the  stars 

Shone  througir  the  rents  of  ruin  ;  from  afar 

The  watch -dog  bayed  beyond  the  Tiber  ;  and 

More  near  from  out  the  Caesars  palace  came 

The  owl's  long  cry,  and,  interruptedly. 

Of  distant  sentinels  the  fitful  song 

Began  and  died  upon  the  gentle  wind  : — 

Some  cypresses  beyond  the  time-worn  breach 

Appeared  to  skirt  the  horizon,  yet  they  stood 

Within  a  bowshot  where  the  Caesars  dwelt, 

And  d\\'ell  the  tuneless  birds  of  night,  amidst 

A  grove  which  springs  through  levell'd  battlements. 

And  twines  its  roots  with  the  imperial  hearths  ; 

Ivy  usurps  the  laurel's  place  of  growth  ; 

But  the  gladiator's  bloody  circus  stands, 

A  noble  wreck  in  ruinous  perfection  ! 

While  Caesar's  chambers,  and  the  Augustan  halls, 

Grovel  on  earth  in  indistinct  decay. 

And  thou  didst  shine,  thou  rolling  moon,  upon 

All  this,  and  cast  a  wide  and  tender  light, 

Which  softened  down  the  hoar  austerity 

Of  rugged  desolation,  and  fiU'd  up. 

As  't  were  anew,  the  gaps  of  centuries  ; 

Leaving  that  beautiful  which  still  was  so. 

And  making  that  which  was  not,  till  the  place 

Became  religion,  and  the  heart  ran  o'er 

With  silent  worship  of  the  great  of  old  : 

The  dead  but  scepter'd  sovereigns,  who  still  rule 

Our  spirits  from  their  urns."  Manfred. 


l8o  IVALKS  IN  ROME. 

"  Arches  on  arches  !  as  it  were  that  Rome, 
Collecting  the  chief  trophies  of  her  line. 
Would  build  up  all  her  triumphs  in  one  dome, 
Her  Coliseum  stands  ;  the  moonbeams  shine 
As  't  were  its  natural  torches,  for  divine 
Should  be  the  light  which  streams  here,  to  illume 
The  long-explored  but  still  exhaustless  mine 
Of  contemplation  ;  and  the  azure  gloom 
Of  an  Italian  night,  where  the  deep  skies  assume 

"  Hues  which  have  words,  and  speak  to  ye  of  heaven, 
Floats  o'er  this  vast  and  wondrous  monument, 
And  shadows  forth  its  glory.     There  is  given 
Unto  the  things  of  earth,  which  Time  hath  bent, 
A  spirit's  feeling,  and  where  he  hath  leant 
His  hand,  but  broke  his  scythe,  there  is  a  power 
And  magic  in  the  ruined  battlement. 
For  which  the  palace  of  the  present  hour 
Must  yield  its  pomp,  and  wait  till  ages  are  its  dower." 

Childe  Harold. 
"  No  one  can  form  any  idea  of  full  moonlight  in  Rome  who  has  not 
seen  it.  Every  individual  object  is  swallowed  in  the  huge  masses  of 
light  and  shadow,  and  only  the  marked  and  principal  outlines  remain 
visible.  Three  days  ago  (Feb.  2,  1787)  we  made  good  use  of  alight 
and  most  beautiful  night.  The  Coliseum  presents  a  vision  of  beauty. 
It  is  closed  at  night  ;  a  hermit  lives  inside  in  a  little  church,  and 
beggars  roost  amid  the  ruined  vaults.  They  had  lighted  a  tire  on  the 
bare  ground,  and  a  gentle  breeze  drove  the  smoke  across  the  arena. 
The  lower  portion  of  the  ruin  was  lost,  while  the  enormous  walls 
above  stood  forth  into  the  darkness.  We  stood  at  the  gates  and  gazed 
upon  this  phenomenon.  The  moon  shone  high  and  bright.  Gradu- 
ally the  smoke  moved  through  the  chinks  and  apertures  in  the  walls, 
and  the  moon  illuminated  it  like  a  mist.  It  was  an  exquisite 
moment !  " — Goethe. 

It  is  believed  that  the  building  of  the  Coliseum  re- 
mained entire  until  the  eighth  century,  and  that  its  ruin 
dates  from  the  invasion  of  Robert  Guiscard,  who  destroyed 
it  to  prevent  its  being  used  as  a  stronghold  by  the  Romans. 
During  the  middle  ages  it  served  as  a  fortress,  and  became 
the  castle  of  the  great  family  of  Frangiy^ani,  who  here  gave 
refuge  to  Pope  Innocent  II.  (Papareschi)  and  his  family, 
against  the  anti-pope  Anacletus  II.,  and  afterward  in  the 
same  way  protected  Innocent  III.  (Conti)  and  his  brothers 
against  the  anti-pope  Paschal  It.  Constantly  at  war  with 
the  Frangipani  were  the  Annibaldi,  who  possessed  a  neigh- 
boring fortress,  and  obtained  from  Gregory  IX.  a  grant  of 
half  the  Coliseum,  which  was  rescinded  by  Innocent  IV. 
During  the  absence  of  the  Popes  at  Avignon,  the  Annibaldi 


COLISEUM.  181 

got  possession  of  the  whole  of  the  CoHseum,  but  it  was 
taken  away  again  in  13 12,  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  the 
municipality^  after  which  it  was  used  for  bull-fights,  in 
which  (as  described  by  Monaldeschi)  nobles  of  high  rank 
took  part  and  lost  their  lives.  In  1381  the  senate  made 
over  part  of  the  ruins  to  the  Canons  of  the  Lateran,  to  be 
used  as  a  hospital,  and  their  occupation  is  still  commemo- 
rated by  the  arms  of  the  Chapter  (our  Saviour's  head  be- 
tween two  candelabra)  sculptured  in  various  parts  of  the 
building.  From  the  fourteenth  century  it  began  to  be 
looked  upon  as  a  stone-quarry,  and  the  palaces — Farnese, 
Barberini,  Venezia,  with  the  Cancelleria,  were  built  of  ma- 
terials plundered  from  its  walls.  It  is  said  that  the  first  of 
these  destroyers,  Cardinal  Farnese,  only  extorted  permis- 
sion from  his  reluctant  uncle,  Paul  III.,  to  quarry  as  much 
stone  as  he  could  remove  in  tv>'elve  hours,  and  that  he 
availed  himself  of  this  permission  to  let  loose  four  thou- 
sand workmen  upon  the  building.  Sixtus  V.  endeavored 
to  utilize  it  by  turning  the  arcades  into  shops,  and  estab- 
lishing a  woolen  manufactory,  and  Clement  XI.  (1700- 
1721)  by  a  manufactory  of  saltpeter,  but  both  happily 
failed.  In  the  last  century  the  tide  of  restoration  began 
to  set  in.  A  Carmelite  monk,  Angelo  Paoli,  represented 
the  iniquity  of  allowing  a  spot  consecrated  by  such  holy 
memories  to  be  desecrated,  and  Clement  XI.  consecrated 
the  arena  to  the  memory  of  the  martyrs  who  had  suffered 
there,  and  erected  in  one  of  the  archways  the  chapel  of  S. 
Maria  della  Pieta.  The  hermit  appointed  to  take  care  of 
this  chapel  was  stabbed  in  1742,  which  caused  Benedict 
XIV.  to  shut  in  the  Coliseum  with  bars  and  gates.  Under 
the  five  last  popes  destruction  was  made  sacrilege,  and 
they  all  contributed  to  strengthen  and  preserve  the  walls 
which  remain  ;  but  since  the  fall  of  the  papacy,  the  ruins 
have  been  cruelly  injured  by  the  tearing  out  of  all  the 
shrubs  and  plants  which  adorned  them,  in  the  eradication 
of  which  more  of  the  stones  have  given  way  than  would 
have  fallen  in  five  hundred  years  of  time.  As  late  as  thirty 
years  ago,  the  interior  of  the  Coliseum  was  (like  that  of  an 
English  abbey)  an  uneven  grassy  space  littered  with  masses 
of  ruin,  amid  which  large  trees  grev/  and  flourished. ' 

'  A  work  on  the  extraordinary  Flora  of  the  Coliseum,  now,  alas,  extinct,  has 
been  published  by  S.  Deakin. 


1 82  WALKS  IiY  ROME. 

Among  the  ecclesiastical  legends  connected  with  the 
Coliseum,  it  is  said  that  Gregory  the  Great  presented  some 
foreign  ambassadors  with  a  handful  of  earth  from  the  arena 
as  a  relic  for  their  sovereigns,  and  upon  their  receiving  the 
gift  Avith  disrespect,  he  pressed  it,  when  blood  flowed  from 
the  soil.  Pius  V.  urged  those  who  wished  for  relics  to 
gather  up  the  dust  of  the  Coliseum,  wet  with  the  blood  of 
the  martyrs. 

In  1744,  "the  blessed  Leonardo  di  Porto  Maurizio," 
who  is  buried  in  S.  Buonaventura,  drew  immense  crowds 
to  the  Coliseum  by  his  preaching,  and  obtained  permission 
from  Benedict  XIV.  to  found  the  confraternity  of  "  Amanti 
di  Gesu  e  Maria,"  for  whom  the  Via  Crucis  was  established 
here,  which  was  only  destroyed  in  1872.  Recently  the 
ruins  have  been  associated  with  the  holy  beggar,  Benoit 
Joseph  Labre  (beatified  by  Pius  IX.  in  i  S60  and  since 
canonized),  who  died  at  Rome  in  1783,  after  a  life  spent 
in  devotion.  He  was  accustomed  to  beg  in  the  Coliseum, 
to  sleep  at  night  under  its  arcades,  and  to  pray  for  hours 
at  its  various  shrines. 

The  name  Coliseum  is  first  found  in  the  writings  of  the 
Venerable  Bede,  who  quotes  a  prophecy  of  Anglo-Saxon 
pilgrims  : 

"  While  stands  the  Coliseum,  Rome  shall  stand  ; 
When  falls  the  Coliseum,  Rome  shall  fall  ; 
And  when  Rome  falls,  the  world."  ' 

The  name  was  probably  derived  from  its  size  ;  the  am- 
phitheater of  Capua  was  also  called  Colossus. 

Once  or  twice  in  the  course  of  every  Roman  winter  the 
Coliseum  is  illuminated  with  Bengal  lights. 

"  Les  etrangers  se  donnent  parfois  ramuscment  d'eclairer  le  Colisee 
avec  des  feux  do  Bengale.  Cela  ressemble  un  peu  trop  a  un  final  de 
melodrame,  et  on  peut  preferer  comme  illuminalion  un  radieux  soleil 
ou  les  douccs  hieurs  de  la  lune.  Cependant  j'avoue  que  la  premiere 
fois  que  le  Colisee  m'apparut  ainsi,  embrase  de  feux  rougeatres,  son 
histoire  me  revint  vivement  a  la  pensee.  Je  trouvais  qu'il  avail  en  ce 
moment  sa  vraie  couleur,  la  couleur  du  sang." — Ampere,  Euip.  ii. 
156. 

'  "  Quamdiu  stat  Cnlysaeus  siat  et  Roma  :  quando  cadet  Colysaeus,  cadet  et 
Roma,  cadet  ct  mundus." 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE     VELABRUM     AND     THE     GHETTO. 

S.  Teodoro — S.  Anastasia — Circus  Maximus — S.  Giorgio  in  Velabro 
— Arch  of  Septimius  Severus — Arch  of  Janus — Cloaca-Maxima — 
S.  Maria  in  Cosmedin — Temple  of  Vesta — Temple  of  Fortuna 
Virilis — House  of  Rienzi — Ponte  Rotto — Ponte  Sublicio — S.  Ni- 
colo  in  Carcere — Theater  of  Marcellus — Portico  of  Octavia — 
Pescheria — Jewish  Synagogue — Palazzo  Cenci — Fontana  Tarta- 
rughe — Palazzo  Mattei — Palazzo  Caetani — S.  Caterina  dei  Funari 
— S.  Maria  Campitelli — Palazzo  Margana — Convent  of  the  Tor  de 
Specchi. 

THE  second  turn  on  the  right  of  the  Roman  Forum  is 
the  Via  dei  FieniH,  formerly  the  Vi'cus  Tuscus,  so 
called  from  the  Etruscan  colony  established  there  after  the 
drying  up  of  the  marsh  which  occupied  that  site  in  the 
earliest  periods  of  Roman  history.  During  the  empire, 
this  street,  leading  from  the  Forum  to  the  Circus  Maximus, 
was  one  of  the  most  important.  Martial  speaks  of  its  silk 
mercers  ;  from  an  inscription  on  a  tomb  we  know  that  the 
fashionable  tailors  were  to  be  found  there  ;  and  the  per- 
fumers' shops  were  of  such  abundance  as  to  give  to  part  of 
the  street  the  name  of  Vicus  Thurarius.  At  its  entrance 
was  the  statue  of  the  Etruscan  god,  Vertumnus,  the  patron 
of  the  quarter.'  This  was  the  street  by  which  the  proces- 
sions of  the  Circensian  games  passed  from  the  Forum  to  the 
Circus  Maximus.  In  one  of  the  Verrine  Orations,  an  ac- 
cusation brought  by  Cicero  against  the  patrician  Verres, 
was  that  from  avaricious  motives  he  had  paved  even  this 
street — used  for  the  processions  of  the  Circus — in  such  a 
manner  that  he  would  not  venture  to  use  it  himself.^ 
All  this  valley  was  once  a  stagnant  marsh,  left  by  inun- 

•  See  Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  ii.  289-292. 

^  •'  Quis  a  signo  Vertumni  in  circum  maximum  venit,  quin  is  unoquoque 
gradu  de  avaritia  tua  commoneretur  ?  quam  tu  viam  tensarum  atque  pompae 
ejusmodi  exegisti,  ut  tu  ipse  lUa  ire  non  audeas.  '— /«  Verreni,  i.  59. 

183 


184  WALK'S  I.V  ROME. 

dations  of  the  Tiber,  for  in  early  times  the  river  often 
overflowed  the  whole  valley  between  the  Palatine  and  the 
Caj)itoline  hills,  and  even  reached  as  far  as  the  foot  of  the 
Quirinal,  where  the  Goat's  Pool,  at  which  Romulus  dis- 
appeared, is  supposed  to  have  formed  part  of  the  same 
swamp.  Ovid,  in  describing  the  processions  of  the  games, 
speaks  of  the  willows  and  rushes  which  once  covered  this 
ground,  and  the  marshly  places  which  one  could  not  pass 
over  except  with  bare  feet : 

'*  Qua  Velabra  solent  in  Circum  duccre  pompas, 

Nil  praeter  salices  crassaque  canna  fuit, 
Saepe  suburbanas  rediens  convlva  per  undas 

Cantat,  et  ad  nautas  ebria  verba  jacit. 
Nondum  conveniens  diversis  iste  figiiris 

Nomen  ab  averse  ceperat  amne  deus. 
Hie  quoque  lucus  erat  jiincis  et  arundine  densus, 

Et  pede  velato  non  adeunda  paliis. 
Stagna  recesserunt,  et  aquas  sua  ripa  coercet : 

Siccaque  nunc  tellus.      Mos  tamen  ille  manet." 

Fast.  vi.  405. 

We  even  know  the  price  which  Avas  paid  for  being  ferried 
across  the  Velabrum  :  "  it  was  a  quadrajis,  three  times  as 
much  as  one  pays  now  for  the  boat  at  the  Ripetta.  "*  The 
creation  of  the  Cloaca  Maxima  had  probably  done  much 
toward  draining,  but  some  fragments  of  the  marsh  re- 
mained to  a  late  period. 

According  to  Varro  the  name  of  the  Velabrum  was 
derived  from  vehere,  because  of  the  boats  which  were  em- 
ployed to  convey  passengers  from  one  hill  to  the  other.* 
Others  derive  the  name  from  vela,  also  in  reference  to  the 
mode  of  transit,  or,  according  to  another  idea,  in  reference 
to  the  awnings  which  were  stretched  across  the  street  to 
shelter  the  processions, — though  the  name  was  in  existence 
long  before  any  processions  were  thought  of. 

It  was  the  waters  of  the  Velabrum  which  bore  the  cradle 
of  Romulus  and  Remus  from  the  Tiber,  and  deposited  it 
under  the  famous  fig-tree  of  the  Paktine. 


On  the  left  of  the  Via  dei  Fienili  (shut  in  by  a  railing, 
generally  closed,  but  which  will  be  opened  on  appealing  to 
the  sacristan  next  door)  is  the  round  Church  of  S.  Teodoro. 

'  Varro,  De  Ling.  Lai.  v.  44.    See  Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  ii.  32. 

'  Varro,  De  Lin^.  Lat.  iv.  8. 


S.    ANA  STASIA.  185 

The  origin  of  this  building  is  unknown.  It  used  to  be 
called  the  temple  of  Romulus,  on  the  very  slight  founda- 
tion that  the  famous  bronze  wolf,  mentioned  by  Dionysius 
as  existing  in  the  temple  of  Romulus,  was  found  near  this 
spot.  Dyer  supposes  that  it  may  have  been  the  Temple 
of  Cybele  ;  this,  however,  was  upon,  and  not  under,  the 
Palatine.  Be  they  what  they  may,  the  remains  were  ded- 
icated as  a  Christian  church  by  Adrian  I.,  in  the  eighth 
century,  and  some  well-preserved  mosaics  in  the  tribune 
are  of  that  time. 

"  It  is  curious  to  note  in  Rome  how  many  a  modern  superstition  has 
its  root  in  an  ancient  one,  and  how  tenaciously  customs  still  cling  to 
the  old  localities.  On  the  Capitr/iine  hill  the  bronze  she-wolf  was  once 
worshiped  as  the  wooden  Bambino  is  now.  It  stood  in  the  Temple 
of  Romulus,  and  there  the  ancient  Romans  used  to  carry  children  to 
be  cured  of  their  diseases  by  touching  it.  On  the  supposed  site  of  tlie 
temple  now  stands  the  church  dedicated  to  S.  Teodoro,  or  Santo  Toto, 
as  he  is  called  in  Rome.  Though  names  must  have  changed  and  the 
temple  has  vanished,  and  church  after  church  has  here  decayed  and 
been  rebuilt,  the  old  superstition  remains,  and  the  common  people  at 
certa-n  periods  still  bring  their  sick  children  to  Santo  Toto,  that  he 
may  *ieal  them  with  his  touch." — Story's  Roba  di  Roma} 

Further  on  the  left,  still  under  the  shadow  of  the  Pala- 
tin*^  Hill,  is  the  large  Church  of  S.  Anastasia,  containing, 
beneath  the  altar,  a  beautiful  statue  of  the  martyred  saint, 
reclining  on  a  faggot. 

"  Notwithstanding  her  beautiful  Greek  name,  and  her  fame  as  one 
of  the  great  saints  of  the  Greek  Calendar,  S.  Anastasia  is  represented 

•  "  There  is  no  doubt  that  many  of  the  amusements,  still  more  many  of  the 
religious  practices  now  popular  in  this  capital,  may  be  traced  to  sources  in  Pagan 
antiquity.  The  game  01  iiwrra.  played  with  the  fingers  (the  micare  digiiis  of 
the  aacients) ;  th2  rural  feasting  before  the  chapel  of  the  Mado-.ina  dei  Divino 
A  more  on  Whit  Monday  ;  the  revelry  and  dancing  sub  dio  for  the  whole  night 
on  the  Vigil  of  S.  John  (a  scene  on  the  Lateran  piazza,  riotous,  grotesque,  but 
not  licentious);  the  divining  by  dreams  to  obtain  numbers  for  the  lottery;  hang- 
ing ex  voto  pictures  in  churches  to  commemorate  escapes  from  danger  or 
recovery  from  illness;  the  offering  of  jewels,  watches,  weapons,  etc,  to  the 
Madonna  ;  the  adorning  and  drcssinjr  of  sacred  images,  sometimes  for  particular 
days  ;  throwing  fiowe-s  on  the  Madonna's  figure  when  borne  in  processions  (as 
used  to  be  honored  the  image,  or  stone,  of  Cybele V,  burning  lights  before  images 
on  the  hig-hways,  paying  special  honor  to  sacred  pictures,  under  the  notion  of 
their  having  moved  their  eyes  ;  or  to  others,  under  the  idea  of  their  supernatural 
origin— made  vv'ithout  hands  ;  wearing  effigies  or  symbols  as  amulets  (thus  Sulla 
wore,  and  used  to  invoke,  a  little  golden  Apollo  hung  round  his  neck'* ;  suspend- 
ing flowers  to  shrines  and  tombs  ;  besides  other  uses,  in  themselves  blameless 
and  beautiful,  nor,  even  if  objectionable,  to  be  regarded  as  the  genuine  reflex  of 
what  is  dogmatically  taught  by  the  church.  This  enduring  shadow  thrown  by 
Pagan  over  Christian  Rome  is,  however,  a  remarkable  feature  in  the  story  of 
that  power  whose  eminence  in  ruling  and  influencing  was  so  wonderfully  sus- 
tained, nor  destined  to  become  extinct  after  empire  had  departed  from  the  Seven 
Hills." — Hemans'  Mo7tuiKe'^-s  of  Rome. 


I  86  WALKS  IN  ROME, 

as  a  noble  Roman  lady,  who  perished  during  the  persecution  of  Dio- 
cletian. She  was  persecuted  by  her  husband  and  family  for  openly 
professing  the  Christian  faith,  but,  being  sustained  by  the  eloquent 
exhortations  of  S.  Chrysogonus,  she  passed  triumphantly,  receivmg  in 
due  time  the  crown  of  martyrdom,  being  condemned  to  the  flames. 
Chrysogonus  was  put  to  death  with  the  sword  and  his  body  thrown 
into  the  sea. 

"According  to  the  best  authorities,  these  two  saints  did  not  suffer 
in  Rome,  but  in  lUyria;  yet  in  Rome  we  are  assured  that  Anastasia, 
after  her  martyrdom,  was  buried  by  her  friend,  Apollina,  in  the  garden 
of  her  house  under  the  Palatine  hill  and  close  to  the  Circus  Maximus. 
There  stood  the  church,  dedicated  in  the  fourth  century,  and  there  it 
now  stands.  It  was  one  of  the  principal  churches  in  Rome  in  the  time 
of  S.  Jerome,  who,  according  to  ancient  tradition,  celebrated  mass  at 
one  of  the  altars,  which  is  still  regarded  with  peculiar  veneration." — 
Mrs.  Jameson's  SacreJ  and  Legendary  Art. 

It  was  the  custom  for  the  mediaeval  popes  to  celebrate 
their  second  mass  of  Christmas  night  in  this  church,  for 
which  reason  S.  Anastasia  is  still  especially  commemorated 
in  that  mass. 

To  the  left  of  the  high  altar  is  the  tomb  of  the  learned 
Cardinal  Mai,  by  the  sculptor  Benzoni,  who  owed  every- 
thing to  the  kind  interest  with  which  this  cardinal  regarded 
him  from  childhood.  The  epitaph  is  remarkable.  It  is 
thus  translated  by  Cardinal  Wiseman: 

"  I,  who  my  life  in  wakeful  studies  wore, 

Bergamo's  son,  named  Angelo,  here  lie. 
The  empyreal  robe  and  crimson  hat  I  bore, 

Rome  gave.     Thou  giv'st  me,  Christ,  th'  empyreal  sky. 
Awaiting  Thee,  long  toil  I  could  endure  : 

So  with  Thee  be  my  rest  now,  sweet,  secure." 

Through  this  church,  also,  we  may  enter  some  of  the  sub- 
terraneous chambers  of  the  Palace  of  the  Caesars. 

The  valley  near  this,  between  the  Palatine  and  the  Aven- 
tine,  was  the  site  of  the  Circus  Maxi/nus,  of  which  the  last 
vestiges  were  destroyed  in  the  time  of  Paul  V.  Its  ground 
plan  can,  however,  be  identified,  with  the  assistance  of  the 
small  circus  of  Maxentius  on  the  Via  Appia,  which  still 
partially  exists.  It  was  intended  for  chariot-races  and 
horse-races,  and  is  said  to  have  been  first  instituted  by  Tar- 
quinius  Priscus  after  his  concjuest  of  the  Latin  town  of 
Apiolae.  It  was  a  vast  oblong,  ending  in  a  semicircle,  and 
surrounded  by  three  rows  of  seats,  termed  collectively 
cavea.     In  the  center  of  the  area  was  the  low  wall  called 


THE    CIRCUS  MAXIM  US.  187 

the  spina,  at  each  end  of  which  were  the  metae,  or  goals. 
Between  the  metae  were  columns  supporting  the  ova,  egg- 
shaped  balls,  and  ddphinae,  or  dolphins,  each  seven  in 
number,  one  of  which  was  put  up  for  each  circuit  made  in 
the  race.  At  the  extremity  of  the  Circus  were  the  stalls 
for  the  horses  and  chariots  called  carceres.  This,  the  square 
end  of  the  Circus,  was  termed  oppidi/m,  from  its  external 
resemblance  to  a  town,  with  walls  and  towers.  In  the 
Circus  Maximus,  which  Avas  used  for  hunting  wild  beasts, 
Julius  Caesar  made  a  canal  called  Euripus^  ten  feet  wide, 
between  the  seats  and  the  race  course,  to  protect  the  spec- 
tators. T\\Q  Ludi  Ci/re/ises  were  first  established  by  Romu- 
lus, to  attract  his  Sabine  neighbors,  in  order  that  he  might 
supply  his  city  with  wives  The  games  were  generally  at 
the  expense  of  the  aediles,  and  their  cost  was  so  great  that 
Caesar  was  obliged  to  sell  his  Tiburtine  villa  to  defray 
those  given  during  his  aediieship.  Perhaps  the  most  mag- 
nificent games  knovvn  were  those  in  the  reign  of  Carinus 
(Imp.  A.  D.  283),  when  the  Circus  was  transformed  into  an 
artificial  forest,  in  which  hundreds  of  wild  beasts  and  birds 
were  slaughtered.  At  one  time  this  circus  was  capable  of 
containing  385,000  persons. 

At  the  western  extremity  of  the  Circus  Maximus  stood 
the  Temple  of  Ceres,  Liber,  and  Libera  (said  to  have  been 
vowed  by  the  Dictator  Aulus  Postumius,  at  the  battle  of 
the  Lake  Regillus),  dedicated  by  the  Consul  Sp.  Cassius, 
B.C.  492. 

".Quand  le  pere  de  Cassius  I'eut  immole  de  ses  propres  mains  k 
I'avidite  patricienne,  il  fit  don  du  pecule  de  son  fils — un  fils  n'avait 
que  son  pecule  comme  un  esclave — a  ce  nieme  temple  de  Ceres  que 
Spurius  Cassius  avait  consacre,  et  par  une  feroce  ironic,  mit  au  bas  de 
la  statue  faite  avec  cet  argent,  et  qu'il  dediait  a  la  deesse  :  '  Don  de 
la  famille  Cassia.' 

"  L'ironie  etait  d'autant  plus  amere,  que  Ton  vendait  aupres  du 
temple  de  Ceres  ceux  qui  avaient  offense  un  tribun. 

"Ce  temple,  mis  particulierement  sous  la  surveillance  des  ediles  et 
ou  ils  avaient  leurs  archives,  etait  le  temple  de  la  democratic  romaine. 
Le  farouche  patricien  le  choisit  pour  lui  faire  addresser  par  son  fils 
mort  au  service  de  la  democratic  un  derisoirc  homage." — Ampere,  Hist. 
Rom.  ii.  416. 

We  must  now  retrace  our  steps  for  a  short  distance,  and 
descend  into  a  hollow  on  the  left,  which  we  have  passed, 

'  Made  to  flow  with  wine  under  Heliogabalus. 


1 88  JVALA'S  IX  noME. 

between    the    churches    of    S.   Teodoro    and    S.   Anasta- 
sia. 

Here  an  interesting  group  of  buildings  still  stands  to 
mark  the  site  of  the  famous  ox-market  Forum  Boarium. 
In  its  center  a  brazen  bull,  brought  from  Egina/  once 
commemorated  the  story  of  the  oxen  of  Geryon,  which 
Hercules  left  to  pasture  on  this  marshy  site,  and  which 
were  stolen  hence  by  Cacus — and  is  said  by  Ovid  to  have 
given  a  name  to  the  locality  : 

"  Pontibus  et  magao  juncta  est  celeberrima  Circo 
Area,  quae  posito  de  bove  nomeii  habet.'' 

Fast.   vi.  47S. 

The  fact  of  this  place  being  used  as  a  market  for  oxen 
is  mentioned  by  Livy.' 

The  Forum  Boarium  is  associated  with  several  deeds  of 
cruelty.  After  the  battle  of  Cannae,  a  male  and  female 
Greek  and  a  male  and  female  Gaul  were  buried  alive 
here  ;^  and  here  the  first  fight  of  gladiators  took  place, 
being  introduced  by  M.  and  D.  Brutus,  at  the  funeral  of 
their  father  c.c.  264/  Here  the  Vestal  virgins  buried  the 
sacred  utensils  of  their  worship,  at  the  spot  called  Doliola, 
when  they  fled  from  Rome  after  the  battle  of  the  Allia/ 

Among  the  buildings  which  once  existed  in  the  Forum 
Boarium,  but  of  which  no  trace  remains,  were  the  Temple 
of  the  Sabine  deity  Matuta,  and  the  Temple  of  Fortune, 
both  ascribed  to  Servius  Tullius. 

"  Hac  ibi  luce  ferunt  Matutae  sacra  parenti, 
Sceptiferas  Servi  templa  dedisse  manus." 

Ovid,  Fast.  vi.  479. 

"  Lux  eadem,  Fortuna,  tua  est,  auctorque,  locusque, 
Sed  superinjectis  quis  latet  aede  togis  ? 

Servius  est :  hoc  constat  enim ' 

Fast.  vi.  569. 

The  Temple  of  Fortune  was  rebuilt  by  Lucullus,  and 
Dion  Cassius  mentions  that  the  axle  of  Julius  Caesar's  car 
broke  down  in  front  of  it  on  occasion  of  one  of  his  tri- 
umphs." Another  temple  in  this  neighborhood  was  that  of 
Pudicitia  Patricia,  into  which  the  noble  ladies  refused  to 
admit  Virginia,  because  she  had  espoused  a  plebeian  con- 

'  Pliny,  xxxiv.  2.  '  Livy,  xxi.    62.  ^Ampere.  Hist.  Rom.  i. 

*  Dyer,  104.  "•  Livy.  v.  40.  •  Dion  Cassius,  l.xiii.  21. 


THE   CLOACA    MAXIMA.  189 

sul.'  Here,  also,  was  the  temple  of  Hercules  Victor, 
erected  by  Pompey.^  The  two  earliest  triumphal  arches 
were  built  in  this  forum,  being  in  honor  of  L.  Stertinius, 
erected  B.C.  196,  after  his  victories  in  Spain. 

The  building  which  first  attracts  attention,  among  those 
now  standing,  is  the  Arch  of /anus,  the  Sabine  god.  It  has 
four  equal  sides  and  arches,  turned  to  the  four  points  of 
the  compass,  and  forty-eight  niches,  probably  intended  for 
the  reception  of  small  statues.  Bas-reliefs  on  the  inverted- 
blocks  employed  in  the  lower  part  of  this  edifice,  show  that 
they  must  have  been  removed  from  earlier  buildings.  This 
was  probably  used  as  a  portico  for  shelter  or  business  for 
those  who  trafficked  in  the  Forum  ;  there  were  many  similar 
porticoes  in  ancient  Rome. 

On  the  left  of  the  arch  of  Janus  is  a  narrow  alley,  span- 
ned by  low  brick  arches,  which  leads  first  to  the  beautiful 
clear  spring  of  the  Aqua  Argentina,  which,  according  to 
some  authorities,  is  the  place  where  Castor  and  Pollux 
watered  their  horses  after  the  battle  of  the  Lake  Regillus. 

"  Then  on  rode  those  strange  horsemen, 

With  slow  and  lordly  pace  ; 
And  none  who  saw  their  bearing 

Durst  ask  their  name  or  race. 
On  rode  they  to  the  Forum, 

While  laurel  boughs  and  flowers 
From  house-tops  and  from  windows, 

Fell  on  their  crests  in  showers. 

"  When  they  drew  nigh  to  Vesta, 
They  vaulted  down  amain. 
And  washed  their  horses  in  the  well 

That  springs  by  Vesta's  fane. 
And  straight  again  they  mounted 

And  rode  to  Vesta's  door  ; 
Then,  like  a  blast,  away  they  passed, 
And  no  man  saw  them  more." 

Macaiilay' s  Lays. 

The  alley  is  closed  by  an  arch  of  the  celebrated  Cloaca 
Maxima,  the  famous  drain  formed  by  Tarquinius  Priscus, 
fifth  king  of  Rome,  to  dry  the  marshy  land  of  the  Vela- 
brum. 

"  Infima  urbis  loca  circa  Forum,  aliasque  interjectas  collibus  con- 
valles,  quia  ex  planis  locis  haud  facile  evehebant  aquas,  cloacis  a  fas- 
tigio  in  Tiberim  ductis  siccat." — Livy,  lib.  i.  c.  38. 

'  Amp&re,  iii.  48.  "  Vitruvius,  jii   ■\, 


IQO 


WALKS. IN  ROME. 


The  Cloaca  extended  from  the  Forum  to  the  Tiber,  and 
is  still,  after  2,400  years,  used,  during  the  latter  part  of  its 
course,  for  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  originally  intended, 
though  Pliny  was  filled  with  wonder  that,  in  his  time,  it 
had  already  withstood  the  earthquakes,  inundations,  and 
accidents  of  seven  hundred  years.  Strabo  tells  that  the 
tunnel  of  the  Cloaca  was  of  sufficient  height  to  admit  a 
wagon  laden  with  hay,  but  this  probably  supposes  the 
water  at  its  lowest.  Agrippa,  who  cleaned  out  the  Cloaca, 
navigated  its  whole  length  in  a  boat.  1  he  mouth  of  the 
Cloaca,  composed  of  three  concentric  courses  of  blocks  of 
peperino,  without  cement,  is  visible  on  the  river  a  little  to 
the  right  of  the  temple  of  Vesta. 

"  Ces  lieux  ont  encore  un  air  et  comme  une  odeur  de  marecage — 
quand  on  rode  aux  approches  de  la  nuit  dans  ce  coin  desert  de  Rome 
ou  fut  placee  la  scene  des  premiers  moments  de  son  premier  roi,  on  y 
retrouve,  a  present  mieux  qu'au  temps  de  1  ite-Live,  quelque  chose  de 
I'impression  que  ce  lieu  devait  produire  il  y  a  vingt-cinq  siecles,  a 
I'epoque  ou,  selon  la  vieille  tradition,  le  berceau  de  Romulus  s'arreta 
dans  les  boues  du  Velabre,  au  pied  due  Pak.tin,  prts  de  I'antre  Luper- 
cal.  II  faut  s'ecarter  un  peu  de  cet  endroit,  qui  etait  au  pied  du  ver- 
sant  occidental  du  Palatin,  et  faire  quelques  pas  a  clroite  pour  aller 
chercher  les  traces  du  Velabre  la  ou  les  rues  et  les  habitations  mcdernes 
ne  les  ont  pas  entierement  effacees.  En  s'avan^ant  vers  la  Cloaca 
Maxima,  on  rencontre  un  enfoncement  ou  une  vieille  eglise,  elle-mtme 
au  dedans  humide  et  moisie,  rappelle  par  son  nom,  San  Giorgio  in 
Velabro,  que  le  Velabre  ete  la.  On  voit  sourdre  encore  les  eaux  qui 
I'alimentaient  sous  une  voute  sombre  et  froide,  tapisse'e  de  mousses,  de 
scolopendres  et  de  grandes  herbes  frissonnant  dans  la  nuit.  Alentour, 
tout  a  un  aspect  triste  et  abandonnc,  abandonne  comme  le  furent  au 
bord  du  marais,  suivant  I'antique  recit,  les  enfants  dont  on  croit  presque 
oui  dans  le  crepuscule  les  vagissements.  1, 'imagination  n'a  pas  de 
peine  a  se  representer  les  arbres  et  les  plantes  aquatiques  qui  croissai- 
ent  sur  le  bord  de  cet  enfoncement  que  voila,  et  a  travers  lesquelles  la 
louve  de  la  legende  se  glissait  a  cette  heurc  pour  venir  boire  a  cette 
eau.  Ces  lieux  sontassezpeu  frequentes  ct  assez  silencieux  pourqu'on 
sc  les  figure  comme  ils  etaient  alors,  alorsqu'il  n'yavait  ici,  comme  dit 
Tite-Live,  vrai  cette  fois,  que  des  solitudes  dtsertes  :  Vaslac  iutic 
soiiludincs  craiit." — Anipae,  Hist.  A'otii.  i.  271. 

The  church  with  the  picturesque  campanile  near  the  arch 
of  Janus,  is  .S".  Giorgio  in  Velabro,  founded  in  the  fourth 
century,  as  the  Basilica  Sem])ronia,  but  repeatedly  rebuilt. 
The  architrave  above  its  portico  was  that  where  Rienzi 
affixed  his  famous  inscription,  announcing  the  return  to 
the  Good  Estate  :  "  ///  breve  tempo  gli  Romani  torneranno 
ol  /i>ro  antieo  bi/o/io  stato."      The  church    is   seldom    open, 


S.    MARIA    IN  COSMEDIX. 


191 


except  on  its  festival  (Jan.  20),  and  during  its  station  in 
Lent.  The  interior  is  in  the  basiHca  form,  the  long  nave 
being  lined  by  sixteen  columns,  of  various  sizes,  and  with 
strangely  different  capitals,  showing  that  they  have  been 
plundered  from  ancient  temples.  The  carving  on  some  of 
the  capitals  is  sharp  and  delicate.  There  is  rather  a  hand- 
some ancient  baldacchino,  with  an  old  Greek  picture  let 
into  its  front,  over  the  high  altar.  Beneath  is  preserved  a 
fragment  of  the  banner  of  S.  George.  Some  injured 
frescoes  in  the  tribune  replace  mosaics  which  once  existed 
here,  and  which  were  attributed  to  Giotto.  In  the  center 
is  the  Saviour,  between  the  Virgin  and  S.  Peter  ;  on  one 
side,  S.  George  with  the  martyr's  palm  and  the  warrior's 
banner — on  the  other  S.  Sebastian,  with  an  arrow.  Several 
fragments  of  carving  and  inscriptions  are  built  into  the  side 
walls.  The  pictures  are  poor  and  ugly  which  relate  to  the 
saint  of  the  church,  S.  George  (the  patron  of  England  and 
Germany),  the  knight  of  Cappadocia,  who  delivered  the 
Princess  Cleodolinda  from  the  dragon. 

'■'  Among  good  specimens  of  tliirleenth  century  architecture  is  the 
portico  of  S.  Giorgio,  with  Ionic  columns  and  horizontal  arcliitrave, 
on  which  is  a  Gothic  inscription,  in  quaint  Leonine  verse,  informing 
us  that  the  Cardmal  (or  Prior)  Stephen,  added  this  detail  (probably 
the  campanile  also)  to  the  ancient  church — about  the  middle  of  the 
thirteenth  century,  as  is  supposed,  though  no  date  is  given  here  ;  and 
in  the  midst  of  an  age  so  alien  to  classic  influences,  a  work  in  which 
classic  feeling  thus  predominates  is  remarkable." — Hemans'  Sacred 
Art. 

Partly  hidden  by  the  portico  of  this  church,  is  the  beau- 
tiful miniature  Ai-ch  of  Septimitis  Severus — Arcus  Argcntin- 
orum — erected  a.d.  204,  to  the  emperor,  his  wife  Julia  Pia, 
and  his  sons  Caracalla  and  Geta,  by  the  silversmiths 
(argentarii)  who  had  their  shops  in  the  Forum  Boarium  on 
this  very  spot  ("  cujus  loci  qui  invehent  ").  The  part  of 
the  dedication  relating  to  Geta  (as  in  the  larger  arch  of 
Septimius)  was  obliterated  after  his  murder,  and  the  words 
Fortissimo  felicissimoque  principi  engraved  in  its  place. 
The  architecture  and  sculpture,  part  of  which  represents  a 
sacrifice  by  the  imperial  family,  prove  the  decadence  of  art 
at  this  period. 

Proceeding  in  a  direct  line  from  the  arch  of  Janus,  we 
reach  the  Church  of  S.  Maria  in  Cosmedin,  on  the  site  of 


192 


WAL/CS  IN  ROME. 


a  Temple  of  Ceres,  dedicated  by  the  consul  Spurius  Cas- 
sius,  B.C.  493,  and  afterward  re-dedicated  to  Ceres  and 
Proserpine,  probably  by  Augustus,  who  had  been  initiated 
into  the  Eleusinian  mysteries  in  Greece.  The  church  was 
built  in  the  basilica  form,  in  782,  by  Adrian  I.,  when  the 
name  Cosmedin,  from  the  Greek  ho()/.io?,  is  supposed  to 
have  been  given,  from  the  ornaments  with  which  he  adorned 
it.  It  was  intended  for  the  use  of  the  Greek  exiles  ex- 
pelled from  the  East  by  the  iconoclasts  under  Constan- 
tine  Copronimus,  and  derived  the  epithet  of  S.  Maria  in 
Scuola  Greca,  from  a  "  Schola  "  attached  to  it  for  theit 
benefit.  Another  relic  of  the  Greek  colony  which  existed 
here  is  to  be  found  in  the  name  of  the  adjoining  street,  Via 
della  Greca.  In  the  middle  ages  the  whole  bank  of  the 
river  near  this  was  called  Ripa  Greca. 

The  interior  of  this  church  is  of  great  interest.  The 
nave  is  divided  from  the  aisles  by  twelve  ancient  marble 
columns,  of  which  two  have  especially  curious  antique  cap- 
itals, and  are  evidently  remains  of  the  temple  which  once, 
existed  here.  The  choir  is  raised,  as  at  S.  Clemente. 
The  pavement  is  of  splendid  opus  alexatjdrinum  (1120)  ; 
the  ambones  are  perfect  ;  there  is  a  curious  crypt  ;  the 
altar  covers  an  ancient  basin  of  red  granite,  and  is  shaded 
by  a  Gothic  canopy,  supported  by  four  Egyptian  granite 
pillars  ;  behind  it  is  a  fine  episcopal  throne,  with  lions — 
said  to  have  been  used  by  S.  Augustine — an  ancient  Greek 
picture  of  the  Virgin,  and  a  graceful  tabernacle  of  marble 
inlaid  with  mosaic,  by  Deodato  Cosmati.  who  was  also  the 
sculptor  of  the  paschal  candlestick.  In  the  sacristy  is  a 
very  curious  mosaic,  one  of  the  few  relics  preserved  from 
the  old  S.  Peter's,  a.d.  705.  (There  is  another  in  S. 
Marco,  at  Florence. )  Crescimbeni,  the  founder  and  hi.s- 
torian  of  the  Arcadian  Academy  (ob.  1728)  is  buried  in 
this  church,  of  which  he  was  canon.  On  S.  Valentine's 
Day,  the  skull  of  S.  Valentine  is  exhibited  here  crowned 
with  roses. 

In  the  portico  is  the  strange  and  huge  mask  of  stone, 
which  gives  the  name  of  Bocca  dcUa  Vcrita  to  the  neigh- 
boring piazza.  It  was  believed  that  if  a  witness,  whose 
truthfulness  was  doubted,  were  desired  to  place  his  hand 
in  the  mouth  of  this  mask,  he  would  be  unable  to  withdraw 
it,  if  he  were  guilty  of  perjury. 


S.   MARIA    I  A'  COSMEDIN. 


193 


"  Cette  Bouche-de-Verite  est  une  curieuse  lelique  du  moyen  age. 
Elle  servait  aux  jugemeiits  de  Dieu.  Figurez-vous  une  meule  de 
moulin  qui  ressemble,  non  pas  a  un  visage  humain,  mais  au  vibage  de 
la  lune  ;  on  y  distingue  des  yeux,  un  nez  et  une  bouche  ouverte  oii 
1  accuse  meitait  la  main  pour  preter  sennent.  Cette  bouche  mordait 
les  menteurs  ;  au  mcins  la  tradition  Ta^sure.  J'y  ai  introduit  ma 
dextre  en  disant  que  le  Ghetto  etait  un  lieu  de  dehces,  et  je  n'ai  pas 
etc  mordu." — About,   Rome  Coiitemporaiiic. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  portico  is  the  tomb  of  Cardinal 
Alfanus,  ob.  1150. 

"The  church  was  rebuilt  under  Calixtus  II.,  about  A. D.  1128,  by 
Alfanus,  Roman  Chancellor,  whose  marble  sepulchre  stands  in  the 
atrium,  with  his  epitaph,  along  a  cornice,  giving  him  that  most  com- 
prehensive title,  "an  honest  man,"  zir probus.  Some  more  than  half- 
faded  paintings,  a  Madonna  and  Child,  angels,  and  tv.o  m.itred  heads, 
on  the  wall  behind  the  canopy,  give  importance  to  this  Chancellor's 
tomb.  Though  nov/  disfigured  exteriorly  by  a  modem  faij^ade  in  the 
worst  style,  interiorly  by  a  wagon-vault  roof  and  heavy  pilasters,  this 
church  is  still  one  of  the  mediaeval  gems  of  Rome,  and  retains  many 
olden  details  :  the  classic  colonnades,  probably  left  in  their  original 
place  since  the  time  of  Adrian  I.  ;  and  the  fine  campanile,  one  of  the 
loftiest  in  Rome  ;  also  the  sculptured  doorway,  the  rich  intarsio  pave- 
ment, the  high  altar,  the  marble  and  mosaic-inlaid  ambones,  the  marble 
episcopal  tlirone,  with  supporting  lions  and  a  mosaic  decoration  above, 
etc. ,  all  of  the  twelfth  century.  But  wc  have  to  regret  the  destruction 
of  the  ancient  choir-screens,  and  (still  mere  inexcusable)  the  white- 
washing of  wall  surfaces,  so  as  entirely  to  conceal  the  mediaeval  paint- 
ings which  adorned  them,  conformably  to  that  once  almost  universal 
practice  of  polychrome  decoration  in  churches,  prescribed  even  by  law 
under  Charlemagne.  Ciampini  (sec  his  valuable  hieitory  of  this  basilica) 
mentions  the  iron  rods  for  curtains  betv^een  the  columns  of  the  atrium, 
and  those,  still  in  their  place,  in  the  porch,  with  rings  for  suspending  ; 
also  a  small  chapel  with  paintings,  at  one  end  of  the  atrium,  designed 
for  those  penitents  who  were  not  allowed  to  vscrship  within  the  sacred 
building—as  such,  an  evidence  of  disciplinary  observance,  retained  till 
the  twelfth  century.  Over  the  portal  are  some  tiny  bas-reliefs,  so 
placed  along  the  inner  side  of  the  lintel  that  many  might  pass  under- 
neath witliout  seeing  them  :  in  the  center,  a  hand  blessing,  with  the 
Greek  action,  between  two  sheep,  laterally  ;  the  four  evangelistic  em- 
blems, and  two  doves,  each  pecking  out  of  a  vase,  and  one  perched 
upon  a  dragon  (more  like  a  lizard),  to  signify  the  victory  of  the  puri- 
fied soul  over  mundane  temptations." — Neman's  Christian  Art. 

Close  to  this  church  stood  the  Palace  of  Pope  Gelasius 
II.  (1118). 

Opposite  the  church  is  a  beautiful  fountain,  erected  by 
one  of  the  Medici,  and  beyond  it  the  graceful  round 
temple  now  called  the  Temple  of  Vesta,  supposed  by  Canina 


194 


WALKS  IX  ROME. 


to  have  been  that  of  Mater  Matuta,  and  by  others  to  have 
been  the  AemiHan  Temple  of  Hercules,  alluded  to  by 
Festus  and  mentioned  in  the  tenth  book  of  Livy.  It  is 
known  to  have  existed  in  the  time  of  Vespasian.  It  is 
very  small,  the  circumference  of  the  peristyle  being  only 
156  feet,  and  that  of  the  cella  26  feet — the  height  of  the 
surrounding  Corinthian  columns  (originally  twenty  in  num- 
ber) 32  feet.  This  temple  was  first  dedicated  as  a  church 
under  the  name  of  S.  Stefano  delle  Carrozze  ;  it  now  bears 
the  name  of  S.  Maria  del  Sole. 

This  is  not  the  Temple  of  Vesta  (which  Avas  situated 
near  the  Church  of  S.  Maria  Liberatrice,  in  the  Forum)  of 
which  Horace  wrote  : 

"  Vidimus  flavum  I'iberim,  retortis 
Littore  Etrusco  violenter  undis 
Ire  dejectum  monumenta  regum 

Templaque  Vestae." 

Carm.  i.  2. 

The  modern  overhanging  roof  of  the  t«mple  has  been 
much  objected  to,  as  it  replaces  an  entablature. like  that 
on  the  temple  of  the  Sibyl  at  Tivoli  ;  but  artists  admire 
the  exquisite  play  of  light  and  shade  caused  by  its  rugged 
tiles,  and,  finding  it  a  perfect  "  subject  "  wish  for  no 
;hange. 

"  C'est  aupres  de  la  Bouche-de-Verite,  devant  le  petit  temple  de 
Vesta,  que  la  justice  romaine  execute  un  meurtier  sur  cent.  Quand 
j'arrivai  sur  la  place,  on  n'y  guillotinait  personne  ;  mais  six  cusinieres, 
dont  une  aussi  belle  que  Junon,  dansaient  la  tarantelle  au  son  d'lin 
tambour  de  basque.  Malheureusement  elles  divinerent  ma  quaiite 
d'etranger,  et  elles  se  mirent  a  politer  contre  la  mesurc." — About. 

Close  to  this — overhanging  a  little  hollow  way — is  the 
Temple  of  Fortuna  Virilis,  built  originally  by  Servius  Tul- 
lius,  but  rebuilt  during  the  republic,  and  if  the  existing 
building  is  really  republican,  the  most  ancient  temple  re- 
maining in  Rome.  It  is  surrounded  by  Doric  pilasters  in 
the  style  of  construction  which  Vitruvius  stigmatizes  under 
the  name  of  pseudo-peripteral  (one  side  being  inclosed  in 
other  buildings),  28  feet  high,  clothed  with  liard  stucco, 
and  supporting  an  entablature  adorned  with  figures  of  chil- 
dren, oxen,  candelabra,  etc.  The  Roman  matrons  had  a 
great  regard  for  this  goddess,  who  was  supposed  to  have 
the  power  of  concealing  their  personal  imperfections  fron? 


PONTE   ROT  TO.  1 95 

the  eyes  of  men.  At  the  close  of  the  tenth  century  this 
temple  was  consecrated  to  the  Virgin,  but  has  since  been 
bestowed  upon  S.  Mary  of  Egypt. 

Hard  by,  is  a  picturesque  end  of  building,  laden  with 
rich  but  incongruous  sculpture,  at  one  time  called  ''The 
House  of  Pilate,"  but  now  known  as  the  House  of  Rienzi. 
It  derives  its  present  name  from  a  long  inscription  over  a 
doorway  which  tallies  with  the  bombastic  epithets  assumed 
by  "  The  Last  of  the  Tribunes  "  in  his  pompous  letter  of 
August  I,  1347,  when,  in  his  semi-madness,  he  summoned 
kings  and  emperors  to  appear  before  his  judgment-seat. 
The  inscription  closes  : 

"  Primus  de  primis  magnus  Nicolaus  ab  imis, 
Erexit  patrum  decus  ob  renovare  suorum. 
Stat  patris  Crescens  matrisque  Theodora  nomen 
Hoc  culmen  clarum  caro  de  pignore  gessit, 
Davidi  tribuit  qui  pater  exhibuit." 

It  is  believed,  from  the  inscription,  that  the  house  was 
fortified  by  Nicholas,  son  of  Crescentius  and  Theodora, 
who  gave  it  to  David,  his  son  ;  that  the  Crescentius  alluded 
to  was  son  of  the  famous  patrician  who  headed  the  popu- 
lace against  Otho  III. ;  and  that,  three  centuries  later,  the 
house  may  have  belonged  to  Cola  di  Rienzi,  a  name  which 
is,  in  fact,  only  popular  language  for  Niccola  Crescenzo. 
It  is,  however,  known  that  Rienzi  was  not  born  in  this  house, 
but  in  a  narrow  street  behind  S.  Tommaso,  in  the  Rione  alia 
Regola,  where  his  father  Lorenzo  kept  an  inn,  and  his 
mother,  ISIaddalena,  gained  her  daily  bread  as  a  washer- 
woman and  water-carrier — so  were  the  Crescenzi  fallen  ! 

Here  is  the  entrance  to  a  suspension-bridge,  which  joins 
the  remaining  arches  of  the  Ponte  Ratio.,  and  leads  to  the 
Trastevere.  On  this  site  was  the  Pons  Aemilius,  begun, 
B.C.  180,  by  M.  Aemilius  Lepidus  and  Marcus  Fulvius 
Nobilior,  and  finished  by  P.  Scipio  Africanus  and  L. 
Mummius,  the  censors,  in  B.C.  142.  Hence  the  body  of 
the  Emperor  Heliogabalus  was  thrown  into  the  Tiber. 
The  bridge  has  been  three  times  rebuilt  by  different 
popes,  but  two  of  its  arches  were  finally  carried  away  in  an 
inundation  of  1598,  and  have  never  since  been  replaced. 
The  existing  remains,  which  only  date  from  the  time  of 
Julius  III.,  are  highly  picturesque. 


196  IVALKS  IN  ROME. 

"  Quand  on  a  etabli  un  pont  en  fil  de  fer,  on  lui  a  donne  pour  base 
les  piles  du  Ponle-Rotto,  eleve  au  moyen  age  sur  Ics  fondements  du 
Pons  Palalinus,  qui  fut  acheve  sous  la  censure  de  Scipion  I'Africain. 
Scipion  I'Africain  et  un  pont  en  fil  de  fer,  voila  de  ces  contrastes 
qu'on  ne  Irouve  qu'a  Rome." — Ampere,  Emp.  ii.  209. 

From  this  bridge  is  the  best  view  of  the  Isola  Tiberina 
and  its  bridges,  though  it  has  been  greatly  spoilt  since  the 
change  of  government ;  and  hence,  also,  the  temple  of 
Vesta  is  seen  to  great  advantage.  Just  below  is  the 
mouth  of  the  Cloaca  Maxima. 

"  Quand  du  Ponte-Rotto  on  considere  le  triple  cintre  de  I'ouverture 
par  laquelle  la  Cloaca  Maxima  se  dtchargeait  dans  le  'Fibre,  on  a  de- 
vant  les  yeux  un  monument  qui  rappelle  beaucoup  de  grandeur  et 
beaucoup  d'oppression.  Ce  monument  extraordinaire  est  une  page 
importante  de  I'histoire  romaine.  11  est  a  la  fois  la  supreme  expres- 
sion de  la  puissance  des  rois  etrusques  et  le  signe  avant-coureur  de 
leur  chute.  L'on  croit  voir  Tare  triomphal  de  la  royaute  par  oil  devait 
entrer  la  republique." — Afuplre,  Hist.  Rom.  ii.  233. 

In  the  bed  of  the  river  a  little  lower  down  may  be  seen, 
at  low  water,  some  massive  fragments  of  masonry.  Here 
stood  the  Pons  Siiblicii/s,  the  oldest  bridge  in  Rome,  built 
by  Ancus  Martius  (b.c.  639),  on  which  Horatius  Codes 
and  his  two  companions  "  kept  the  bridge "  against  the 
Etruscan  army  of  Lars  Porsenna,  till — 

"  Back  darted  Spurius  Larlius  ; 

Herminius  darted  back  : 
And,  as  they  passed,  beneaih  their  feet 

They  felt  the  timbers  crack. 
But  when  they  turned  their  faces, 

And  on  the  farther  shore 
Saw  brave  Horatius  stand  alone. 

They  would  have  crossed  once  more. 

"  But  with  a  crash  like  thunder 

Fell  every  loosened  beam. 
And,  like  a  dam.  the  mighty  wreck 

Lay  right  athwart  the  stream  : 
And  a  long  sliout  of  triumph 

Rose  from  the  walls  of  Rome, 
As  to  the  highest  turret-tops 

Was  splashed  tlic  yellow  foam." — Macaulay's  Lays. 

The  name  "  Sublicius  "  came  from  the  wooden  beams  of 
the  construction  of  the  bridge,  which  enabled  the  Romans 
to  cut  it  away.  It  was  rebuilt  by  Tiberius  and  again  by 
Antoninus  Pius,  each  time  of  beams,  but  upon  stone  piers 


POR  TA    CARMEXTALIS. 


197 


of  which  the  present  remains  are  fragments,  the  rest  having 
been  destroyed  by  an  inundation  in  the  time  of  Adrian  I. 

On  the  Trastevere  bank,  between  these  two  bridges, 
half  hidden  in  shrubs  and  ivy  (but  worth  examination  in  a 
boat),  are  two  gigantic  Heads  0/  Lions,  to  which  in  ancient 
times  chains  were  fastened  and  drawn  across  the  river  to 
prevent  hostile  vessels  from  passing. 

Near  the  house  of  Rienzi  we  enter  the  Vm  S.  Giovanni 
Decollato,  decorated  with  numerous  heads  of  John  the 
Baptist  in  the  dish,  let  into  the  walls  over  the  doors  of  the 
houses.  The  "  Confraternita  della  Misericordia  di  S. 
Giovanni  Decollato,"  founded  in  1488,  devote  themselves 
to  criminals  condemned  to  death.  They  visit  them  in 
prison,  accompany  tliem  to  execution,  receive  their  bodies, 
and  offer  masses  for  their  souls  in  their  little  chapel. 
Vasari  gives  the  highest  praise  to  two  pictures  of  Francesco 
Salviati  in  the  church  of  S.  Giov.  Decollato,  "before  which 
all  Rome  stood  still  in  admiration," — representing  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  angel  to  Zacharias,  and  the  meeting  of  the 
Virgin  and  Elizabeth. 

On  the  left  is  the  Hospital  of  S.  Galla,  commemorating 
the  pious  foundation  of  a  Roman  matron  in  the  time  of 
John  I.  (523-526),  who  attained  such  celebrity  that  she  is 
still  commemorated  in  the  Roman  mass  by  the  prayer — 

"  Almighty  and  merciful  God,  who  didst  adorn  the  blessed  Galla 
with  the  virtue  of  a  wonderful  love  towards  thy  poor  ;  grant  us, 
through  her  merits  and  prayers,  to  practice  works  of  love,  and  to  ob- 
tain Thy  mercy,  through  the  Lord,  (S;c.     Amen." 

On,  or  very  near  this  site,  stood  the  Porta  Canmntalis, 
which,  with  the  temple  beside  it,  commemorated  Carmenta, 
the  supposed  mother  of  Evander,  a  Sabine  prophetess,  who 
is  made  by  Ovid  to  predict  the  future  grandeur  of  Rome.' 
Carmenta  was  especially  invoked  by  women  in  childbirth. 
The  Porta  Carmentalis  was  reached  from  the  Forum  by 
the  Vicus  Jugarius.  It  was  by  this  route  that  the  Fabii 
went  forth  to  meet  their  doom  in  the  valley  of  the  Cremera. 
The  Porta  had  two  gates — one  for  those  who  entered,  the 
other  for  those  who  left  it,  so  that  in  each  case  the  pas- 
senger passed  through  the  ''  Janus,"  as  it  was  called,  upon 
his  right.     After  the  massacre  of  the  Fabii,  the  road  by 


U)U 


IVA/.A'S   /X  ROME. 


which  they  left  the  city  was  avoided,  and  the  Janus  Cai- 
mentalis  on  the  right  was  closed,  and  called  the  Porta 
Scelerata. 

"  Carmentis  portae  dextro  est  via  proxima  Jano. 
Ire  per  hanc  noli,  quisquis  es  ;  omen  habet." 

Ovid,  Fast.  ii.  201. 

Just  beyond  the  Porta  Carmentalis  was  the  district  called 
Tarentum,  where  there  was  a  subterranean  "  Ara  Ditis 
Patris  et  Proserpinae." 

We  now  reach  (left)  the  Church  of  S.  Nicolo  in  Carcere, 
It  has  a  mean  front,  with  an  inscription  in  honor  of  one  of 
the  Aldobrandini  family,  and  is  only  interesting  as  occupy- 
ing the  site  of  the  three  Temples  of  Juno  Matuta,  Piety  (?), 
and  Hope,  which  are  believed  to  mark  the  site  of  the 
Forum  Olitorium.  The  vauks  beneath  the  church  contain 
the  massive  substructions  of  these  temples,  and  fragments 
of  their  columns. 

The  central  temple  is  believed  to  be  that  of  Piety,  built 
by  M.  Acilius  Glabrio,  the  duumvir,  in  B.C.  165  (though 
Pliny  says  that  this  temple  was  on  the  site  afterward  oc- 
cupied by  the  theater  of  Marcellus),  in  fulfillment  of  a  vow 
made  by  his  father,  a  consul  of  the  same  name,  on  the  day 
of  his  defeating  the  forces  of  Antiochus  the  Great,  king  of 
Syria,  at  Thermopylae.  Others  endeavor  to  identify  it 
with  the  temple  built  on  the  site  of  the  Decemviral  prisons, 
to  keep  up  the  recollection  of  the  famous  story,  called  the 
"  Caritas  Romana," — of  a  woman  condemned  to  die  of 
hunger  in  prison  being  nourished  by  the  milk  of  her  own 
daughter.  Pliny  and  Valerius  Maximus  tell  the  story  as 
of  a  mother ;  Festus  only  speaks  of  a  father  ; ' — yet  art 
and  poetry  have  always  followed  the  latter  legend.  A  cell 
is  shown  by  torchlight,  as  the  scene  of  this  touching  inci- 
dent. 

"  There  is  a  dungeon,  in  whose  dim  drear  light 
What  do  I  gaze  on  ?     Nothing.     Look  again  ! 
Two  forms  are  slowly  shadowed  on  my  sight — 
Two  insulated  phantoms  of  the  brain  : 
It  is  not  so  ;  I  see  them  full  and  plain — 
An  old  man,  and  a  female  young  and  fair, 
Fresh  as  a  nursing  mother,  in  whose  vein 
The  blood  is  nectar  : — but  what  doth  she  there, 
With  her  unmantled  neck,  and  her  bosom  white  and  bare  / 

'  Plin.  H   N .  vii.  36  ;  Val.  Max.  v.  ^-^  ;  Festus,  p.  609. 


S.    jVICOLO   in   CARCERE.  ipg 

"  But  here  youth  offers  to  old  age  the  food, 
The  milk  of  his  own  gift : — it  is  her  sire. 
To  whom  she  renders  back  the  debt  of  blood 
Born  with  her  birth.     No,  he  shall  not  expire 
While  in  those  warm  and  lovely  veins  the  fire 
Of  health  and  holy  feeling  can  provide 
Great  Nature's  Nile,  v.hose  deep  stream  rises  higher 
Than  Egypt's  river  ; — from  tliat  gentle  side 
Drink,  drink,  and  live,  old  man  !     Heaven's  realm  holds 
no  such  tide. 

"  The  starry  fable  of  the  milky-way 
Has  not  thy  story's  purity  ;  it  is 
A  constellation  of  a  sweeter  ray. 
And  sacred  Nature  triumphs  more  in  this 
Reverse  of  her  decree,  than  in  the  abyss 
Where  sparkle  distant  worlds  : — Oh,  holiest  nurse  ! 
No  drop  of  that  clear  stream  its  way  shall  miss 
To  thy  sire's  heart,  replenishing  its  source 
With  life,  as  our  freed  souls  rejoin  the  universe." 

Childe  Harold. 

A  memorial  of  this  story  of  a  prison  is  preserved  in  the 
name  of  the  church — S.  Nicole  in  Carcerc.  It  was  proba- 
bly owing  to  this  legend  that,  in  front  of  the  Temple  of 
Piety,  was  placed  the  Columtia  Lactaria,  where  infants  were 
exposed,  in  the  hope  that  some  one  would  take  pity  upon 
and  nurse  them  out  of  charity.  The  pedestal  of  a  statue 
was  found  in  the  tiny  piazza  in  front  of  the  church  in  i2c8. 
and  is  believed  to  have  been  that  of  the  equestrian  staiue 
of  M.  Acilius  Glabrio  mentioned  by  Livy. 

A  wide  opening  out  of  the  street  near  this,  with  a  pretty 
fountain,  is  called  the  Piazza  Montanara,  and  is  one  of  the 
places  where  the  country  people  collect  and  wait  for  hire. 

"  Le  dimanche  est  le  jour  ou  les  paysans  arrivert  a  Rcm.e.  Ceux 
qui  cherchent  I'emploi  de  leurs  bras  viennent  se  louer  aux  marchonds 
de  campagne.  c'est-a-dire  aux  fermiers.  Ceiix  qui  sont  loues  et  qui 
travaillent  hors  des  murs  viennent  faire  leurs  afl'aires  et  renouveler 
leurs  provisions.  lis  entrent  enville  an  petit  jour,  cpr^s  avoir  marchc 
une  bonne  partie  de  la  nuit.  Chaque  famiile  arr.encun  ane.  qui  porte 
le  bagage.  Hommes,  femmes.  et  enfants,  pov.isant  leur  ane  devant 
eux,  s'etablissent  dans  un  coin  de  la  place  Farnesc.  ou  dc  la  place 
Montanara.  Les  boutiques  voisines  restent  ouvertes  jusqu'a  midi  par 
un  privilege  special.  On  va,  on  vient,  on  achete,  on  s'accrcupit'dans 
les  coins  pour  compter  les  pieces  de  cuivic.  Cependant  les  r-r.cs  se 
reposent  sur  leurs  quatre  pieds  au  bord  des  fontaines.  Les  fcinmes, 
vetues  d'un  corset  en  cuirasse,  d'un  tablier  rouge,  et  d'une  veste  layee, 
encadrent  leur  figure  halee  dans  une  draperie  de  linge  tres-blanc. 
Elles  sont  loutes  i  peindre  sans  exception:  quand  ce  n'est  pas  pour  la 


joo  IVA/.h'S  IX  ROME. 

beaule  de  leurs  traits,  c'est  p.our  I'elegance  naive  de  leurs  attitudes. 
Les  hommes  ont  le  long  manteau  bleu  de  ciel  et  le  chapeau  ])ointu  ; 
la-dessous  leuis  habits  de  travail  font  merveille,  quoique  roussis  parle 
temps  et  couleur  de  perdrix.  Le  costume  n'est  pasuniforme;  on  voit 
plui  d'un  manteau  amadou  rapiece  de  bleu  vif  ou  de  rouge  garancc. 
Le  c'lapeau  de  paille  abonde  en  ete.  Le  chaussureest  tre.,-capricieuse; 
Soulier,  botte  et  sandale  foulent  successivement  le  pave.  Ljs dechaus- 
ses  trouvent  ici  pres  de  grandes  et  profondes  boutiques  cu  Ton  vend 
des  marchandises  d'occasion.  II  y  a  des  souliers  de  tout  cuir  et  de 
tout  age  dans  ces  tresors  de  la  chaussure  ;  on  y  trouverait  des  co- 
thurnes  de  I'an  500  de  la  republique,  en  chcrehant  bien.  Jo  viens  de 
voir  un  pauvre  diable  qui  essayait  une  poire  de  bottes  a  levers.  Elles 
vont  a  ses  jambes  comme  une  plume  a  roreille  d'un  pore,  et  c'est  plaisir 
de  voir  la  grimace  qu'il  fait  chaque  fois  qu'il  pose  le  pied  a  terre. 
Mais  le  marchand  le  fortitie  par  de  bonnes  paroles  ;  '  Nc  crains  rien.' 
lui  dit-il,  '  tu  souffriras  pendant  cinq  ou  six  jours,  et  puis  tu  n'y  pen- 
seras  plus.'  Un  autre  marchanddebite  des  clous  a  la  livre  :  le  chaland 
les  enfonce  lui-meme  dans  ses  semelles  ;  il  y  a  des  bancs  ad  hi>f.  Le 
long  des  murs,  cinq  ou  six  chaises  de  paille  servent  de  boutique  a 
autant  de  barbiers  en  plcin  vent.  II  en  coiitc  un  sou  pour  abattvc  une 
barbe  de  huit  jours.  Le  patient,  barbouille  de  savon,  rogardc  le  ciel 
d'un  ceil  resigne  ;  le  barbicr  lui  tire  le  nez,  lui  met  les  doigLs  dans  la 
bouclie,  s'interrompt  pour  aiguiser  le  rasoir  sur  un  cuir  attache  au 
dossier  de  la  chaise,  ou  pour  ecorner  une  galette  noire  qui  pend  au 
mur.  Cependant  I'opcTation  est  faite  en  un  tour  de  main  ;  le  ra^e  se 
leve  et  sa  place  est  prise.  II  pourrait  allcr  se  laver  a  la  fontainc,  mais 
il  trouve  plus  simple  de  s'essuyer  du  revers  de  sa  manche. 

'■  Les  ecrivains  publics  alternent  avec  les  barbiers.  On  leur  apporte 
les  leltres  qu'on  a  rcc^ues  ;  ils  les  lisent  et  font  la  reponsc :  total, 
irois  sous.  Des  qu'un  paysan  s'approche  de  la  table  pour  dieter 
quelque  chose,  cinq  ou  six  curieux  se  reunissent  ofiicieusement  autour 
de  lui  pour  mieux  entendre.  II  y  a  une  certaine  bonhomie  dans  cette 
indiscretion.  Chacun  place  son  mot,  chacun  donne  un  consei!  :  '  Tu 
devrais  dire  ceci.'  '  Non  ;  dis  plutot  cela.'  '  Laissez-le  parier,'  crie 
un  troisieme,  '  il  sail  mieux  que  vous  ce  qu'il  veut  fairc  ecrire.' 

■'  Quclqucs  voitures  chargees  de  gaieties  d'orge  et  de  mais  circulent 
au  milieu  de  la  foule.  Un  marchand  de  limonade,  arme  d'une  pince 
de  bois,  ccrase  les  citrons  dans  les  verres.  L'homnie  sobre  boit  a  la 
fontaine  en  faisan  un  aqueduc  des  bords  de  son  chapeau.  Le  gour- 
met achete  des  viandes  d'occasion  devant  un  petit  etalage.  oil  les 
rebuts  de  cuisine  se  vendent  la  poignee.  Pour  un  sou,  le  debitant 
remplit  de  boeuf  hache  et  d'os  de  cotelettes  un  morceau  de  vieux  jour- 
nal ;  une  pinceede  sel  ajou'.ee  surle  tout  pare  agreabiement  la  denree. 
L'acheieur  marchande,  no;i  sur  le  prix,  qui  est  invariable,  mais  sur  la 
quanlite  ;  il  prend  au  tas  quelques  bribes  de  viande,  ct  on  le  laisse 
fair;>  ;  car  rien  ne  sc  conchit  a  Rome  sans  marchander. 

"'  L:s  ermites  et  les  moines  pa-;sent  de  groupe  en  groupe  en  quetant 
pour  les  ames  du  purgatoire.  M'est  avis  que  ces  pauvrcs  ouvriers  font 
leur  purgatoire  en  ce  monde  ;  ct  qu'iI  vaudrait  mieux  leur  donner  de 
I'argent  que  de  leur  en  demander  ;  ilsdonnent  pourtant,  et  sans  scfaire 
iirer  rorcill<i. 


THEATER   OF  MARCELLUS.  20 1 

"  Quelquefois  un  beau  parleur  s'amuse  a  raconter  une  histoire  ;  on 
fait  cercle  autour  de  lui,  et  a  mesure  que  I'auditoiro  augmente  il  eleve 
la  voix.  J'ai  vu  de  ces  conteurs  qui  avaient  la  physionomie  bien  fine 
et  bien  heureuse  ;  mais  je  ne  sais  rien  de  charmant  comme  I'attention 
de  leur  public.  Les  peinlres  du  quinzieme  siecle  ont  du  prendre  a  la 
place  Montanara  les  disciples  qu'ils  groupaient  autour  du  Christ." — ■ 
About,  Rome  Contemporaiiie. 

An  opening  on  the  left  discloses  the  vast  substructions 
of  the  Theate7-of  Marcellns.  This  huge  edifice  seems  to 
have  been  projected  by  Julius  Ceasar,  but  he  probably- 
made  little  progress  in  it.  It  was  actually  erected  by 
Augustus,  and  dedicated  {c.  13  B.C.)  in  memory  of  the 
young  nephew  whom  lie  married  to  his  daughter  Julia,  and 
intended  as  his  successor,  but  who  was  cut  off  by  an  early 
death.  The  theater  was  capable  of  containing  20,000 
spectators,  and  consisted  of  three  tiers  of  arches,  but  the 
upper  range  has  disappeared,  and  the  lower  is  very  imper- 
fect. Still  it  is  a  grand  remnant,  and  rises  magnificently 
above  the  paltry  houses  vvhich  surround  it.  The  perfect 
proportions  of  its  Doric  and  Ionic  columns  served  as  mod- 
els to  Palladio. 

"  Le  mur  exterieur  du  portique  demi-circulaire  qui  envcloppait  les 
gradins  ofifre  encore  a  notre  admiration  deux  etages  d'arceaux  et  de 
colonnes  doiiques  et  ioniques  d'une  beaute  jjresque  grecque.  L'etage 
supeneur,  qui  devait  etr6  corinthien,  a  disparu.  \jt^  fomiccs,  ou 
voutes  du  rez-de-chaussee,  sont  habitees  encore  aujourd'hui  comme 
elles  I'etaient  dans  d'antiquite,  mais  plus  honnetemcnt,  par  de  pauvres 
gens  qui  vendent  des  ferrailles.  Au-dessous  dts  belles  colonnes  de 
I'enceinte  extc'rieure,  on  a  construit  des  maisons  modernes  dans 
lesquelles  sont  pratiquees  des  fenctres,  et  a  ces  fenetres  du  theatre  de 
Marcellus  on  voit  des  pois  a  fleurs,  ni  plus  ni  moins  qu'a  une  man- 
sarde  de  la  rue  Saint-Denis  ;  des  chemises  sechent  sur  I'entablement  ; 
des  cheminees  surmontent  la  ruine  romaine,  et  un  grand  tube  se  des- 
sine  a  Textremite. 

"Dans  les  jeux  celebres  a  I'occasion  de  la dedicace  du  theatre  de 
Marcellus,  on  vit  pour  la  premiere  fois  un  tigre  appriovise,  tigrim 
mansuefactmn.  Dans  ce  tigre  le  peuple  romain  pouvait  contempler 
son  image." — Ampere,  Emp.  i.  256. 

In  the  middle  ages  this  theater  was  the  fortress  of  the 
great  family  of  Pierleoni,  the  rivals  of  the  Frangipanl,  who 
occupied  the  Coliseum  ;  their  name  is  commemorated  by 
the  neighboring  street.  Via  Porta  Leone.  The  constant 
warfare  in  which  they  were  engaged  with  their  neighbors 
did  much  to  destroy  the  building,  whose  interior  becams 
reduced  to  a  mass  of  ruins,  forming  a  hill,   upon   which 

9* 


203  IVALA'S   l\   ROME. 

Baldassare  Peruzzi  (1526)  built  tlie  Palazzo  Savelli,  of 
which  the  entrance,  flanked  by  the  two  armorial  bears  of  the 
family,  may  be  seen  in  the  street  (Via  Savelli)  which  leads 
to  the  Ponte  Quattro  Capi. 

"  Au  dix-septieme  siecle,  les  Savelli  exerfaient  encore  une  juris- 
diction feodale.  Leur  tribunal,  aussi  regulierement  constitue  que  pas 
un,  s'appellait  Corte  Savella.'  lis  avaient  le  droit  d'arracher  tous  les 
ans  un  criminel  a  la  peine  de  mort  ;  droit  de  grace,  droit  regalien  re- 
connu  par  la  monarchic  absolue  des  papes.  Les  femmes  de  cette  illustre 
famiile  ne  sortaient  point  de  leurs  palais  sinon  dans  un  carosse  bien 
fetme.  Les  Orsini  et  les  Colonna  se  vantaient  que,  pendant  lessiecles, 
aucun  traite  de  paix  n'avait  ete  conclu  entre  les  princes  chretiens,  dans 
lequel  ils  n'eusseat  ete  nominativement   compns. " — About. 

The  palace  has  now  passed  to  the  family  of  Orsini-Gra- 
vina,  who  descended  from  a  senator  of  a.d.  1200.  The 
princes  of  Orsini  and  Colonna,  in  their  quality  as  attend- 
ants on  the  throne  {principi  assistcnii  al  soglio)  take  pre- 
cedence of  all  other  Roman  nobles. 

"  Nicolovius  will  remember  the  Theater  of  Marcellus,  in  which  the 
Savelli  family  built  a  palace.  My  house  is  half  of  it.  It  has  stood 
empty  for  a  considerable  time,  because  tb.e  drive  into  the  courtyard 
(the  interior  of  tire  ancient  theater)  rises  like  the  slope  of  a  mountain 
upon  the  heaps  of  rubbish  ;  although  the  road  has  been  cut  in  a  zig-zag, 
it  is  still  a  break-neck  affair.  There  is  another  entrance  from  the 
Piazza  Montanara,  whence  a  flight  of  seventy-three  steps  leads  up  to 
the  same  story  I  have  mentioned,  the  entrance-hall  of  which  is  on  a 
level  with  the  top  of  the  carriageway  through  the  courtyard.  The 
apartm.ents  iu  which  we  shall  live  are  those  over  the  colonnade  of 
Ionic  pillars  forming  the  third  story  of  the  ancient  theater,  and  some, 
on  a  level  with  them,  which  have  been  built  out  like  wings  on  the 
rubbish  of  the  ruins.  Tlrcse  enclose  a  little  quadrangular  garden, 
which  is  indeed  very  small,  only  about  eighty  or  ninety  feet  long,  and 
scarcely  so  broad,  but  so  delightful  !  It  contains  three  fountains — 
an  abundance  of  flowers  ;  there  are  orange-trees  on  the  wall  between 
the  windows,  and  jessamine  under  them.  We  mean  to  plant  a  vine 
besides.  From  this  story,  you  ascend  forty  steps  or  more  higher, 
where  I  mean  to  have  my  own  study,  and  there  are  most  cheerful  little 
rooms,  from  which  you  have  a  prospect  over  the  whole  country  be- 
yond the  Tiber,  Monte  Mario,  and  S.  Peter's,  and  can  sccovcr  S.  Pie- 
tro  in  Montorio,  indeed  almost  as  far  as  the  Avcntine.  It  would,  I 
think,  be  possible  besides  to  erect  a  loggia  upon  the  roof  (for  which  I 
shall  save  mo.'iey  from  other  things),  that  we  may  have  a  view  over  the 
Capitol, 'Forum,  Palatine,  Coliseum,  and  all  the  inhabited  parts  of  the 
city," — Niebuhrs  Letters. 

'  Baatrice  and  Lucrezia  Cenci  were  imprisoned  in  the  Cone  Savella,  and  led 
thence  to  c.tecutioa. 


S.    ANGELO  IN  PESCHERJA. 


203 


Following  the  wall  of  the  theater,  down  a  filthy  street, 
we  arrive  at  the  picturesque  group  of  ruins  of  the  "  Porticus 
Octaviae,"  erected  by  Augustus  in  honor  of  his  sister  (the 
unhappy  wife  of  Antony),  close  to  the  theater  to  which  he 
had  given  the  name  of  her  son.  The  exact  form  of  the 
building  is  known  from  the  Pianta  Capitolina — that  it  was 
a  parallelogram,  surrounded  by  a  double  arcade  of  270 
columns,  and  inclosing  the  temples  of  Jupiter  and  Juno, 
built  by  the  Greek  architects  Eatracus  and  Saurus.' 

With  regard  to  these  temples,  Pliny  narrates  a  fact  which 
reminds  one  of  the  story  of  the  Madonna  of  S.  Maria 
Nuova."  The  porters  having  carelessly  carried  the  statues 
of  the  gods  to  the  wrong  temples,  it  was  imagined  that 
they  had  done  so  from  divine  inspiration,  and  the  people 
would  not  venture  to  remove  them,  so  that  the  statues 
always  remained  in  the  wrong  temples,  though  their  sur- 
roundings were  utterly  unsuitable. 

The  Portico  of  Octavia,  built  by  Augustus,  occupied  the 
site  of  an  earlier  portico — the  Porticus  Metelli — built  by 
A.  Caecilius  Metellus,  after  his  triumph  over  Andriscus  in 
Macedonia,  in  B.C.  146.  Temples  of  Jupiter  Stator  and 
Juno  existed  also  in  this  portico,  one  of  them  being  the 
earliest  temple  built  of  marble  in  Rome.  Before  these 
temples  Metellus  placed  the  famous  group  of  twenty-five 
bronze  statues,  which  he  had  brought  from  Greece,  ex- 
ecuted by  Lysippus  for  Alexander  the  Great,  and  repre- 
senting that  conquerer  himself  and  twenty-four  horsemen 
of  his  troop  who  had  fallen  at  the  Granicus/ 

The  existing  fragment  of  the  portico  is  the  original  en- 
trance to  the  whole.  The  building  had  suffered  from  fire 
in  the  reign  of  Titus,  and  was  restored  by  Septimius 
Severus,  and  of  this  tim.e  is  the  large  brick  arch  on  one 
side  of  the  ruin. 

"  It  was  in  this  hall  of  Octavia  that  Titus  and  Vespasian  celebrated 
their  triumph  over  Israel  with  festive  pomp  and  splendor.  Among 
the  Jewish  spectators  stood  the  historian  Flavius  Josephus,  who  was 
one  of  the  followers  and  tiatterers  of  Titus,  .  .  .  and  to  this  base 
Jewish  courtier  we  owe  a  description  of  the  triumph." — Gregorovius, 
IVanderjalire  in  Italien. 

Within    the    portico   is    the    Church   of  S.    Angela   in 

'  See  the  account  of  the  Basilica  of  S.  Lorenzo  fuori  le  Mura. 
*  See  Chap.  IV.  '  Ske  I>,'er's  Ciiy  of  Rome. 


204 


WALK'S  IX  ROME. 


Pescheria.  Here  it  was  that  Cola  Rienzi  summoned,  at 
midnight — May  20,  1347— all  good  citizens  to  hold  a  meet- 
ing for  the  re-establishment  of  "  the  Good  Estate  ;  "  here 
he  kept  the  vigil  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and  hence  he  went 
forth,  bare-headed,  in  complete  armor,  accompanied  by 
the  papal  legate,  and  attended  by  a  vast  multitude,  to  the 
Capitol,  w'here  he  called  upon  the  populace  to  ratify  the 
Good  Estate. 

It  is  said  that  one  of  the  causes  which  most  incited  the 
indignation  of  Rienzi  against,  the  assumption  and  pride  of 
the  Roman  families,  was  the  fact  of  their  painting  tiieir 
arms  on  the  ancient  Roman  buildings,  and  thus  in  a  man- 
ner appropriating  them  to  their  own  glory.  Remains  of 
coats  of  arms  thus  painted  may  be  seen  on  the  front  wall 
of  the  Portico  of  Octavia.  It  was  also  on  this  very  wall 
that  Rienzi  painted  his  famous  allegorical  picture.  In  this 
painting  kings  and  men  of  the  people  were  seen  burning 
in  a  furnace,  w-ith  a  woman  half  consumed,  who  personi- 
fied Rome — and  on  the  right  was  a  church,  \vhence  issued 
a  white-robed  angel,  bearing  in  one  hand  a  naked  sword, 
while  with  the  other  he  plucked  the  woman  from  the 
flames.  On  the  church  tower  were  SS.  Peter  and  Paul, 
crying  to  the  angel,  "  Aquilo,  aquilo,  succurri  a  1'  alberga- 
trice  nostra,' — and  beyond  this  were  represented  falcons 
(typical  of  the  Roman  barons)  falling  from  heaven  into 
the  flames,  and  a  white  do\e  bearing  a  wreath  of  olive, 
which  it  gave  to  a  little  bird  (Rienzi),  which  was  chased 
by  the  falcons.  Beneath  was  inscribed  :  "  I  see  the  time 
of  great  justice,  do  thou  await  that  time." 

"  Then  turn  we  to  her  latest  tribune's  name, 
From  her  ten  thousand  tyrants  turn  to  tliee, 
Redeemer  of  dark  centuries  of  shame — 
The  friend  of  Petrarch — liope  of  Italy — 
Rienzi  !  last  of  Romans  !     While  the  tree 
Of  Freedom's  wither'd  trunk  puts  forth  a  leaf, 
Even  for  thy  tomb  a  garland  let  it  be — 
The  forum's  champion,  and  the  people's  chief — 
Her  newborn  Numa  thou — with  reign,  alas  !  too  brief." 

ChiUe  Harold. 

Through  the  brick  arch  of  the  Portico  we  enter  upon  the 
ancient  Pescheria,  with  the  marble  fish-slabs  of  imperial 
times  still  remaining  in  use.  It  is  a  striking  scene — the 
dark,  many«storied  houses  almost  meeting  overhead  and 


THE   GHETTO. 


205 


traming  a  narrow  strip  of  deep  blue  sky — below,  the  bright 
groups  of  figures  and  rich  coloring  of  hanging  cloths  and 
drapery. 

"  C'est  line  des  ruines  les  plus  remarquables  de  Rome,  et  une  de 
celles  qui  oftVent  ces  contrastes  piquants  entre  le  passe  et  le  present, 
amusement  perpetuel  de  I'imag-inalion  dans  la  ville  des  contrastes. 
Le  portique  d'Octavie  est,  aujourd'hui,  le  marche  aux  poissons.  Les 
colonnes  et  le  fronton  s'elevent  au  milieu  de  I'endroit  le  plus  sale  de 
Rome  ;  leur  effet  n'en  est  pas  moins  pittoresque,  il  Test  peut-etre 
davantage.  Le  lieu  est  fait  pour  une  aquarelle,  et  quand  un  beau 
soleil  eclaire  les  debris  antiques,  les  vieux  murs  scmbres  de  la  rue 
e'troite  ou  le  poisson  se  vend  sur  des  tables  de  marble  blanc,  et  a 
travers  laquelle  des  nattes  sont  tendues,  on  a,  a  cote  du  monument 
romain,  le  spectacle  d'un  marche  du  moyen  age,  et  un  peu  le  souvenir 
d'un  bazar  d'Orient." — Ampere,  Emp.  i.  179. 

"Who  that  has  ever  been  to  Rome  does  not  remember  Roman 
streets  of  an  evening,  when  the  day's  work  is  done  ?  They  are  all 
alive  in  a  serene  and  homelike  fashion.  The  old  town  tells  its  story. 
Low  arches  cluster  with  life — a  life  humble  and  stately,  though  rags 
hang  from  the  citizens  and  the  windows.  You  realize  it  as  you  pass 
them — their  temples  are  in  ruins,  their  rule  is  over — their  colonies 
have  revolted  long  centuries  ago.  Their  gates  and  their  columns  have 
fallen  like  the  trees  of  a  forest,  cut  down  by  an  invading  civilization." 
— Aliss  Thackeray. 

Here  we  are  in  the  center  of  the  Jews'  quarter — the 
famous  Ghetto,  probably  soon  to  perish  under  modern 
**  improvements." 

The  name  "  Ghetto  "  is  derived  from  the  Hebrew  word 
chat,  broken,  destroyed,  shaven,  cut  down,  cast  off,  aban- 
doned (see  the  Hebrew  in  Isaiah  xiv.  12  ;  xv.  2  ;  Jer.  xlviii. 
25,  27;  Zech.  xi.  10-14;  <S:c.).  The  first  Jewish  slaves  were 
brought  to  Rome  by  Pompey  the  Great,  after  he  had  taken 
Jerusalem,  and  forcibly  entered  the  Holy  of  Holies.  But 
for  centuries  after  this  they  li\ed  in  Rome  in  wealth  and 
honor,  their  princes  Herod  and  Agrippa  being  received 
with  royal  distinction,  and  finding  a  home  in  the  palace  of 
the  Caesars — in  which  Berenice  (or  Veronica),  the  daugh- 
ter of  Agrippa,  presided  as  the  acknowledged  mistress  of 
Titus,  who  would  willingly  have  made  her  empress  of 
Rome.  The  chief  Jewish  settlement  in  imperial  times  was 
nearly  on  the  site  of  their  present  abode,  but  they  were  not 
compelled  to  live  here,  and  also  had  a  large  colony  in  the 
Trastevere  ;  and  when  S.  Peter  was  at  Rome  (if  the 
Church  tradition  be  true),  he  dwelt  with  Aquila  and  Pris- 


2o6  IV A  LA'S  L\'  ROME. 

cilia,  on  the  slopes  of  the  Aventine.  Julius,  Augustus, 
and  Tiberius  Caesar  treated  the  Jews  with  kindness,  but 
under  Caligula  they  already  met  with  ill-treatment  and 
contempt — that  emperor  being  especially  irritated  against 
them  as  the  only  nation  which  refused  to  yield  him  divine 
honors,  and  because  they  had  successfully  resisted  the 
placing  of  his  statue  in  the  Holy  of  Holies  at  Jerusalem. 
On  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  Titus,  thousands  of 
Jewish  slaves  were  brought  to  Rome,  and  were  employed 
on  the  bi'ilding  of  the  Coliseum.  At  the  same  time  Ves- 
pasian, while  allowing  the  Hebrews  in  Rome  the  free  ex- 
ercise of  their  religion,  obliged  them  to  pay  the  tax  of  half 
a  shekel,  formerly  paid  into  the  temple  treasury,  to  Jupiter 
Capitolinus — and  this  custom  is  still  kept  up  in  the  annual 
tribute  paid  by  the  Jews  in  the  Camera  Capitolina. 

Under  Domitian  the  Jews  were  banished  from  the  city 
to  the  valley  of  Egeria,  where  they  lived  in  a  state  of  pov- 
erty and  outlawry,  which  is  described  by  Juvenal,'  and 
occupied  themselves  with  soothsaying,  love-charms,  magic- 
potions,  and  mysterious  cures.^ 

During  the  reigns  of  the  earlier  popes,  the  Jews  at  Rome 
enjoyed  a  great  amount  of  liberty,  and  the  anti-pope 
Anacletus  H.  (ob.  113S)  was  even  the  grandson  of  a  bap- 
tized Jew,  whose  family  bore  a  leading  part  in  Rome,  as 
one  of  the  great  patrician  houses.  The  clemency  with 
which  the  Jews  were  regarded  was,  however,  partly  due  to 
their  skill  as  physicians  ;  and  long  after  their  persecutions 
had  begun  (as  late  as  Martin  V.,  1417-31),  the  physician 
of  the  Vatican  was  a  Jew.  The  first  really  bitter  enemy  of 
the  Jews  was  Eugenius  IV.  (Gabriele  Condolmiere,  1431- 
39),  who  forbade  Christians  to  trade,  to  eat,  or  to  dwell 
with  them,  and  prohibited  them  from  walking  in  the  streets, 
from  building  new  synagogues,  or  from  occupying  any 
public  post.  Paul  II.  (1468)  increased  their  humiliation  by 
compelling  them  to  run  races  during  the  Carnival,  as  the 
horses  run  now,  amidst  the  hoots  of  the  populace.  This 
custom  continued  for  tv/o  hundred  years.  Sprenger's 
"Roma  Nuova,"  of  1667,  mentions  that  **  the  asses  ran 
first,  then  the  Jews — naked,  with  only  a  band  round  their 
loins — then  the  buffaloes,  then  the  Barbary  horses."  It 
was  Clement  IX.  (Rospigliosi),  in  1668,  who  first  permitted 

1  Sat.  iii,  5  Sat.  xvi. 


THE   GHETTO. 


207 


the  Jews  to  pay  a  aum  equivalent  to  1,500  francs  annually 
instead  of  racing. 

"  On  the  first  Saturday  in  Carnival,  it  was  the  custom  for  the  heads 
of  the  Jews  in  Rome  to  appear  as  a  deputation  before  tlie  Conservators 
in  the  Capitol.  Throwing  themselves  upon  their  knees,  they  offered 
a  nosegay  and  twenty  scudi  with  a  request  that  this  might  be  employed 
to  ornament  the  balcony  in  which  the  Roman  Senate  sat  in  the  Piazza 
del  Popolo.  In  like  manner  they  went  to  the  senator,  and,  after  the 
ancient  custom,  implored  permii;sion  to  remain  in  Rome.  The  sena- 
tor placed  his  foot  on  their  foreheads,  ordered  them  to  stand  up,  and 
replied  in  the  accustomed  formula,  that  Jews  were  not  adopted  in 
Rome,  but  allowed  from  compassion  to  remain  there.  This  humilia- 
tion has  now  disappeared,  but  the  Jews  still  go  to  the  Capitol,  on  the 
first  Saturday  of  Carnival,  to  offer  their  homage  and  tribute  for  the 
pallii  of  the  horses  which  they  have  to  provide,  in  memory  that  now 
the  horses  amuse  the  people  in  their  stead." — Cregorovius,  IVande?-- 
Jahre. 

The  Jews  were  first  shut  up  within  the  walls  of  the 
Ghetto  by  the  fanatical  Dominican  pope,  Paul  IV.  (Gio. 
Pietro  Caraffa,  1555-59),  and  commanded  never  to  appear 
outside  it,  unless  the  men  were  in  yellow  hats,  or  the  women 
in  yellow  veils.     "  For,"  says  the  Bull  "  Cum  Nimis," 

"  It  is  most  absurd  and  unsuitable  that  the  Jews,  whose  o\vn  crime 
has  plunged  them  into  everlasting  slavery,  under  the  plea  that  Christian 
magnanimity  allows  them,  should  presume  to  dwell  and  mix  with 
Christians,  not  bearing  any  mark  of  distinction,  and  should  have  Chris- 
tian servants,  yea,  even  buy  houses." 

The  Ghetto,  or  Vicus  Judaeorum,  as  it  was  at  first  called, 
was  shut  in  by  walls  which  reached  from  the  Ponte  Quat- 
tro  Capi  to  the  Piazza  del  Pianto,  or  "  Place  of  Weeping," 
whose  name  bears  a  witness  to  the  grief  of  the  people  on 
the  26th  July,  1556,  when  they  were  first  forced  into  their 
prison-house. 

"  Those  Jews  who  were  shut  up  in  the  Ghetto  were  placed  in  pos- 
session of  the  dwellings  of  others.  The  houses  in  that  quarter  were 
the  property  of  Romans,  and  some  of  them  were  inhabited  by  families 
of  consideration,  such  as  the  Boccapaduli.  When  these  removed  they 
remained  the  proprietors  and  the  Jews  only  tenants.  But  as  they  were 
to  live  forever  in  these  streets,  it  was  necessary  that  the  Jews  should 
have  a  perpetual  lease  to  defend  them  against  a  twofold  danger — 
n'^gligence  on  the  part  of  the  owner  to  announce  to  his  Jewish  tenant 
when  his  possession  expired,  or  bankniptcy  if  the  owner  raised  his 
rent.  Thus  originated  a  law  which  established  that  the  Romans  should 
remain  in  possession  of  the  dwellings  let  to  the  Jews,  but  that  the  latter 
should  hold  the  houses  in  fee  farm  ;  that  is,  the  expiration  of  the  con- 
tract cannot  be  announced  to  a  Jewish  tenant,  and  so  long  as  he  pays 


2o8  WALK'S  I.y  ROME. 

the  lawful  rent,  the  rent  can  never  be  raised  ;  the  Jew  at  the  same  time 
may  alter  or  enlarge  his  house  as  he  chooses.  This  still  existing  priv- 
ilege is  called  the  Jus  Gazzaga.  By  virtue  of  it  a  Jew  is  in  hereditary 
possession  of  the  lease,  and  can  sell  it  to  his  relations  or  others,  and  Xo 
the  present  day  it  is  a  costly  fortune  to  be  in  possession  of  a  Jus  Gaz- 
zaga, or  an  hereditary  lease.  Highly  extolled  is  the  Jewish  maiden 
v%ho  brings  her  bridegroom  such  a  dowry.  Through  this  salutary  law 
the  Jew  became  possessed  of  a  home,  which  to  some  extent  he  may 
call  his  own." — Gregorovius. 

The  Jews  were  kindly  treated  by  Sixtus  V.  on  the  plea 
that  they  were  "  the  family  from  whom  Christ  came,"  and 
he  allowed  them  to  practice  many  kinds  of  trades,  and  to 
have  intercourse  with  Christians,  and  to  build  houses,  li- 
braries, and  synagogues  ;  but  his  mild  laws  were  all  re- 
pealed by  Clement  VIII.  (Aldobrandini),  1592-1605),  and 
under  Clement  XI.  and  Innocent  XIII.  all  trade  was  for- 
bidden them,  except  that  in  old  clothes,  rags,  and  iron, 
"  stracci  feracci."  To  these  Benedict  XIV.  (Lambertini), 
added  trade  in  drapery,  with  which  they  are  still  largely 
occupied.  Under  Gregory  XIII.  (Buoncompagni,  1572- 
85)  the  Jews  were  forced  to  hear  a  sermon  every  week  in 
the  church,  first  of  S.  Benedetto  alia  Regola,  then  in  S. 
Angelo  in  Pescheria,  and  every  Sabbath  police  agents 
were  sent  into  the  Ghetto  to  drive  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren into  the  church  with  scourges,  and  to  lash  them  while 
there  if  they  appeared  to  be  inattentive. 

"  Now  was  come  about  Holy  Cross  Day,  and  now  must  my  lord 
preach  his  first  sermon  to  the  Jews  :  as  it  was  of  old  cared  for  in  the 
merciful  bowels  of  the  Church,  that,  so  to  speak,  a  crumb  at  least  from 
her  conspicuous  table  here  in  Rome,  should  be,  though  but  once  yearly, 
cast  to  the  famishing  dogs,  undertrampled  and  bespitten  upon  beneath 
the  feet  of  the  guests  ;  and  a  moving  sight  in  truth  this,  of  so  many  of 
the  besotted,  blind,  restive,  and  ready-to-perish  Hebrews  !  now  ma- 
ternally brought — nay  (for  He  saith,  '  Compel  them  to  come  in  '),  haled, 
as  it  were,  by  the  head  and  hair,  and  against  their  obstinate  hearts,  to 
partake  of  the  heavenly  grace.  .  ,  " — Diary  by  the  Bishop's  Secretary, 
1600. 

"  Tliough  what  the  Jews  really  said,  on  thus  being  driven  to  church, 
was  rather  to  this  effect  : 

"  Groan  all  together  now,  whee-hce-hce ! 
It's  a-vvork,  it's  a-work,  ah,  woe  is  me  ! 
It  began,  when  a  herd  of  us,  picked  and  placed. 
Were  spurred  through  the  Corso,  stripped  to  the  waist ; 
Jew-brutes  with  sweat  and  blood  well  spent 
To  usher  in  worthily  Christian  Lent. 


THE    GHETTO 


209 


"  It  grew,  when  the  hangman  entered  our  bounds, 
Yelled,  pricked  us  out  to  his  churcli  like  hounds. 
It  got  to  a  pitch,  when  the  hand  indeed 
Which  gutted  my  purse,  would  throttle  my  creed. 
And  it  oversows,  when,  to  even  the  odd, 
Men  I  helped  to  their  sins,  help  me  to  their  God." 

R.  B.  B;-oruiiing,  Holy  Cross  Day. 

This  custom  of  compelling  Jews  to  listen  to  Christian 
sermons  was  renewed  by  Leo  XII.,  and  was  only  abolished 
in  the  early  years  of  Pius  IX.  The  walls  of  the  Ghetto 
also  remained,  and  its  gates  were  closed  at  night  until  the 
reign  of  the  same  pope,  who  removed  the  limits  of  the 
Ghetto,  and  revoked  all  the  oppressive  laws  against  the 
Jews.  The  humane  feeling  with  which  he  regarded  this 
hitherto  oppressed  race  is  said  to  have  been  first  evinced 
when,  on  the  occasion  of  his  placing  a  liberal  alms  in  the 
hand  of  a  beggar,  one  of  his  attendants  interposed,  saying, 
"  It  is  a  Jew  !  "  and  the  pope  replied,  "  What  does  that 
matter  ?     It  is  a  man." 

Opposite  the  gate  of  the  Ghetto  near  the  Ponte  Quattro 
Capi  a  converted  Jew  erected  a  church,  which  is  still  to 
be  seen,  v/ith  a  painting  of  the  Crucifixion  on  its  outside 
wall  (upon  which  every  Jew  must  look  as  he  comes  out  of 
the  Ghetto),  and  underneath  an  inscription  in  large  letters 
of  Hebrew  and  Latin  from  Isaiah  Ixv.  2  :  "  All  day  long  I 
have  stretched  out  my  hands  to  a  disobedient  and  gain- 
saying people."  The  lower  streets  of  the  Ghetto,  espe- 
cially the  Fiumara,  which  is  nearest  to  the  bank  of  the  Tiber, 
are  annually  overflowed  during  the  spring  rains  and  melt- 
ing of  the  mountain  snows,  which  is  productive  of  great 
misery  and  distress.  Yet  in  spite  of  this,  and  of  the  teem- 
ing p-opulation  crowded  into  narrow  alleys,  the  mortality 
was  less  here  during  the  cholera  than  in  any  other  part  of 
Rom^,  and  malaria  is  unknown  here,  a  freedom  from  dis- 
ease which  may  perhaps  be  attributed  to  the  Jewish  cus- 
tom of  whitewashing  their  dwellings  at  every  festival. 
There  is  no  Jewish  hospital,  and  if  the  Jews  go  to  an  ordi- 
nary hospital,  they  must  submit  to  a  crucifix  being  hung 
over  their  beds.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  very  center  of 
the  Jewish  settlement  should  be  the  Portico  of  Octavia,  in 
which  Vespasian  and  Titus  celebrated  their  triumph  after 
the  fall  of  Jerusalein.  Here  and  there  in  the  narrow 
alleys  the  seven-branched  candlestick  may  be  seen  carved 


2IO  WALKS  IN  HOME. 

on  the  house  walls,  a  "  yet  living  symbol  of  the  Jewish 
religion." 

Everything  may  be  obtained  in  the  Ghetto  ;  precious 
stones,  lace,  furniture  of  all  kinds,  rich  embroidery  from  Al- 
giers and  Constantinople,  striped  stuffs  from  Spain — but  all 
is  concealed  and  under  cover.  "Cosa  cercate,"  the  Jew 
shopkeepers  hiss  at  you  as  you  thread  their  narrow  alleys, 
and  try  to  entice  you  in  to  bargain  with  them.  The  same 
article  is  often  passed  on  by  a  mutual  arrangement  from 
shop  to  shop,  and  meets  you  wherever  you  go.  On  Fri- 
day evening  all  shops  are  shut,  and  bread  is  baked  for  the 
Sabbath,  all  merchandise  is  removed,  and  the  men  go  to  the 
synagogue,  and  wish  each  other  "a  good  Sabbath,"  on  their 
return.' 

In  the  Piazza  della  Scuola  are  five  schools  under  one 
roof — the  Scuola  del  Tempio,  Catilana,  Castigliana,  Sici- 
liana,  and  the  Scuola  Nuova,  "  which  show  that  the  Roman 
Ghetto  is  divided  into  five  districts  or  parishes,  each  of 
which  represents  a  particular  race,  according  to  the  pre- 
vailing nationality  of  the  Jews,  whose  fathers  have  been 
either  Roman-Jewish  from  ancient  times,  or  have  been 
brought  hither  from  Spain  and  Sicily  ;  the  temple  district 
is  said  above  all  others  to  assert  its  descent  from  the  Jews 
of  Titus.  In  the  same  piazza  is  the  chief  synagogue,  richly 
adorned  with  sculpture  and  gilding.  On  the  external  frieze 
are  represented  in  stucco  the  seven-branched  candlestick, 
David's  harp,  and  Miriam's  timbrel.  The  interior  is  highly 
picturesque  and  quaint,  and  is  hung  with  curious  tapestries 
on  festas.  The  frieze  which  surrounds  it  represents  the 
temple  of  Solomon  with  all  its  sacred  vessels.  A  round 
window  in  the  north  wall,  divided  into  twelve  panes  of 
colored  glass,  is  symbolical  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel, 
and  a  type  of  the  Urim  and  Thummim.  "  To  the  west  is 
the  round  choir,  a  wooden  desk  for  singers  and  precentors. 
Opposite  in  the  eastern  wall,  is  the  Holy  of  Holies,  with 
projecting  staves  (as  if  for  the  carrying  of  the  ark)  resting 
on  Corinthian  columns.  It  is  covered  by  a  curtain,  on 
which  texts  and  various  devices  of  roses  and  tasteful 
arabesques  in  the  style  of  Solomon's  temple  are  embroid- 
ered in.  gold.  The  seven-branched  candlestick  crowns  the 
whole.     In  this  Holy  of  Holies  lies  the  sealed  Pentateuch, 

•  Sec  Dr.  Phil     '  article  on  The  Jcius  in  Rome. 


THE   GHETTO.  21  I 

a  large  parchment  roll.  This  is  borne  in  procession 
through  the  hall  and  exhibited  from  the  desk  toward  all 
the  points  of  the  compass,  whereat  the  Jews  raise  their 
arms,  and  utter  a  cry." 

"  On  entering  the  Ghetto,  we  see  Israel  before  its  tents,  in  full  rest- 
less labor  and  activity.  The  people  sit  in  their  doorways,  or  outsido 
in  the  streets,  which  receive  hardly  more  light  than  the  damp  and 
gloomy  chambers,  and  grub  amid  their  old  trumpery,  or  patch  and  sew 
diligently.  It  is  inexpressible  what  a  chaos  of  shreds  and  patches 
(called  Cenci  in  Italian)  is  here  accumulated.  The  whole  world  seems 
to  be  lying  about  in  countless  rags  and  scraps,  as  Jewish  plunder. 
The  fragments  lie  in  l:eaps  before  the  doors,  they  are  of  every  kind 
and  color — gold  fringes,  scraps  of  silk  brocade,  bits  of  velvet,  red 
patches,  blue  patches,  orange,  yellow,  black  and  white,  torn,  old, 
slashed  and  tattered  pieces,  large  and  small.  I  never  saw  such  varied 
rubbish.  The  Jews  might  mend  up  all  creation  with  it,  and  patch  the 
whole  world  as  gayly  as  harlequin's  coat.  There  they  sit  and  grub  in 
their  sea  of  rags,  as  though  seeking  for  treasures,  at  least  for  a  lost 
gold  brocade.  For  they  are  as  good  antiquarians  as  any  of  those  in 
Rome,  who  grovel  amongst  the  ruins  to  bring  to  light  the  stump  of  a 
column,  a  fragment  of  a  relief,  an  ancient  inscription,  a  coin,  or  such 
matters.  Each  Hebrew  Winckelmann  in  the  Ghetto  lays  out  his  rags 
for  sale  with  a  certain  pride,  as  does  the  dealer  in  marble  fragments. 
The  latter  boasts  a  piece  of  giallo  antico  :  the  Jew  can  match  it  with 
an  excellent  fragment  of  yellow  silk  ;  porphyry  hei  e  is  represented  by 
a  piece  of  dark  red  damask,  verde-antico  a  handsome  patch  of  ancient 
green  velvet.  And  there  is  neither  jasper,  nor  alabaster,  black  marble 
or  white,  or  parti-colored,  wliich  the  (jhetlo  antiquarian  is  not  able  to 
match.  The  history  of  every  fashion  from  Herod  the  Great  to  the 
invention  of  paletots,  and  of  every  mode  of  the  highest  as  well  as  of 
the  lower  classes  may  be  collected  from  these  fragments,  some  of  which 
are  really  historical,  and  may  once  have  adorned  the  persons  of  Romu- 
lus, Scipio  Africanus,  Hannibal,  Cornelia,  Augustus,  Charlemagne, 
Pericles,  Cleopatra,  Barbarossa,  Gregory  VII..  Columbus,  and  so  forth. 

"  Here  sit  the  daughters  of  Zion  on  these  heaps  ar.d  sew  all  that  is 
capable  of  being  sewn.  Great  is  their  boasted  skill  in  all  work  of 
mending,  darning  and  fine  drav/ing,  and  it  is  said  that  even  the  most 
formidable  rent  in  any  old  drapery  or  garment  whatsoever,  becomes 
invisible  under  the  hands  of  these  Arachnes.  It  is  chiefly  in  the 
Fiumara,  the  street  lying  lowest  and  nearest  to  the  river,  and  in  the 
street  corners  (one  of  which  is  called  Argumille,  i.e.  of  unleavened 
bread),  that  this  business  is  carried  on.  I  have  often  seen  with  a  feel- 
ing of  pain  the  pale,  stooping,  starving  figures,  laboriously  plying  the 
needle — men  as  well  as  women,  girls  and  children.  Misery  stares 
forth  from  the  tangled  hair,  and  complains  silently  in  the  yellow  brown 
faces,  and  no  beauty  of  feature  recalls  the  countenance  of  Rachel, 
Leah,  or  Miriam — only  sometimes  a  glance  from  a  deep-sunk,  piercing 
black  eye,  that  looks  up  from  its  needle  and  rags,  and  seems  to  say — 
'  From  the  daughter  of  Zion,  all  her  beauty  is  departed — she  that  was 
great  among  the  nations,,   and  princess  among  the  provinces,  how  is 


212  WALK'S  IN  ROME. 

she  become  tributarj'  ?  She  weepeth  sore  in  the  night,  and  her  tears 
are  on  her  cheeks  ;  among  all  her  lovers  she  hath  none  to  comfort 
her  ;  ail  her  friends  have  dealt  treacherously  with  her,  they  are  become 
her  enemies.  Judah  is  gone  into  captivity,  because  of  afniclion,  and 
because  of  great  servitude  ;  she  dwelleth  among  the  heathen,  she 
findeth  no  rest  ;  all  her  persecutors  overtook  her  between  the  straits. 
How  hatli  the  Lord  covered  the  daughter  of  Zion  with  a  cloud  in  his 
anger  ! '  " — Gregorovius,   Wanderjaiue. 

The  narrow  street  which  is  a  continuation  of  the  Pes- 
cheria,  emerges  upon  the  small  square  called  Piazza  della 
Giudccca.  In  the  houses  on  the  left  may  be  seen  some 
columns  and  part  of  an  architrave,  being  the  only  visible 
remains  of  the  Theater  of  Balbiis,  erected  by  C.  Cornelius 
Balbus,  a  general  who  triumphed  in  the  time  of  Augustus, 
with  the  spoils  taken  from  the  Garamantes,  a  people  of 
Africa.  It  was  opened  in  the  same  year  as  the  Theater 
of  Marcellus,  and  though  very  much  smaller,  was  capable 
of  containing  as  many  as  i  i,6oo  spectators. 

To  the  right,  still  partly  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  thea- 
ter, and  extending  along  one  side  of  the  Piazza  delle 
Scuole,  is  the  vast  Palazzo  Ce7ici,  the  ancient  residence  of 
the  famous  Cenci  family  (now  represented  by  Count  Cenci 
Bolognetti),  and  the  scene  of  many  of  the  terrible  crimes 
and  tragedies  wliich  stain  its  annals. 

"  The  Cenci  Palace  is  of  great  extent :  and,  though  in  part  modern- 
ized, there  yet  remains  a  vast  and  gloomy  pile  of  feudal  architecture 
in  the  same  state  as  during  the  dreadful  scenes  which  it  once  wit- 
nessed. The  palace  is  situated  in  an  obscure  corner  of  Rome,  near 
the  quarter  of  the  Jews,  and  from  the  upper  windows  you  see  the  im- 
mense ruins  of  Mount  Palatine,  half  hidden  under  the  profuse  under- 
growth of  trees.  There  is  a  court  in  one  part  of  the  palace  supported 
by  columns,  and  adorned  with  antique  friezes  of  fine  workmanship, 
and  built  up,  after  the  Italian  fashion,  with  balcony  over  balcony  of 
open  work.  One  of  the  gates  of  the  palace,  formed  of  immense 
stones,  and  leading  through  a  passage  dark  and  lofty,  and  opening 
into  gloomy  subterranean  chambers,  struck  me  particularly." — Shelley's 
Preface  to  "  Tlie  Cenci." 

Opposite  the  further  entrance  of  the  Palace,  is  the  tiny 
church  of  S.  Tommaso  del  Cenci,  founded  1113  by  Cencio, 
bishop  of  Sabina  ;  granted  by  Julius  II.  to  Rocco  Cenci ; 
— and  rebuilt  in  1575  by  the  wicked  Count  Cenci. 

"  In  1585,  Francesco  Cenci  was  the  head  of  the  family,  a  man  of 
passions  so  ungovernable  and  heart  so  depraved  that  he  hesitated  at 
no  species  of  crime.  His  first  wife  was  a  Princess  Santa  Croce,  whom 
he  is  believed  to  have  poisoned  in  order  to  marry  the  beautiful  Lu- 


STJJiV  OF    THE   CEXCI. 


213 


crczia  Petroni.  His  domestic  cruelties  to  his  children,  especially  tc 
his  three  elder  sons,  Giacomo,  Cristoforo,  and  Rocco,  were  so  terrible 
that  they  petitioned  the  reigning  pope,  Clement  VIII.,  to  interfere  in 
their  behalf,  but  he  abruptly  dismissed  them  as  rebels  against  the  pa- 
ternal authority  ;  one  daughter,  Margherita,  alone  escaped  from  her 
miserable  home,  being  given  in  marriage  by  the  pope  to  a  Signor 
Gabrielli. 

"  The  escape  of  this  daughter  made  Francesco  the  more  embittered 
against  the  remainder  of  his  family.  His  youngest  child,  Beatrice,  he 
immured  in  a  solitary  chamber,  to  which  no  one  but  himself  was  ad- 
mitted, and  where  he  constantly  starved  and  beat  her  severely.  When 
he  received  the  news  that  his  sons  Cristoforo  and  Rocco  were  assassi- 
nated in  the  neighborhood  of  Rome  by  an  unknown  hand,  he  ex- 
pressed the  utmost  joy,  declaring  that  no  money  of  his  should  purchase 
masses  for  the  repose  of  their  souls,  and  that  he  could  have  no  peace 
until  his  wife  and  every  child  he  had  v.'ere  in  their  graves. 

"  Lucrezia,  believing  that  the  monster  whom  she  had  espoused  was 
possessed,  in  spite  of  his  cruelty,  by  a  criminal  passion  for  his  own 
daughter,  attempted  secretly  to  save  her,  by  presenting  a  memorial  to 
the  pope  imploring  him  to  give  her  in  marriage  to  a  Signor  Guerra, 
who  had  long  been  attached  to  her.  But  this  petition  was  intercepted 
by  Francesco,  who  then  carried  off  Lucrezia  and  liis  two  youngest 
children,  Beatrice  and  Bernardo,  to  Petrella,  a  vast  and  desolate  castle 
in  the  Apennines.  Guerra,  and  Giacomo,  the  eldest  remaining  brother 
of  Beatrice,  hired  a  band  of  banditti  in  the  Sabine  hills,  who  v/ere  to 
attack  the  party  on  the  way,  and  to  carry  off  Francesco  for  a  ransom, 
liberating  the  women  ;  but  the  rescue  arrived  too  late. 

"  When  they  reached  Petrella,  Beatrice  was  incarcerated  in  a  subter- 
ranean dungeon,  v^-here  she  was  persuaded  that  her  lover  Guerra  luid 
been  murdered,  and  was  treated  with  such  awful  cruelty  by  her  father 
that,  for  a  time,  she  was  deprived  of  her  reason.  One  day  a  servant, 
Marzio,  whose  betrothed  had  previously  been  seduced  and  murdered 
by  Francesco,  roused  by  the  shrieks  of  Beatrice,  burst  into  the  room, 
and  rushing  upon  his  master  dealt  a  terrible  thrust  with  a  dagger  on 
his  neck,  exclaiming,  "I  murder  thee,  assassin  of  thy  own  blood." 
j3ut  the  Cenci  arose  uninjured,  to  the  horror  of  Marzio,  who  imagined 
that  only  a  demon  could  avert  such  a  blow,  and  who  was  ignorant 
that  he  wore  under  his  vestments,  even  in  bed,  a  coat  of  mail  which 
covered  his  entire  body. 

"  At  length  Beatrice  contrived  to  communicate  with  her  brother 
Giacomo,  who  united  with  Guerra  in  hiring  the  services  of  Marzio  and 
of  Olympio,  another  servant,  who  was  inspired  with  an  equal  thirst  for 
vengeance  upon  Count  Cenci.  All  felt  that  the  death  of  Francesco 
was  the  only  hope  for  his  unhappy  family.  The  assassins  con- 
municated  with  Lucrezia,  v.'ho  administered  an  opiate  to  her  husband, 
and  then  stole  from  him  seme  keys,  which  enabled  her  after  mid- 
night to  liberate  Bernardo  and  Beatrice.  The  latter  she  found  in  a 
state  of  stupefaction,  and  vainly  endeavored  to  rouse  her,  signifying 
that  the  moment  of  escape  had  arrived.  Beatrice  showed  no  symptom 
of  surprise  at  the  announcement,  or  at  the  visit  of  her  stepmother  at 
that  "strange  hour  ;  she  asked  not  how  they  had  opened  the_  door^  (?l 


214 


IV A  LA'S  IN  ROME. 


how  her  liberty  had  been  acquired.  When  they  were  all  assembled  in 
the  hall,  Lucrezia  toid  them  the  project,  and  asked  their  aid.  Bernardo 
at  first  hesitated,  but  Lucrezia  roused  him  by  every  argument  she  could 
urge,  and  obtained  his  consent.     Beatrice  made  no  reply. 

"...  Francesco  Cenci  was  murdered  in  his  sleep.  Marzio  placed 
a  large  nail  or  iron  bolt  on  his  right  eye,  which  Olympio,  with  one 
blow  of  a  hammer,  drove  straight  into  the  brain.  Tlie  deed  thus 
accomplished,  Marzio  and  Olympio  wrapped  the  dead  body  in  a  sheet, 
and  carried  it  to  a  small  pavilion  built  at  the  end  of  a  terrace-walk, 
overlooking  an  orchard.  From  this  height  they  cast  it  down  on  an  old 
gnarled  elder-tree,  in  order  that  when  the  body  should  be  found  the 
next  morning,  it  might  appear  that  whilst  walking  on  the  terrace,  the 
foot  of  the  count  had  slipped,  and  that  he  had  fallen  head-foremost  on 
one  of  the  stunted  branches  of  the  tree,  which,  piercing  through  his  eye 
to  the  brain,  had  caused  his  death.  Returning  to  the  hall,  they  re- 
ceived from  Lucrezia  a  purse  of  gold  ;  Marzio,  carrying  with  him  a 
valuable  cloak  trimmed  with  gold  lace,  turned  towards  Beatrice  (who 
still  stood  leaning  against  the  table),  and  saying,  "  I  shall  keep  this  as 
a  memorial  of  you,"  departed  with  Olympio.  The  report  of  Fran- 
cesco's death  was  not  spread  through  the  castle  until  the  next  morning. 
Lucrezia  then  rushed  through  the  house  uttering  cries.  In  a  day  or 
two  the  funeral  took  place,  and  immediately  after  the  family  returned 
to  Rome.  Giacomo  took  possession  of  the  Cenci  palace,  and  Beatrice 
daily  improved  in  health  of  body  and  mind. 

"Soon,  however,  the  suspicious  circumstances  of  Count  Cenci's 
death  excited  attention  ;  the  body  was  exhumed  and  examined,  and 
the  inhabitants  of  Petrella  placed  under  arrest,  when  a  washerwoman 
deposed  to  having  received  bloody  sheets  from  one  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  castle — she  thought  from  Beatrice — the  day  after  the  murder. 
On  hearing  this,  the  fear  that  he  would  turn  against  them,  induced 
Signor  CJuerra  to  hire  assassins  to  pursue  Olympio,  whom  they  dis- 
patched at  Terni  ;  but  Marzio  was  arrested,  and  confessed  the  circum- 
stances of  the  murder,  though,  when  confronted  with  Beatrice,  he 
proclaimed  her  innocence  of  it,  and  declared  her  incapable  of  crime. 

"  Guerra  made  good  his  escape,  but  the  whole  Cenci  family  were 
thrown  into  prison  and  put  to  the  torture.  Giacomo,  Bernardo,  and 
Lucrezia,  unable  to  endure  the  sufferings  of  the  rack,  confessed  at  once. 

"Such,  however,  was  not  the  case  with  the  young  and  beautiful 
Beatrice.  Full  of  spirit  and  courage,  neither  the  persuasions  or  threats 
of  Moscati  the  judge  could  extort  from  her  the  smallest  confession. 
She  endured  the  torture  of  the  cord  with  all  the  firmness  which  the 
■purity  of  her  heart  inspired.  The  judge  failed  to  extort  from  her  lips  a 
single  word  which  could  throw  a  shade  over  her  innocence,  and  at 
length,  believing  it  useless  to  pursue  the  torture  further,  he  suspended 
the  proceedings,  and  reported  them  to  the  pope.  Bat  Clement  VIIL, 
suspecting  that  the  unwillingness  of  Moscati  to  believe  Beritrice  gi:i!ty 
was  induced  by  her  extreme  beauty,  only  replied  by  consigning  the 
prosecution  to  another  judge,  and  Beatrice  was  left  in  the  hands  of 
Luciani,  "a  man  whose  heart  was  a  stranger  to  every  feeling  of  hu- 
manity." Upon  her  renewed  protestations  of  innocence,  he  ordered 
ihe  torture  of  the  Vigilia. 


STORY  OF    THE    CENCI.  215 

"The  torture  of  the  Vigilia  was  as  follows:  Upon  a  high  joint- 
stool,  the  seat  about  a  span  large,  and,  inst(^ad  of  being  flat,  cat  in  the 
form  of  pointed  diamonds,  the  victim  was  seated  :  the  legs  were 
fastened  together  and  without  support  :  the  hands  bound  behind  the 
back,  and  with  a  running  knot  attached  to  a  cord  descendmg  from  the 
ceiling  ;  the  body  was  loosely  attached  to  the  back  of  the  chair,  cat 
also  into  angular  points.  A  wretch  stood  near  pushing  the  victim 
from  side  to  side,  and  now  and  then,  by  pulling  the  rope  from  the 
ceiling,  gave  the  arms  most  painful  jerks.  In  this  horrible  position 
the  sufferer  remained  forty  hours,  the  assistants  being  changed  every 
fifth  hour.  At  the  e.Kpiration  of  this  time,  Beatrice  was  carried  intct 
the  prison  more  dead  than  alive.  The  judge  was  annoyed  at  the  ac- 
count he  received  of  the  fortitude  of  Beatrice,  and,  in  a  rage,  he  ex- 
claimed :  '  Never  shall  it  be  said  that  a  weak  girl  can  escape  from  my 
hands,  while  not  one  of  those  condemned  have  been  able  to  resist  my 
power  ! ' 

"  On  the  third  day  the  examination  was  renewed,  and  Beatrice  was 
condemned  to  the  tortiira  capilloruin.  At  a  given  signal,  the  satel- 
lites of  the  tribunal  carried  Beatrice  under  a  rope  suspended  from  the 
ceiling,  and  twisting  into  a  cord  her  long  and  beautiful  hair,  ihey  at- 
tached it,  with  diabolic  art,  to  the  rope,  so  that  the  whole  body  could 
by  this  means  be  raised  from  the  ground.  The  frightful  preparations 
over,  and  her  protestations  of  innocence  again  disregarded,  she  was 
elevated  from  the  ground  by  the  hair  of  her  head  ;  at  the  same  time 
was  added  another  torture,  consisting  of  a  mesh  of  small  cords  twined 
about  the  fingers,  twisting  them  nearly  out  of  joint  and  dragging  the 
hand  almost  from  the  bone  of  the  arm.  The  wretched  girl  screamed 
with  agony,  while  the  judge  stood  by,  commanding  the  suspended  rope 
to  be  tightened,  and  raising  the  body  by  the  hair  from  the  ground  gave 
it  a  sudden  jerk,  exhorting  her  to  confess.  She  cried  out  in  a  convul- 
sion for  water,  rolling  her  eyes  in  agony,  and  exclaiming  "  I  am  inno- 
cent." The  torture  being  repeated  with  still  greater  cruelty,  and  the 
fortitude  of  the  young  girl  remaining  unshaken,  the  judge,  believing 
it  impossible  that  a  young  female  co  del  resist  such  torments,  con- 
cluded, v/ith  the  superstition  of  the  times,  that  she  carried  about  with 
her  some  witchcraft  ;  he  ordered  her  to  be  examined,  and  findtng  no 
cause  of  suspicion,  was  about  to  have  her  hair  cut  off,  when  it  was 
suggested  the  torment  of  the  tortura  capilloruin  could  not  then  be  re- 
newed ;  her  hair  was  again  fastened  to  the  rope,  and  for  a  whole  hour 
she  was  subjected  to  such  a  succession  of  cruelties  as  the  heart  shrinks 
from  narrating  ;  bat  not  a  word  escaped  from  her  lips  that  could  com- 
promise her  innocence. 

"  In  the  meantime  Lucrezia,  Giacomo  and  Bernardo  were  taken  into 
ihe  hall  Erculeo,  and  in  their  presence  a  repetition  of  the  torture  was 
ordered,  to  so  awful  an  extent,  that  Beatrice  fainted  and  lay  senseless. 
A  new  cruelty  was  devised,  the  taxilla  :  her  feet  were  bared,  and  to 
the  soles  was  applied  a  block  of  heated  wood,  prepared  in  such  a  way 
as  to  retain  the  scorching  heat  ;  then  did  the  unhappy  girl  utter  pierc- 
ing shrieks,  and  remained  some  minutes  apparently  dead.  These 
accumulated  tortures  \sere  repeated,  until  her  relations,  who  were 
handcuffed  lest  they  should  render  her  any  assistance,  began  to  implore 


2  I  6  ir ALA'S  y.V  ROME. 

her,  with  heartrending  tears  and  entreaties,  to  yield.  To  this  the 
judge  mingled  threats  and  the  application  of  further  torments,  and 
enforced  them  with  such  rigor,  that  the  victim  shrieked  in  agony,  and 
exclaimed,  'Oh  !  cease  this  niartrydom,  and  I  will  confess  anything.' 

■'  The  tortures  were  at  once  suspended  and  restoratives  ajiplied, 
while  her  family  on  their  knees  implored  Beatrice  to  adhere  to  her 
promise,  urging  that  the  unnatural  cruelties  of  her  father  would  be  a 
just  defense  for  the  crime  imputed  to  her,  and  that  by  agreeing  to  their 
deposition,  she  might  give  them  a  hope  of  common  liberation.  The 
unhappy  girl  replied,  '  lie  it  as  you  wish.  I  am  content  to  die  if  I  can 
preserve  you,'  and  to  each  interrogatory  of  the  judge  she  replied,  '  M 
vero,'  until  asked  whether  she  did  not  urge  the  assassins  to  kill  hei 
father,  and,  on  their  refusal,  propose  to  commit  the  crime  herself,  when 
she  involuntarily  exclaimed,  *  Impossiible,  impossible  !  the  tiger  could 
not  do  it ;  how  much  less  a  daughter  ! '  Threatened  anew  with  the 
torture,  she  answered  not,  but,  railing  her  eyes  to  Heaven,  and  mov- 
ing her  lips  in  prayer,  she  said,  '  Oh  my  God,  Thou  knowest  if  this 
be  true  !  '  Thus  did  the  judge  force  from  Beatrice  an  assent  to  a  deed 
at  v.diich  her  very  nature  revolted. 

"  Luciana  hastened  to  the  pope  with  the  news  that  Beatrice  had 
confessed.  Clement  VIII.  was  seized  with  one  of  those  lils  of  anger 
to  v.hich  he  was  subject,  and  exclaimed,  "  Let  them  all  be  immedi- 
ately bound  to  the  tails  of  wild  horses,  and  dragged  througli  the  streets 
until  life  is  extinct.'  The  horror  evinced  by  all  classes  at  this  sentence 
induced  him  to  grant  a  respite  of  twenty-five  days,  at  the  end  of  which 
a  trial  took  place,  and  the  advocate  Farinacci  boldly  pleaded  the  de- 
fense of  the  prisoners.  But  while  their  fate  was  hanging  in  the 
balance,  the  Marchesa  Santa-Croce  was  murdered  by  her  own  son, 
which  caused  Clement  to  order  the  immediate  execution  of  the  whole 
Cenci  family,  and  the  entreaties  of  their  friends  only  induced  him  to 
spare  the  life  of  Bernarda,  with  the  horrible  proviso  that  he  was  to 
remain  ujjon  the  scaffold  and  witness  the  execution  of  his  relations. 

"...  During  the  fearful  and  protracted  transit  to  the  scaffold,  it 
was  the  custom  of  the  satellites  of  the  inquisition,  at  regular  intervals, 
to  tear  from  the  body  pieces  of  flesh  with  heated  pincers,  but  in  this 
instance  the  pope  dispensed  with  this  torture,  but  ordered  that  Gia- 
como  should  be  beaten  to  death  and  then  quartered.  As  the  proces- 
sion passed  the  piazza  of  the  Palazzo  Cenci,  Giacomo,  who  had 
appeared  resigned,  became  dreadfully  agitated,  and  uttered  heart-rend- 
ing cries  of,  '  My  children  !  my  children  ! '  The  peojile  shouted,  '  Dogs, 
give  him  his  children  !  '  The  procession  was  ])rocceding,  when  the 
multitude  assumed  such  a  threatening  aspect  that  two  of  the  Com- 
].agnia  dei  Confortati  thought  themselves  authorized  to  pause,  the  un- 
l-.appy  man  imploring  them  in  accents  of  despair  to  suffer  him  once 
nore  to  behold  his  children.  The  crowd  became  pacified  on  seeing 
(Jiacomo  descend  from  the  cart  and  conducted  to  the  vestibule  of  his 
jiahce.  where  they  brought  him  to  his  children  and  his  wife.  The 
latter  fainted  on  the  last  step. 

"  The  scene  that  followed  was  the  most  afTecting  and  painful  that 
the  imagination  can  picture.  His  three  children  clung  around  his 
lejs,  uttering:  crier.  t:i2t  rent  the  hearts  of  all  present.      The  unhappv 


STORY  OF    THE   CENCI. 


217 


man  embraced  them,  telling  them  that  in  Bernardo  they  would  find  a 
father  ;  then,  fixing  his  eyes  on  his  unconscious  wife,  he  said,  '  Let 
us  go  ! '  Reascending  the  cart,  the  procession  slopped  before  the 
prison  of  the  Corte  Savella. 

"  Here  Beatrice  and  Lucrezia  appeared  before  the  gates,  conducted 
by  the  Comfortati.  They  knelt  down  and  prayed  for  some  time  before 
the  crucifix,  and  then  walked  on  foot  behind  the  carriage.  Lucrezia 
wore  a  robe  of  black,  and  a  long  black  veil  covered  her  head  and 
shoulders  ;  Beatrice,  in  a  dark  robe  and  veil,  a  handkerchief  of  cloth 
of  silver  on  her  head,  and  slippers  of  white  velvet,  ornamented  with 
crimson  sandals  and  rosettes,  followed.  .  .  .  Twice  during  the 
passage,  an  attempt  was  made  to  rescue  Eeatrice,  but  each  failed,  and 
she  reached  the  chapel,  where  all  the  condemned  were  to  receive  the 
blessing  of  the  Sacrament  before  execution. 

"  The  first  brought  out  to  ascend  the  scaffold  was  Bernardo,  who, 
according  to  the  conditions  of  his  reprieve,  was  to  witness  the  death 
of  his  relatives.  The  poor  boy,  before  he  had  reached  the  summit, 
fell  down  in  a  swoon,  and  was  obliged  to  be  supported  to  his  seat  of 
torture.  Preceded  by  the  standard  and  the  brethren  of  the  Misericordia, 
the  executioner  next  entered  the  chapel  to  convey  Lucrezia.  Binding 
her  hands  behind  her  back,  and  removing  the  veil  that  covered  her 
head  and  shoulders,  he  led  her  to  the  foot  of  the  scafTold.  Here  she 
stopped,  prayed,  devoutly  kissed  the  crucifix,  and  taking  off  her  shoes, 
mounted  the  ladder  barefoot.  From  confusion  and  terror,  she  with 
difficulty  ascended,  crying  out,  '  Oh,  my  God  !  oh,  holy  brethren,  pray 
for  my  soul  !  oh,  God,  pardon  me  ! '  The  principal  executioner  beck- 
oned to  her  to  place  herself  on  the  block  ;  the  unhappy  woman,  from 
her  unwieldy  figure,  being  unable  to  do  so,  some  violence  was  used, 
the  executioner  raised  his  axe,  and  with  one  stroke  severed  the  head 
from  the  body  !  Catching  it  by  tl:e  hair,  he  exposed  it,  still  quivering, 
to  the  gaze  of  the  populace  ;  then  wrapping  it  in  the  veil,  he  laid  it  on 
a  bier  in  the  corner  of  the  scafi'old,  the  body  falling  into  a  coffin  placed 
underneath.  The  violence  used  towards  the  sufferer  had  so  excited 
the  multitude,  that  a  universal  uproar  commenced.  Forty  young  men 
rushed  forward  to  the  chapel  to  rescue  Beatrice,  but  were  again  de- 
feated, after  a  short  struggle.     ... 

"  Meanwhile  Beatrice,  kneeling  in  the  chapel  absorbed  in  prayer, 
heeded  not  the  uproar  that  surrounded  her.  She  rose,  as  the  standard 
appeared  to  precede  her  to  the  block,  and  with  eagerness  demanded, 
'  Is  my  mother  then  really  dead  ? '  Answered  in  the  affirmative,  she 
prayed  with  fen'oi  ;  then  raising  her  voice,  she  said,  '  Lord,  thou  hast 
called  me,  and  I  obey  the  summons  willingly,  as  I  hope  for  mercy  ! ' 
Approaching  her  brother,  she  bade  him  farewell,  and  with  a  smile  of 
love,  said,  '  Grieve  not  for  me.  We  shall  be  happy  in  heaven  ;  I  have 
forgiven  thee.'  Giacomo  fainted  ;  his  sister,  turning  round,  said, 
'  Let  us  proceed  ! '  The  executioner  appeared  with  a  cord,  but  seemed 
afraid  to  fasten  it  round  her  body.  She  saw  this,  and  with  a  sad  smile 
said,  '  Bind  this  body  ;  but  hasten  to  release  the  soul,  which  pants  for 
immortality  I ' 

"  Scarcely  had  the  victim  arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  scaffold,  when 
the  square,  filled  with  that  vast  multitude  before  so  uproarious,  sud. 


2i8  WALKS  AV  ROME. 

denly  assumed  the  silence  of  a  desert.  Each  one  bent  forward  to  hear 
her  speak  ;  with  every  eye  riveted  on  her,  and  lips  apart,  it  seemed  as 
if  their  very  existence  depended  on  any  words  she  might  utter.  Beatrice 
ascended  the  stairs  with  a  slow  but  firm  step.  In  a  moment  she  placed 
herself  on  the  block,  which  had  caused  so  much  fear  to  Lucrezia.  She 
did  not  allov/  the  executioner  to  remove  the  veil,  but  laid  it  herself 
upon  the  table.  In  this  dreadful  situation  she  remained  a  few  minutes, 
a  universal  cry  of  horror  staying  the  arm  of  the  executioner.  But  soon 
the  head  of  his  victim  was  held  up  separated  from  the  trunk,  which 
was  violently  agitated  for  a  few  seconds.  The  miserable  Bernardo 
Cenci,  forced  to  witness  the  fate  of  his  sister,  again  swooned  away  ; 
nor  could  he  be  restored  to  his  senses  for  more  than  half  an  hour. 

"  Meanwhile  the  scaffold  was  made  ready  for  the  dreadful  punish- 
ment destined  for  Cnacomo.  Having  performed  some  religious  cere- 
monies, he  appeared  dressed  in  a  cloak  and  cap.  Turning  toward  the 
people,  he  said  in  a  clear  voice,  '  Although  in  the  agonies  of  torture  I 
accused  my  sister  and  brother  of  sharing  in  the  crime  for  which  I  suf- 
fer, I  accused  them  falsely.  Now  that  I  am  about  to  render  an  ac- 
count of  my  actions  to  God,  I  solemnly  assert  their  entire  innocence. 
Farewell,  my  friends.     Oh,  pray  to  God  for  me.' 

"  Saying  these  words,  he  knelt  dovim  ;  the  executioner  bound  his 
legs  to  the  block  and  bandaged  his  eyes.  To  particularize  the  details 
of  this  execution  would  be  too  dreadful  ;  sufHce  it  to  say,  he  v.-as 
beaten,  beheaded,  and  quartered  in  the  sight  of  that  vast  multitude, 
e«nd  by  the  side  of  a  brother,  who  was  sprinkled  with  his  blood.  All 
was  now  over. 

"...  Near  the  statue  of  S.  Paul,  according  to  c  '.stom,  were  placed 
three  biers,  each  with  four  lighted  torches.  In  these  were  laid  the 
bodies  of  the  victims.  A  crown  of  flowers  had  been  placed  around 
the  head  of  Beatrice,  who  seemed  as  though  in  sleep,  so  calm,  so 
peaceful  was  that  placid  face,  while  a  smile  such  as  she  wore  in  life 
still  hovered  on  her  lips.  Many  a  tier  was  shed  over  that  bier,  many 
a  flower  was  scattered  around  her,  whose  fate  all  mourned — whose 
innocence  none  questioned. 

"On  that  night  the  bodies  were  interred.  The  corpse  of  Beatrice, 
clad  in  the  dress  she  wore  on  the  scaffold,  was  borne,  covered  with 
garlands  of  flowers,  to  the  church  of  San  Pietro  in  Montorio,  and 
buried  at  the  foot  of  the  high  altar,  before  Raffaelle's  celebrated  pic- 
ture of  the  Transfiguration." ' 

Retracing  our  steps  to  the  Piazza  della  Giudecca  and 
turning  left  down  a  narrow  alley,  which  is  always  busy 
with  Jewish  traffic,  we  reach  the  Piazza  dclle  Tartarughe, 
so  called  from  the  tortoises  which  form  part  of  the  adorn- 
ments of  its  lovely  little  fountain, — designed  by  Giacomo 
della  Porta,  the  four  figures  of  boys  being  by  Taddeo 
Landini. 

'  This  account  is  much  abridged  from  tlje  interestinrj  translation  in  White- 
side's Ital^  in  the  Nineteenth  Centurv  from  Beatrice  Cend  Rotntifiti.  Storin  dti 
Secoio  xfi.  Racfimtntn  dat  />.  A.  A .  Pirenxe. 


PIAZZA    BELLE    TARTAR UG HE.  219 

At  this  point  we  leave  the  Ghetto. 


Forming  one  side  of  the  Piazza  delle  Tartarughe  is  the 
Palazzo  Costaguti,  celebrated  for  its  six  splendid  ceilings 
by  great  artists,  viz.  : 

1.  Albani  :  Hercules  wounding  the  Centaur  Nessus. 

2.  Dome/lie  hi  no  :  Apollo  in  his  car,   Time  discovering  trath,  &c., 

much  injured. 

3.  Guercino :  Rinaldo   and   Armida   in    a    chariot    drawn   by   dra- 

gons. 

4.  Can.  d' Arpino  :  Juno  nursing  Hercules,  Venus  and  Cupids. 

5.  Lanfranco  :  Justice  and  Peace. 

6.  Romanelli  :  Arion  saved  by  the  Dolphin. 

In  a  corner  of  the  piazza  is  a  well-known  Lace-Shop, 
much  frequented  by  English  ladies,  but  great  powers  of 
bargaining  are  called  for.  Almost  immediately  behind 
this  is  one  of  the  most  picturesque  mediaeval  courtyards 
in  the  city. 

On  the  same  line,  at  the  end  of  the  street,  is  the  Palazzo 
Mattel,  built  by  Carlo  Maderno  (i'''i5)  for  Duke  Asdrubal 
Mattei,  on  the  site  of  the  Circus  of  Flaminius.  The  small 
courtyard  of  this  palace  is  well  worth  examining,  and  is  one 
of  the  handsomest  in  Rome,  being  quite  encrusted,  as  well 
as  the  staircase,  with  ancient  bass-reliefs,  busts,  and  other 
sculptures.  It  contained  a  gallery  of  pictures,  the  greater 
part  of  which  have  been  dispersed.  The  rooms  have  fres- 
coes by  Pomerancio,  Lanfranco,  Pictro  da  Cortona,  Domen- 
ichlno  and  Albani. 

The  posts  and  rings  at  the  corner  of  the  streets  near  the 
Mattei  Palace  are  curious  relics  of  the  time  when  the  pow- 
erful Mattei  family  had  the  right  of  drawing  chains  across 
the  streets  during  the  papal  conclaves,  and  of  occupying 
the  bridges  of  San  Sisto  and  Quattro  Capi,  with  the  inter- 
vening region  of  the  Ghetto. 

Behind  Palazzo  Mattei,  facing  the  Via  delle  Botteghe 
Oscure,  is  the  vast  Palazzo  Caetanl,  built  by  Cardinal  Ales- 
sandro  Mattei,  but,  being  forfeited  to  the  Church  after  his 
death  (for  cardinals  have  only  lately  been  allowed  to  make 
a  will,  on  payment  of  a  fine  to  the  Propaganda'!,  was  after- 
ward sold,  and  is  now  the  property  of  the  learned  Don 
Michelangelo  Caetani  (Duke  of  Sermoneta  and  Prince  of 
Teano),  whose  family — one  of  the  most  distinguished  in 


2  20  WALK'S   JX  ROME. 

ihc  mediasval  history  of  Rome — gave  eight  cardinals  and 
three  popes  to  the  Church,  of  whom  the  most  celebrated 
was  Boniface  VIII. 

"  Lo  principe  de'  nuovi  farisci." 

DaiiL-,  Inferno,  xxvii. 

The  Caetani  claim  descent  from  Anatolius,  created 
Count  of  Caeta  by  Pope  Gregory  II.  in  730. 

Close  to  the  Palazzo  Mattel  is  the  Church  of  S.  Caterina 
de  Funari,  built  by  Giacomo  della  Porta,  in  1563,  adjoin- 
ing a  convent  of  Augustinian  nuns.  The  streets  in  this 
quarter  are  interesting  as  bearing  witness  in  their  names  to 
the  existence  of  the  Circus  Flaminius,  the  especial  circus 
of  the  Plebs,  which  once  occupied  all  the  ground  near  this. 
The  Via  dclle  Botteghe  Oscure  commemorates  the  dark 
shops  which  in  mediaeval  times  occupied  the  lower  part  of 
the  circus,  as  they  do  now  that  of  the  Theater  of  Marcel- 
lus  :  the  Via  dei  Funari,  the  ropemakers  who  took  advan- 
tage for  their  work  of  the  light  and  open  space  which  the 
interior  of  the  deserted  circus  afforded.  The  remains  of 
the  circus  existed  to  the  sixteenth  century. 

Near  this,  turning  right,  is  'Oi\<t  Fiazzi  di Caviptielli,  which 
contains  the  Church  of  S.  Maria  in  Camfitelli,  built  by 
Rinaldi  for  Alexander  VII.  in  1659,  upcn  the  site  of  an 
oratory  erected  by  S.  Galla  in  the  time  cf  John  I.  (523-6), 
in  honor  of  an  image  of  the  Virgin,  which  one  day  miracu- 
lously appeared  imploring  lier  charity,  in  con.pany  with  the 
twelve  poor  women  to  whom  she  was  daily  in  the  habit  of 
giving  alms.  The  oratory  of  S.  Galla  was  called  S.  Maria 
in  Portico,  from  the  neighboring  portico  of  Octavia,  a 
name  which  is  sometimes  applied  to  the  present  church. 
The  miraculous  mendicant  image  is  now  enshrined  in  gold 
and  lapis-lazuli  over  the  high  altar.  Other  relics  supposed 
to  be  preserved  here  are  the  bodies  of  S.  Cyrica,  S.  Vic- 
toria, and  S.  Vincenza,  and  half  that  of  S.  Barbara  !  The 
second  chapel  on  the  right  has  a  picture  of  the  Descent  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  by  Luca  Giordano  ;  in  the  first  chapel  on 
the  left  is  the  tomb  of  Prince  Altieri.  inscribed  "  Umbra," 
and  that  of  his  wife,  Donna  Laura  di  Carpegna,  inscribed 
"  Nihil ;  "  they  lest  on  lions  of  rosso-antico.  In  the  right 
transept  is  the  tomb  by  Pettrich  of  Cardinal  Pacca,  who 
lived  in  the  Palazzo  Pacca,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 


THE    TOR    ni   SFECCHI.  221 

square,  and  was  the  faithful  friend  of  Pius  VII.  in  his  ex- 
ile. The  bass-relief  on  the  tomb,  of  S.  Peter  delivered  by 
the  angel,  is  in  allusion  to  the  deliverance  from  the  French 
captivity. 

The  name  Campitelli  is  probably  derived  from  Campus- 
teli,  because  in  this  neighborhood  (see  Chap.  XIV.)  was 
the  Columna  Bcllica,  from  which,  v.'hen  war  was  declared, 
a  dart  was  thrown  into  a  plot  of  ground,  representing  the 
hostile  territory — perhaps  the  very  site  of  this  church. 

In  the  street  behind  this,  leading  into  the  Via  di  Ara- 
Coeli,  are  the  remains  of  the  ancient  Palazzo  Margana, 
with  a  very  richly  sculptured  gateway  of  c.  1350. 

Opening  from  hence  upon  the  left  is  the  Via  Tor  di 
Specckt,  whose  name  commemorates  the  legend  of  Virgil  as 
a  necromancer,  and  of  his  m.agic  tower  lined  with  mirrors, 
in  which  all  the  secrets  of  the  city  were  reflected  and 
brought  to  light. 

Here  is  the  famous  Convent  0/  the  Tor  di  Speccfii, 
founded  by  S.  Francesca  Romana,  and  open  to  the  public 
during  the  octave  of  the  anniversary  of  her  death  (follow- 
ing the  9th  of  March).  At  this  time  the  pavements  are 
strewn  with  box,  the  halls  and  galleries  are  bright  with 
fresh  flowers,  and  guards  are  posted  at  the  different  turn- 
ings to  facilitate  the  circulation  of  visitors.  It  is  a  beauti- 
ful specimen  of  a  Roman  convent.  The  first  hall  is 
painted  with  ancient  frescoes,  representing  exenes  in  the 
life  of  the  saint.  Here,  on  a  table,  is  the  large  bowl  in 
which  S.  Francesca  prepared  ointment  for  the  poor.  Other 
relics  are  her  veil,  shoes,  etc.  Passing  a  number  of  open 
cloisters,  cheerful  with  flowers  and  orange  trees,  we  reach 
the  chapel,  where  sermons,  or  rather  lectures,  are  delivered 
at  the  anniversary  upon  the  story  of  S.  Francesca's  life, 
and  where  her  embalmed  body  may  be  seen  beneath  the 
altar.  A  staircase  seldom  seen,  but  used  especially  by 
Francesca,  is  only  ascended  by  the  nuns  upon  their  knees. 
It  leads  to  her  cell  and  a  small  chapel,  black  with  age,  and 
preserved  as  when  she  used  them.  The  picturesque  dress 
of  the  Oblate  sisters,  who  are  everywhere  visible,  adds  to 
the  interest  of  the  scene. 

"  It  is  no  g-loomy  abode,  the  convent  of  the  Tor  di  Speech!,  even  in 
the  eyes  of  those  who  cannot  understand  the  happiness  of  a  nun.  It 
is  such  a  place  as  one  loves  to  sec  children  in  ;  where  reli^fion  is  com- 


22  2  WALKS   IX   1^0 ME. 

bined  with  everj'thing  that  pleases  I  he  eye  and  recreates  the  mind. 
The  beautiful  chapel;  the  garden  with  its  magnihcent  orange  trees; 
the  open  galleries,  with  their  fanciful  decorations  and  scenic  recesseS: 
where  a  holy  picture  or  figure  takes  you  by  surprise,  -and  meets  you  at 
every  turn  ;  the  light,  airy  rooms  where  religious  prints  and  ornaments. 
with  flowers,  birds,  and  ingenious  toys,  testify  thai  innocent  enjoy- 
ments are  encouraged  and  smiled  upon  ;  while  from  every  window 
may  be  caught  a  giim.pse  of  the  Eternal  City,  a  spire,  a  ruined  wall,— 
something  that  speaks  of  Rcme  and  its  thousand  charms. 

"It  was  on  the  2ist  of  March,  the  festival  of  S.  Benedict,  that 
Francesca  herself  entered  the  convent,  not  a;;  the  foundress,  but  as  a 
humble  suppliant  for  admission.  At  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  having 
taken  off  her  customary  black  gown,  her  veil,  and  her  shoes,  and 
placed  a  cord  around  her  neck,  she  knelt  dov.n,  kissed  the  ground,  and 
shedding  an  abundance  of  tears,  made  her  general  confession  aloud 
in  the  presence  of  all  the  Oblates  ;  she  described  herself  as  a  misera- 
ble sinner,  a  grievous  offender  against  God,  and  asked  permission  to 
dwell  among  them  as  the  meanest  of  their  servants  ;  and  to  learn 
from  them  to  amend  her  life,  and  enter  upon  a  holier  course.  The 
spiritual  daugliters  of  Francesca  hastened  to  raise  and  embrace  her  ; 
and  clothing  her  with  their  habit,  they  led  the  way  to  the  chapel, 
where  they  all  returned  thanks  to  God.  While  she  remained  there  in 
prayer,  Agnese  de  I-ellis,  the  superioress,  assembled  the  sisters  in  the 
chapter-room,  and  declared  to  them,  that  row  tb.eir  true  mother  and 
foundress  had  come  amongst  them,  it  would  be  absurd  for  her  to  re- 
main in  her  present  office  ;  that  Francesca  was  their  guide,  their  head, 
and  that  into  her  hands  she  should  instantly  resign  her  authority. 
They  all  applauded  her  decision,  and  gathering  round  the  Saint,  an- 
nounced to  her  their  wishes.  As  was  to  be  expected,  Francesca 
strenuously  refused  to  accede  to  this  proposal,  and  pleaded  her  inabil- 
ity for  the  duties  of  a  superioress.  The  Oblates  had  recourse  to  Don 
Giovanni,  the  confessor  of  Francesca,  who  began  by  entreating,  and 
finally  commanded  her  acceptance  of  the  charge,  tlis  order  she  never 
resisted  ;  and  accordingly,  on  the  25th  of  March,  she  was  duly  elected 
to  that  office." — Lady  Georgina  Fullertons  Life  of  S.  Francesca 
I\.oi)iana. 

"  S.  Francesca  Romana  is  represented  in  the  dress  of  a  Benedictine 
nun,  a  black  robe  and  a  white  hood  or  veil  ;  and  her  proper  attribute  is 
an  angel,  who  holds  in  his  hand  the  book  of  the  Office  of  the  Virgin, 
open  at  the  words,  '  Tenuisli  manum  dexleyam  meam,  et  in  voluniate 
ilia  dediixisti  me,  et  cum  gloria  suscepisti  7ite'  (Ps.  Ixxiii.  23,  24); 
which  attribute  is  derived  from  an  incident  thus  narrated  in  the  acts  of 
her  canonization.  Though  unwearied  in  her  devotions,  yet  if,  during 
her  prayers,  she  was  called  away  by  her  husband  on  any  domestic 
duty,  she  would  close  her  book,  saying  that  "a  wife  and  mother,  when 
called  upon,  must  quit  her  God  at  the  altar,  and  find  him  in  herliouse- 
hold  affairs.'  Now  it  happened  once,  that,  in  reciting  the  Office  of 
Our  Lady,  she  was  called  away  four  times  just  as  she  was  beginning 
the  same  verse,  and,  returning  the  fifth  time,  .she  found  that  verse 
written  upon  the  page  in  letters  of  golden  light  by  the  hand  of  her 
guardian  angel."— _/^w«^/?'j-  Sacred  A rf,  p.    151. 


VIA    DEL   MONTE    TARPEIO. 


223 


Almost  opposite  the  convent  is  the  Via  del  Monte  Tar- 
peio,  a  narrow  alley,  leading  up  to  the  foot  of  the  Tarpeian 
rock,  beneath  the  Palazzo  Caffarelli,  and  one  of  the  points 
at  which  the  rock  was  best  seen  till  the  new  road  along  the 
edge  of  the  Capitoline  was  made  by  the  present  govern- 
ment. This  spot  is  believed  to  have  been  the  site  of  the 
house  of  Spurious  Maelius,  who  tried  to  ingratiate  himself 
with  the  people,  by  buying  up  corn  and  distributing  it  in  a 
year  of  scarcity  (b.c.  440),  but  who  was  in  consequence 
put  to  death  by  the  patricians.  His  house  was  razed  to  the 
ground,  and  its  site  being  always  kept  vacant,  went  by  the 
name  of  Aequimaelium. ' 

'  Livy,  iv.  16  ;  xxxviii.  28. 


CHAPTER    VL 


THE    PALATINE. 


The  Story  of  the  Hill — Orli  Farnesiani — The  Via  Nova — Roma 
Quadrata — The  Houses  of  the  early  Kings — Temple  of  Jupiter 
Stator — Palace  of  Augustus — Palace  of  Vespasian — Crypto-Porti- 
cus — Temple  of  Jupiter-Victor — The  Lupercal  and  the  Hut  of 
Faustulus — Palace  of  Tiberius — Palace  of  Caligula — Clivus  Victo- 
ria— Ruins  of  the  Kingly  Period — Altar  of  the  Genius  Loci — House 
of  Hortensius — Septizonium  of  Severus. 

"''I  ^HE  Palatine  formed  a  trapezium  of  solid  rock,  two 
J_  sides  of  which  were  about  300  yards  in  length,  the 
others  about  400  :  the  area  of  its  summit,  to  compare  it 
with  a  familiar  object,  was  nearly  equal  to  the  space  be- 
tween Pall-Mall  and  Piccadilly  in  London."  ' 

The  history  of  the  Palatine  is  the  history  of  the  City  of 
Rome.  Plere  was  Roma  Quadrata,  the  "  oppidum,"  or 
fortress  of  the  Pelasgi,  of  which  the  only  remaining  trace 
is  the  name  Roma,  signifying  force.  This  is  the  fortress 
where  the  shepherd-king  Evander  is  represented  by  Virgil 
as  welcoming  ^neas. 

The  Pclasgic  fortress  was  inclosed  by  Romulus  within 
the  limits  of  his  new  citjr,  which,  "after  the  Etruscan  fashion, 
he  traced  round  the  foot  of  the  hill  with  a  plow  drawn 
by  a  bull  and  a  heifer,  the  furrow  being  carefully  made  to 
fall  inward,  and  the  heifer  yoked  to  the  near  side,  to  sig- 
nify that  strength  and  courage  were  required  without,  obe- 
dience and  fertility  within  the  city.  .  .  .  The  locality  thus 
inclosed  was  reserved  for  the  temples  of  the  gods  and  the 
residence  of  the  ruling  class,  the  class  of  patricians  or 
burghers,  as  Niebuhr  has  taught  us  to  entitle  them,  which 
predominated  over  the  dependent  commons,  and  only  suf- 
fered   them   to   crouch  for  security  under  the    walls   of 

•  Merivale,  Hist,  of  Romans  under  the  Empire^  chap.  xl. 

224 


THE    STORY   OF    THE    HILL. 


225 


Romulus.  The  Palatine  was  never  occupied  by  the  plebs. 
In  the  last  age  of  the  republic,  long  after  the  removal  of 
this  partition,  or  of  the  civil  distinction  between  the  great 
classes  of  the  State,  here  was  still  the  chosen  site  of  the 
mansions  of  the  highest  nobility.'" 

In  the  time  of  the  early  kings  the  City  of  Rome  was 
represented  by  the  Palatine  only.  It  was  at  first  divided 
into  two  parts,  one  inhabited,  and  the  other  called  Velia, 
and  left  for  the  grazing  of  cattle.  It  had  two  gates,  the 
Porta  Romana  to  the  north-east,  and  the  Porta  Mugonia — 
so  called  from  the  lowing  of  the  cattle — to  the  south-east, 
on  the  side  of  the  Velia. 

Augustus  was  born  on  the-  Palatine,  and  dwelt  there  in 
common  with  other  patrician  citizens  in  his  youth.  After 
he  became  emperor  he  still  lived  there,  but  simply,  and  in 
the  house  of  Hortensius,  till,  on  its  destruction  by  fire, 
the  people  of  Rome  insisted  upon  building  him  a  palace 
more  worthy  of  their  ruler.  This  building  was  the  founda- 
tion-stone of  "the  Palace  of  the  Caesars,"  which  in  time 
overran  the  whole  hill,  and,  under  Nero,  two  of  the  neigh- 
boring hills  besides,  and  whose  ruins  are  daily  being  disin- 
terred and  recognized,  though  much  confusion  still  remains 
regarding  their  respective  sites.  In  a.d.  663,  part  of  the 
palace  remained  sufficiently  perfect  to  be  inhabited  by  the 
Emperor  Constans,  and  its  plan  is  believed  to  have  been 
entire  for  a  century  after,  but  it  never  really  recovered  its 
sack  by  Genseric  a.d.  455,  in  which  it  was  completely 
gutted,  even  of  the  commonest  furniture  ;  and  as  years 
passed  on  it  became  imbedded  in  the  soil  which  has  so 
marvelously  enshrouded  all  the  ancient  buildings  of  Rome, 
so  that  till  1 86 1  only  a  few  broken  nameless  walls  were 
visible  above  ground. 

' '  Cypress  and  ivy,  weed  and  wallflower  grown 
Matted  and  mass'd  together,  hillocks  heap'd 
On  what  were  chambers,  arch  crush'd,  columns  strown 
In  fragments,  choked-up  vaults,  and  frescoes  steep'd 
In  subterranean  damps,  where  the  owl  peep'd, 
Deeming  it  midnight : — Temples,  baths,  or  halls  ? 
Pronounce  who  can  ;  for  all  that  Learning  reap'd 
From  her  research  has  been,  that  these  are  walls. — 
Behold  the  Imperial  Mount !  'Tis  thus  the  mighty  falls." 

Byron,  Childe  Harold. 

'  Menvale,  chap.  xl. 


226  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

How  different  is  this  description  to  that  of  Claudian  (de 
Sexto  Consulat.    Honorii): 

"  The  Palatine,  proud  Rome's  imperial  seat, 
(An  awful  pile)  stands  venerably  great  : 
Thither  the  kingdoms  and  the  nations  come. 
In  supplicating  crowds  to  learn  their  doom  : 
To  Delphi  less  th'  inquiring  worlds  repair, 
Nor  does  a  greater  god  inhabit  there  : 
This  sure  the  pompous  mansion  was  design'd 
To  please  the  mighty  rulers  of  mankind  ; 
Inferior  temples  rise  on  either  hand, 
And  on  the  borders  of  the  palace  stand, 
While  o'er  the  rest  her  head  she  proudly  rears, 
And  lodg'd  amidst  her  guardian  gods  appears." 

Addison  s  Translation. 

After  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century  a  great  part  of 
the  Palatine  became  the  property  of  the  P'arnese  family, 
latterly  represented  by  the  Neapolitan  Bourbons,  who  sold 
the  "  Orti  Farnesiani, "  in  1861,  to  the  Emperor  Napoleon 
III.  for  10,000/.  It  is  curious  that  the  possession  ot  ''the 
Palace  of  the  Caesars  "  should  have  been  the  only  relic  of 
his  empire  remaining  to  Napoleon  during  his  exile  in  Eng- 
land, when  he  sold  it  to  the  City  of  Rome.  Up  to  1861 
this  part  of  the  Palatine  was  a  vast  kitchen  garden,  broken 
here  and  there  by  picturesque  groups  of  ilex-trtes  and 
fragments  of  moldering  wall.  In  one  corner  was  a  casino 
of  the  Farnese  (still  standing)  adorned  in  fresco  by  some 
of  the  pupils  of  Raffaeile.  This  and  all  the  later  buildings 
in  the  "  Orti,"  are  marked  with  the  Farnese  fleur-de-lis, 
and  on  the  principal  staircase  of  the  garden  is  some  really 
grand  distemper  ornament  of  their  time.  The  side  of  the 
hill,  beyond  the  Villa  Mills,  has  always  presented  a  strik- 
ing mass  of  picturesque  ruins,  and  was  formerly  approached 
from  the  Via  S.  Sebastiano,  but  is  now  united  to  the  other 
ruins.  Since  1861  extensive  excavations  have  been  car- 
ried on  upon  the  Palatine,  for  the  most  part  under  the  su- 
perintendence of  Signer  Rosa,  which  have  resulted  in  the 
discovery  of  the  palaces  of  some  of  the  earlier  emperors, 
and  the  substructions  of  several  temples. 

"The  Faniese  gardens  were,  if  not  unique,  certainly  a  very  rare 
specimen  of  a  Cinquccento  Roman  villa  and  of  the  taste  which  pre- 
vailed at  that  period  in  laying  out  pleasure  grounds,  in  which  very 
little   work  was  left   to  nature   itself,  and   nearly   everything   to   the 


SUMMA    VIA   NOVA.  227 

mason  and  plasterer.  Still  the  Farnese  gardens  were  born  with  a 
heavy  original  sin — that  of  concealing,  of  disfiguring,  and  of  cutting 
piecemeal  the  magnificent  rains  of  the  imperial  palace." — K.  Lan- 
siaiii,  1S82. 

In  visiting  the  Palace  of  the  Caesars,  it  will  naturally  be 
asked  how  it  is  known  that  the  different  buildings  are  what 
they  are  described  to  be.  In  a  great  measure  this  has 
been  ascertained  from  the  descriptions  of  Tacitus  and 
other  historians  ;  but  the  greatest  assistance  of  all  has  been 
obtained  from  the  "  Tristia  "  of  Ovid,  who,  while  in  exile, 
consoles  himself  by  recalling  the  different  buildings  of  his 
native  city,  which  he  mentions  in  describing  the  route  taken 
by  his  book,  which  he  had  persuaded  a  friend  to  convey 
to  the  imperial  librarj^  He  supposes  the  book  to  enter 
the  Palatine  by  the  CHvus  Victoriae  behind  the  Temple  of 
Vesta,  and  follows  its  course,  remarking  the  different  ob- 
jects it  passed  on  the  right  or  the  left. 


If  we  enter  the  palace  by  the  Farnese  gateway — a  fine 
work  of  Vignola  in  the  sixteenth  centtiry,  which  it  is  in- 
tended to  remove  to  the  Via  S.  Teodoro,  but  which,  in 
1882,  is  still  standing  on  the  right  of  the  Campo-Vaccino, 
opposite  SS.  Cosmo  e  Damiano,  we  had  better  only  ascend 
the  first  division  of  the  staircase  and  then  turn  to  the  left. 
Passing  along  the  lower  ridge  of  the  Palatine,  afterward 
occupied  by  many  of  the  great  patrician  houses,  whose 
sites  we  shall  return  to  and  examine  in  detail,  we  reach 
that  corner  of  the  garden  which  is  nearest  to  the  Arch  of 
Titus.  Here  a  paved  road  of  large  blocks  of  lava  has 
lately  been  laid  bare,  and  is  identified  beyond  a  doubt  as 
part  of  the  Via  Nova,  v.hich  led  from  the  Porta  Mugonia 
of  the  Palatine  along  the  base  of  the  hill  to  the  Velabrum, 
and  which  in  the  reign  of  Augustus  was  made  to  commu- 
nicate also  with  the  Forum.  At  this  point  the  road  v.'as 
called  Siimtna  Via  Nova. 

Near  this  spot  must  have  been  the  site  of  the  house 
where  Octavius  lived  with  his  wife  Atia,  the  niece  of  Julius 
Caesar  (daughter  of  his  eldest  sister  Julia),  and  where 
their  son,  Octavius,  afterward  the  Emperor  Augustus,  Avas 
born.  This  house  afterward  passed  into  the  possession  of 
C.  Laetorius,  a  patrician  ;  but  after  the  death  of  Augustus, 
part  of  it  was  turned  into  a  chapel,  and  consecrated  to 


3  28  WALKS  IV  ROME. 

him.  It  was  situated  .it  the  top  of  a  staircase — "supra 
scalas  annularias  "  ' — wliich  probably  led  to  the  Forum, 
and  is  spoken  of  as  "ad  capita  bubula,"  perhaps  from 
bulls'  heads,  with  which  it  may  have  been  decorated. 

Here  we  find  ourselves,  owing  to  the  excavations,  in  a 
deep  hollow  between  the  two  divisions  of  the  hill.  On  the 
left  is  the  Velia,  upon  which,  near  the  Torta  Mugonia,  the 
Sabine  king,  Ancus  Martius,  had  his  palace.  When  Ancus 
died,  he  was  succeeded  by  an  Etruscan  stranger,  Lucius 
Tarquinius,  who  took  the  name  of  Tarquinius  Prisciis. 
This  king  also  lived  upon  the  Velia,"  with  Tanaquil,  his 
queen,  and  here  he  was  murdered  in  a  popular  rising, 
caused  by  the  sons  of  his  predecessor.  Here  his  brave 
wife  Tanaquil  closed  the  doors,  concealed  the  death  of  the 
king,  harangued  the  people  from  the  windows,^  and  so 
gained  time  till  Servius  Tullius  was  prepared  to  take  the 
dead  king's  place  and  avenge  his  murder.* 

Keeping  to  the  valley,  on  our  right  are  now  some  huge 
blocks  of  tufa,  of  great  interest  as  part  of  the  ancient  Roma 
Quadraia,  anterior  to  Romulus.  Beyond  this,  also  on  the 
right,  are  foundations  of  the  Temple  of  Jupiter  Siator, 
built  by  Romulus,  who  vowed  that  he  would  found  a  tem- 
ple to  Jupiter  under  that  name,  if  he  would  arrest  the 
flight  of  his  Roman  followers  in  their  conflict  with  the 
superior  forces  of  the  Sabines.'' 

"  Inde  petens  dextram,  porta  est,  ait,  i.sta  Palati  ; 
Hie  Stator,  hoc  primum  condita  Roma  loco  est." 

O^'id,  Trisl.  iii.  F.L  i. 

"  Tempus  idem  Stator  aedis  habet,  quam  Romulus  olim 
Ante  Palatini  condidit  ora  jugi." 

Oz'ii/,  Juisi.  vi.   793. 

The  temple  of  Jupiter  Stator  has  an  especial  interest 
from  its  connection  with  the  story  of  Cicero  and  Catiline. 

"  Ciceron  rassembla  le  senat  dans  le  tem^jle  de  Jupiter  Stator.  Le 
choix  du  lieu  s'exolique  facilcment ;  ce  temple  etait  pres  de  la  princi- 
pale  entree  du  Palatin,  sur  le  Velia,  dominant,  en  cas  d'cmeute,  le 
Forum,  que  Ciceron  et  les  principaux  scnateurs  habitants  du  Palatin 
n'avaient  pas  a  traverser  comme  s'il  eut  fallu  se  rendre  a  la  Curie. 

'  Sueton ,  yJ «j^.  7^ .  ^Livy.  i.41.  'Livy,  i.  4'. 

••  The  palace  of  Numa  v/.is  close  to  the  Temple  of  Vesta  ;  that  cf  Tulhis  lios- 
tiiius  was  on  the  Coclian  ;  those  of  Servius  Tullius  and  Tarquinius  Superbus  on 
the  Esquilinc. 

•'■  Dionysius.  ii    50  ;    I. ivy,  i.  12. 


PALACE   OF  AUGUSTUS. 


229 


D'allieurs  Jupiter  Stator,  qui  avait  arrete  les  Sabines  a  la  porte  de 
Romulus,  arreterait  ces  nouveaux  ennemis  qui  voulaient  sa  ruine.  l>a 
Ciceron  pronon^a  la  premiere  Catilinaire.  Ce  discours  dut  etre  en 
grande  partie  improvise,  car  les  evenemenls  aussi  improvisaient. 
Ciceron  iie  savait  si  Catilina  oserait  se  presenter  devant  le  senat  ;  en 
le  voyant  entrer,  il  concut  son  fameux  exorde  :  '  Jusqu'a  quand,  Cati- 
lina, abuseras-tu  de  noire  patience  !  ' 

"  Malgre  la  garde  volontaire  de  chevaliers  qui  avait  accompagne 
Ciceron  et  qui  se  tenait  a  la  porte  du  temple,  Calilina  y  entra  et  salua 
tranquillement  I'assemblee  ;  nul  ne  lui  rendit  son  salut,  a  son  approche 
on  s'ecarta  et  les  places  resterent  vides  autour  de  lui.  II  e'couta  les 
foudroyantes  apostrophes  de  Ciceron,  qui  apres  I'avoir  accable  des 
preuves  de  son  crime,  se  bornait  a  lui  dire  :   '  Sors  de  Rome.    Va-t'en  ! ' 

"  Catilina  se  leva  et  d'un  air  modeste  pria  le  se'nat  de  ne  pas  croire 
le  consul  avant  qu'une  enquete  eut  e'te  faite.  '  II  n'est  pas  vraisem- 
blable,  ajouta-t-il,  avec  une  hauteur  toute  aristocratique,  qu'un  patri- 
cien,  lequel  aussi  bieu  que  ses  ancetres,  a  rendu  quelques  services  a 
la  republique,  ne  puisse  exister  que  par  sa  ruine,  et  qu'on  ait  besoin 
d'un  etranger  d'Arpinum  pour  la  souver.'  Tant  d'orgueil  et  d'impu- 
dence  revolterent  I'assemblee  ;  on  cria  a  Catilina:  '  Tu  es  un  ennemi 
de  la  patrie,  un  meurtrier.'  II  sortit,  reunit  encore  ses  amis,  leur 
recommanda  de  ce  debarrasser  de  Ciceron,  prit  avec  lui  un  aigle 
d'argent  qui  avait  appartenu  a  une  legion  de  Marius,  et  a  minuit  quitta 
Rome  et  partit  par  la  voie  Aurelia  pour  aJler  rejoindre  son  armee." — 
Ampere,  Hist.  Roni.  iv.  445. 

Nearly  opposite  the  foundations  of  Jupiter  Stator,  on 
the  left,  are  some  remains  considered  to  be  those  of  the 
Porta  Palatii. 

The  valley  is  now  blocked  by  a  vast  mass  of  building 
which  entirely  closes  it.  This  is  the  palace  of  Augustus, 
built  in  the  valley  between  the  Veliaand  the  other  eminence 
of  the  Palatine,  which  Rosa,  contrary  to  other  opinions, 
identifies  with  the  Germalus.  The  division  of  the  Palatine 
thus  named,  was  reckoned  as  one  of  "  the  seven  hills  "  of 
ancient  Rome.  Its  name  was  thought  to  be  derived  from 
Germani,  owing  to  Romulus  and  Remus  being  found  in  its 
vicinity.' 

The  Palace  of  Augustus  was  begun  soon  after  the  battle 
of  Actium,  and  gradually  increased  in  size,  till  the  whole 
valley  was  blocked  up  by  it,  and  its  roofs  became  level  with 
the  hill-sides.  Part  of  the  ground  which  it  covered  had 
previously  been  occupied  by  the  villa  of  Catiline.'^  Here 
Suetonius  says  that  Augustus  occupied  the  same  bedroom 
for  forty  years.  Before  the  entrance  to  the  palace  it  was 
ordained  by  the  Senate,  B.C.  26,  that  two  bay-trees  should 

>  Varr.  iv.  8.  *  Veil.  Paierc.  ii.  81. 


230 


WALK'S  I.V  HOME. 


be  planted,  in  remembrance  of  the  citizens  he  had  pre- 
served, while  an  oak  wreath  was  placed  above  the  gate  in 
commemoration  of  his  victories. 

"  Singula  dum  miror,  video  fulgentibus  armis 
Conspicuos  postes,  tectaque  digna  deo. 
An  Jovis  haec,  dixi,  domus  est  ?     Quod  ut  esse  putarem, 

Augurium  menti  querna  corona  dabat. 
Cujus  ut  accessi  dominum,  non  fallimur,  inquam  : 

Et  magni  verum  est  banc  Jovis  esse  domum. 
Cur  tamen  apposita  velatur  janua  lauro  ? 
Cingit  et  Augustas  arbor  opaca  fores  ?  " 

Ovid,   Trist.  i.  33. 

"  State  Palatinae  laurus  ;  praetextaque  quercu 
Stet  domus  ;  aeternos  tres  habet  una  deos. " 

Fast.  iv.  953, 

It  was  before  the  gate  of  this  palace  that  Augustus  upon 
one  day  in  every  year  sat  as  a  beggar,  receiving  alms  from 
the  passers-by,  in  obedience  to  a  vision  that  he  should  thus 
appease  Nemesis. 

Upon  the  top  of  this  building  of  Augustus,  Vespasian 
built  his  palace  in  a.d.  70,  not  only  using  the  walls  01  the 
older  palace  as  a  support  for  his  own,  but  filling  the 
chambers  of  the  earlier  building  entirely  up  with  earth,  so 
that  they  became  a  solid  massive  foundation.  The  ruins 
which  we  visit  are  thus  for  the  most  part  those  of  the  pal- 
ace of  Vespasian,  but  from  one  of  its  halls  we  can  descend 
into  rooms  underneath  excavated  from  the  palace  of  Au- 
gustus. The  three  projecting  rostra  which  we  now  see  in 
front  of  the  palace  are  restorations  by  Signor  Rosa. 

The  palace  on  the  Palatine  was  not  the  place  where  the 
emperors  generally  lived.  They  resided  at  their  villas,  and 
came  into  the  town  to  the  palace  of  the  Caesars  for  the 
transaction  of  public  business.  Thus  this  palace  was,  as  it 
were,  the  St.  James's  of  Rome.  The  fatigue  and  annoy- 
ance of  a  public  arrival  every  morning,  amid  the  crowd  of 
clients  who  always  waited  upon  the  imperial  footsteps,  was 
naturally  very  great,  and  to  obviate  this  the  emperors 
made  use  of  a  subterranean  passage  which  ran  round  the 
whole  building,  and  by  which  they  were  enabled  to  arrive 
unobserved,  and  not  to  present  themselves  in  public  till 
their  appearance  upon  the  rostra  in  front  of  the  building 
to  receive  the  morning  salutations  of  their  people. 

If  we  turn  to  the  right,  beneath  the  garden  which  now 


CR  YP  TO-POR  TIC  US.  231 

covers  the  greater  part  of  the  hill  Germalus,  we  shall  find 
an  entrance  to  this  passage,  following  which,  we  will  ascend 
with  the  emperor,  into  his  palace. 

The  passage,  called  Crypto-Porticiis,  is  still  quite  perfect, 
and  retains  a  great  part  of  its  mosaic  pavements  and  much 
of  its  inlaid  ceilings,  from  which  the  gilt  mosaic  has  been 
picked  out,  but  the  pattern  is  still  traceable.  The  passage 
was  lighted  from  above.  It  was  by  this  route  that  S.  Lau- 
rence was  led  up  for  trial  in  the  basilica  of  the  palace. 
After  some  distance  the  passage  is  joined  by  one  of  more 
recent  date,  with  stucco  ornament,  leading  to  the  palace  of 
Tiberius.  But,  before  this,  let  us  turn  to  the  left,  and, 
mounting  a  staircase,  emerge  again  upon  the  upper  level. 

The  emperor  here  reached  the  palace,  but  as  he  did  not 
yet  v\dsh  to  appear  in  public,  he  turned  to  the  left  by  the 
private  passage  called  Fauces,  which  still  remains,  running 
behind  the  main  halls  of  the  building.  Here  he  was  re- 
ceived by  the  different  members  of  the  imperial  family, 
much  as  Napoleon  III.  was  received  by  Princesses  Mathilde, 
Clotilde  and  the  Murats,  in  a  private  apartment  at  the 
Tuileries,  before  entering  the  ball-room.  Hence,  passing 
across  the  end  of  the  basilica,  the  em.peror  reached  the 
portico  in  front  of  the  palace,  looking  down  upon  the  hol- 
low space  where  were  the  Temple  of  Jupiter  Stator  and 
the  other  buildings  connected  Avith  the  early  history  of  the 
Roman  State.  Here  the  whole  Court  received  him  and 
escorted  him  to  the  central  rostra,  where  he  had  his  public 
reception  from  the  people  assembled  below,  and  whence 
perhaps  he  addressed  to  them  a  few  words  of  morning 
salutation  in  return.  The  attendants  meanwhile  defiled 
on  either  side  of  the  lower  terraced  elevation,  which  still 
remains. 

This  ceremony  being  gone  through,  the  emperor  returned 
as  he  came,  to  the  basilica,  for  the  transaction  of  business. 

The  name  Basilica  means  "  King's  House."  It  was  the 
ancient  Law  Court.  It  usually  had  a  portico,  v/as  oblong 
in  form,  and  ended  in  an  apse  for  ornament.  The  Christians 
adopted  it  for  their  place  of  worship  because  it  v/as  the 
largest  type  of  building  then  known.  They  also  adopted 
the  names  of  the  different  parts  of  the  pagan  basilica,  as 
the  Confessional,  from  the  Confession,  the  bar  of  justice  at 
(vhich  the  criminal  was  placed,  the  Tribune,  from  the  Tri' 


232  IVAl.R'S  IX   ROME. 

bunal  of  the  judge,  etc.  A  chapel  and  sacristy  added  01 
either  side  produced  the  form  of  the  cross.  The  Basilica 
here  is  of  great  width.  A  leg  of  the  emperor's  chair  actu- 
ally remains,  and  till  lately  was  ///  situ  upon  the  tribunal, 
and  part  of  the  richly  wrought  marble  bar  of  the  Confession 
still  exists.  This  was  the  bar  at  which  S.  Laurence  and 
many  other  Christian  martyrs  were  judged.  The  basilica 
in  the  palace  of  the  Caesars  was  also  the  scene  of  the  trial 
of  Valerius  Asiaticus  in  the  time  of  Claudius  (see  Chap. 
II.  p.  46)  when  the  Empress  Messalina,  who  was  seated 
near  the  emperor  upon  the  tribunal,  was  so  overcome  by 
the  touching  eloquence  of  the  innocent  man,  that  she  was 
obhged  to  leave  the  hall  to  conceal  her  emotion  ;  but 
characteristically  whispered  as  she  went  out,  that  the  ac- 
cused must  nevertheless  on  no  account  be  suffered  to  escape 
with  his  life  ; '  that  she  might  take  possession  of  his  Pincian 
Garden,  w^hich  was  as  Naboth's  Vineyard  in  her  eyes.  An 
account  is  extant  which  describes  how  it  was  necessary 
to  increase  the  width  of  the  seat  upon  the  tribunal  at  this 
period,  in  consequence  of  a  change  in  the  fashion  of  dress 
among  the  Roman  ladies. 

This  basilica,  though  perhaps  not  then  itself  in  exist- 
ence, will  always  have  peculiar  interest  as  showing  the 
form  and  character  of  that  earlier  basilica  in  the  palace  of 
the  Caesars,  in  which  S.  Paul  was  tried  before  Nero.  But 
it  is  quite  possible  that  it  may  be  the  same  actual  basilica 
itself — and  that  the  palace  of  Nero,  which  overran  the 
whole  of  the  hill,  may  have  had  its  basilica  on  this  site, 
where  it  was  preserved  by  Vespasian  in  his  later  and  more 
contracted  palace. 

"  The  appeals  from  the  provinces  in  civil  causes  were  heard,  not  by 
the  emperor  himself,  but  by  his  delegates,  who  were  persons  of  con- 
sular rank  ;  Augustus  had  appointed  one  such  delegate  to  hear  appeals 
from  each  province  respectively.  But  criminal  appeals  appear  gener- 
ally to  have  been  heard  by  the  emperor  in  person,  assisted  by  his  coun- 
cil of  assessors.  Tiberius  and  Claudius  had  usually  sat  for  this  purpose 
in  the  Forum  ;  but  Nero,  after  the  example  of  Augustus,  heard  these 
causes  in  the  Imperial  Palace,  whose  ruins  still  crown  the  Palatine. 
Here,  at  one  end  of  a  splendid  hall,'  lined  with  the  precious  marbles 

'  Tac.  Ann.  xi.  2. 

2  Dion  Cassius  mentions  that  the  ceilings  of  Halls  of  Justice  in  the  Palatine 
were  painted  by  Severus  to  represent  the  starry  sky.  The  old  Roman  practice 
was  for  tlie  magistrate  to  sit  under  the  open  sky,  which  probably  suggested  this 
kind  of  ceiling. 


THE  BA  SILICA .  233 

of  Egypt  and  of  Lybia,  we  must  imagine  Caesar  seated  in  the  midst  of 
his  assessors.  These  councilors,  twenty  in  number,  were  men  of  the 
highest  rank  and  greatest  influence.  Among  them  were  the  two  con- 
suls and  selected  representatives  of  each  of  the  other  great  magistracies 
of  Rome.  The  remainder  consisted  of  senators  chosen  by  lot.  Over 
this  distinguished  bench  of  judges  presided  the  representative  of  the 
most  powerful  monarchy  which  has  ever  existed — the  absolute  ruler  of 
the  whole  civilized  world. 

' '  Before  the  tribunal  of  the  blood-stained  adulterer  Nero,  Paul  was 
brought  in  fetters,  under  the  custody  of  his  military  guard.  The  prose- 
cutors and  their  witnesses  were  called  forward,  to  support  their  accu- 
sation ;  for  although  the  subject-matter  for  decision  was  contained  in 
the  written  depositions  forwarded  from  Judaea  by  Festus,  yet  the 
Roman  law  required  the  personal  presence  of  the  accusers  and  the  wit- 
nesses, whenever  it  could  be  obtained.  We  already  know  the  charges 
brought  against  the  Apostle.  He  was  accused  of  disturbing  the  Jews 
in  the  exercise  of  their  worship,  which  was  secured  to  them  by  law  ;  of 
desecrating  their  temple  ;  and,  above  all,  of  violating  the  public  peace 
of  the  empire  by  perpetual  agitation,  as  the  ringleader  of  a  new  and 
factious  sect.  This  charge  was  the  most  serious  in  the  view  of  a  Roman 
statesman  ;  for  the  crime  alleged  amounted  to  majcstas,  or  treason 
against  the  commonwealth,  and  was  punishable  with  death. 

"  These  accusations  were  supported  by  the  emissaries  of  the  Sanhe- 
drim, and  probably  by  the  testimony  of  witnesses  from  Judaea,  Ephe- 
sus,  Corinth,  and  the  other  scenes  of  Paul's  activity.  .  .  .  When  the 
parties  on  both  sides  had  been  heard,  and  the  witnesses  all  exam- 
ined, the  judgment  of  the  court  was  taken.  Each  of  the  assessors 
gave  his  opinion  in  writing  to  the  emperor,  who  never  discussed  the 
judgment  with  his  assessors,  as  had  been  the  practice  of  better  emper- 
ors, but  after  reading  their  opinion,  gave  sentence  according  to  his 
own  pleasure,  v.-ithout  reference  to  the  judgment  of  the  majority.  On 
this  occasion  it  might  have  been  expected  that  he  would  have  pro- 
nounced the  condemnation  of  the  accused,  for  the  influence  of  Pop- 
paea  had  now  reached  its  culminating  point,  and  she  was  a  Jewish 
proselyte.  We  can  scarcely  doubt  that  the  emissaries  from  Palestine 
would  have  demanded  her  aid  for  the  destruction  of  a  traitor  to  the 
Jewish  faith  ;  nor  would  any  scruples  have  prevented  her  listening  to 
their  request,  backed  as  it  probably  was,  according  to  Roman  usage, 
by  a  bribe.  However  this  may  be,  the  trial  resulted  in  the  acquittal 
of  S.  Paul.  He  was  pronounced  guiltless  of  the  charges  brought 
against  him,  his  fetters  were  struck  off,  and  he  was  liberated  from  his 
long  captivity." — Conybeare  and  Ho^oson. 

Beyond  the  basilica  is  the  Tablinnm,  the  great  hall  of 
the  palace,  which  served  as  a  kind  of  commemorative  do- 
mestic museum,  where  family  statues  and  pictures  were 
preserved.  This  vast  room  was  lighted  from  above,  on 
the  plan  which  may  still  be  seen  at  S.  Maria  degli  Angeli, 
which  was  in  fact  a  great  hall  of  a  Roman  house.  The 
roof  of  this  hall  was  one  vast  arch,  unsupported  except  by 


2  34 


WALKS  IX  HOME, 


the  side  walls.  We  have  record  of  a  period  when  these 
walls  were  supposed  insufficient  for  the  great  weight,  and 
had  to  be  strengthened,  in  interesting  confirmation  of 
which  we  can  still  see  how  the  second  wall  was  added  and 
united  to  the  first. 

Appropriately  opening  from  the  family  picture  gallery  of 
the  Tablinum,  was  the  Laranu!?i,  a  private  chapel  for  the 
Avorship  of  such  members  of  the  family — Livia  and  many 
others — as  were  deified  after  death.  An  altar,  on  the 
original  site,  was  erected  here  by  Signer  Rosa,  bits  from 
which  have  been  found. 

Hitherto  the  chambers  which  we  have  visited  were  open 
to  the  public  ;  beyond  this,  none  but  this  immediate  family 
and  attendants  could  follow  the  emperor.  We  now  enter 
the  Peristyle,  a  courtyard,  which  was  open  to  the  sky,  but 
surrounded  with  arcades  ornamented  with  statues,  where 
we  may  imagine  that  the  empresses  amused  themselves 
with  their  birds  and  flov/ers.  Hence,  by  a  narrow  stair- 
case, we  can  descend  into  what  is  perhaps  the  roost  inter- 
esting portion  of  the  whole,  being  probably  the  one  un- 
earthed fragment  of  the  actual  Palace  of  Augustus,  which 
still  retains  remains  of  gilding  and  fresco,  and  an  artistic 
group  in  stucco.  An  original  window  remains,  and  it  will 
be  recollected  on  looking  at  it,  that  when  this  was  built 
it  was  not  subterranean,  but  merely  in  the  hollow  of  the 
valley  afterwards  filled  up.  In  these  actual  rooms  may 
have  lived  Livia,  who  in  turn  inhabited  three  houses  on 
the  Palatine,  first  that  of  her  first  husband  Nero  Drusus, 
whom  Augustus  compelled  her  to  divorce  ;  then  the  im- 
perial house  of  Augustus  ;  and  lastly  that  of  Tiberius,  the 
son  by  her  first  husband,  whom  she  vvas  the  means  of  rais- 
ing to  the  throne. 

We  now  reach  the  Triclinium  or  dining-room,  surrounded 
by  a  skirting  of  pavonazzetto  with  a  cornice  of  giallo. 
Tacitus  describes  a  scene  in  the  imperial  triclinium,  in 
which  the  Emperor  Tiberius  is  represented  as  reclining  at 
dinner,  having  on  one  side  his  aged  mother,  the  Empress 
Livia,  and  on  the  other  his  niece  Agrippina,  widow  of 
Germanicus  and  granddaughter  of  the  great  Augustus,* 
It  was  while  the  imperial  family  were  seated  at  a  banquet 
in  the  triclinium,  in  the  time  of  Nero,  that  his  young  step- 

'  Ann.  iv.  54. 


THE    TRICLINIUM.  2?5 

brother  Britannicus  (son  of  Claudius  and  Messalina) 
swallowed  the  cup  of  poison  which  the  emperor  had 
caused  Locusta  to  prepare,  and  sank  back  dead  upon  his 
couch,  his  wretched  sisters  Antonia  and  Octavia,  also 
seated  at  the  ghastly  feast,  not  daring  to  give  expression 
to  their  grief  and  horror — and  Nero  merely  desiring  the 
attendants  to  carry  the  boy  out,  and  saying  that  it  was  a 
fit  to  which  he  was  subject."  Here  it  was  that  Marcia  the 
concubine  presented  the  cup  of  drugged  wine  to  the 
wicked  Commodus,  on  his  return  from  a  wild  beast  hunt, 
and  produced  the  heavy  slumber  during  which  he  was 
strangled  by  the  wrestler  Narcissus.  In  this  very  room 
also  his  successor  Pertinax,  who  had  spent  his  short  reign 
of  three  months  in  trying  to  reform  the  State,  resuscitate 
the  finances,  and  to  heal,  as  far  as  possible,  "  the  wounds 
inflicted  by  the  hand  of  tyranny,"  received  the  news  that 
the  guard,  impatient  of  unwonted  discipline,  had  risen 
against  him,  and  going  forth  to  meet  his  assassins,  fell, 
covered  with  wounds,  just  in  front  of  the  palace.^ 

Vitruvius  says  that  every  well-arranged  Roman  house 
has  a  dining-room  opening  into  a  nymphaeum,  and  ac- 
cordingly here,  on  the  right,  is  a  Nymphaetaii,  w'ith  a 
beautiful  fountain  surrounded  by  miniature  niches,  once 
filled  with  bronzes  and  statues.  Water  was  conveyed 
hither  by  the  Neronian  aqueduct.  The  pavement  of  this 
room  was  of  oriental  alabaster,  of  which  fragments  remain. 

Beyond  the  Triclinium  is  a  disgusting  memorial  of  Ro- 
man imperial  life,  in  the  Vomitoriiim,  with  indications  of 
its  basin,  whither  the  feasters  retired  to  tickle  their  throats 
with  feathers,  and  come  back  with  renewed  appetite  to  the 
banquet. 

We  now  reach  the  portico  which  closed  the  principal 
appartments  of  the  palace  on  the  south-west.  Some  of  its 
Corinthian  pillars  have  been  re-erected  on  the  sites  where 
they  were  found.  From  hence  we  can  look  down  upon 
some  grand  walls  of  republican  times,  formed  of  huge  tufa 
blocks. 

Passing  a  space  of  ground,  called,  without  much  author- 
ity, Biblioteca,  Ave  reach  a  small  Theater  on  the  edge  of 
the  hill,  interesting  as  described  by  Pliny,  and  because  the 
Emperor  Vespasian,  who  is  known  to  have  been  especially 

•  Tac.  Ann.  xiii.  i8  ;  Suet.  Ncr.  33;  Dion.  Ixi.  7.  *  See  Gibbon,  i    133. 


2  30  WALK'S  I.V  ROME. 

fond  of  reciting  his  own  compositions,  probably  did  so 
here.  Hence  we  may  look  down  upon  the  valley  between 
the  Palatine  and  Aventine,  where  the  rape  of  the  Sabines 
took  place,  and  upon  the  site  of  the  Circus  Maximus. 
From  hence  we  may  imagine  that  the  later  emperors  sur- 
veyed the  hunts  and  games  in  that  circus,  when  they  did 
not  care  to  descend  into  the  amphitheater  itself. 

Beyond  this,  on  the  right,  is  (partially  restored)  the  grand 
staircase  leading  to  the  platform  once  occupied  by  the 
Tetnple  of  Jupiter  Victor,  vowed  by  Fabius  Maximus  during 
the  Samnite  war,  in  the  assurance  that  he  would  gain  the 
victory.  On  the  steps  is  a  sacrificial  altar,  which  retains 
its  grooves  for  the  blood  of  the  victims,  with  an  inscription 
stating  that  it  was  erected  by  "  Cn.  Domitius  M.  F.  Calvi- 
nus,  Pontifex," — who  was  a  general  under  Julius  Caesar, 
and  consul  B.C.  53  and  B.C.  40. 

After  crossing  some  more  great  blocks  of  republican 
times,  supposed  to  belong  to  the  Scala  Caci,  mentioned  by 
Solinus,  we  find  for  some  distance  no  remains,  because  this 
space  was  always  kept  clear,  for  here,  constantly  renewed, 
stood  the  Hilt  of  Faustidus  and  the  Sacred  Fig-tree. 

"  The  old  Roman  legend  ran  as  follows  :  Procas,  king  of  Alba,  left 
two  sons  Numitor,  the  elder,  being  weak  and  spiritless,  suffered 
Amulius  to  wrest  the  government  from  him,  and  reduce  him  to  his 
father's  private  estates.  In  the  enjoyment  of  these  he  lived  rich,  and, 
as  he  desired  nothing  more,  secure  :  but  the  usurper  dreaded  the  claims 
that  might  be  setup  by  the  heirs  of  a  different  character.  He  had  Nu- 
mitor's  son  murdered,  and  appointed  his  daughter,  Silvia,  one  of  the 
Vestal  virgins. 

"Amulius  had  no  children,  or  at  least  only  one  daughter  :  so  that 
the  race  of  Anchises  and  Aphrodite  seemed  on  tlie  point  of  expiring, 
when  the  love  of  a  god  prolonged  it,  in  spite  of  the  ordinances  of  man, 
and  gave  it  a  luster  worthy  of  its  origin.  Silvia  had  gone  into  the 
sacred  grove,  to  draw  water  from  the  spring  for  the  service  of  the 
temple.  The  sun  quenched  its  rays  :  the  sight  of  a  wolf  made  her 
fly  into  a  cave  :  there  Mars  overpowered  the  timid  virgin,  and  then 
consoled  her  with  the  promise  of  noble  children,  as  Posidon  consoled 
Tyro,  the  daughter  of  Salmoneus.  But  he  did  not  protect  her  from 
the  tyrant  ;  nor  could  the  protestations  of  her  innocence  save  her. 
Vesta  herself  seemed  to  demand  the  condemnation  of  the  unfortunate 
priestess  ;  for  at  the  moment  when  she  was  delivered  of  twins,  the 
image  of  the  godess  hid  its  eyes,  her  altar  trembled,  and  her  fire  died 
away.  Amulius  ordered  that  the  mother  and  her  babes  should  be 
drowned  in  the  river.  In  the  Anio,  Silvia  exchanged  her  earthly  life 
for  that  of  a  goddess.  The  river  carried  the  bole  or  cradle,  in  which 
the  children  were  lying,   into   the  Tiber,   which    had  overflowed    its 


THE   LUPERCAL. 


237 


banks  far  and  wide,  even  to  the  foot  of  the  woody  hills.  At  the  root 
of  a  wild  fig-tree,  the  F'lcus  Ruminalis,  which  was  preserved  and  held 
sacred  for  many  centuries,  at  the  foot  of  the  Palatine,  the  cradle  over- 
turned. A  she-wolf  came  to  drink  of  the  stream  :  she  heard  the 
whimpering  of  the  children,  carried  them  into  her  den  hard  by,  made 
a  bed  for  them,  licked  and  suckled  them.  When  they  wanted  other 
food  than  milk,  a  woodpecker,  the  bird  sacred  to  Mars,  brought  it 
to  them.  Other  birds  consecrated  to  auguries  hovered  over  them,  to 
drive  away  insects.  This  maiveious  spectacle  was  seen  by  Faustulus, 
the  shepherd  of  the  royal  flocks.  The  she-wolf  drew  back,  and  gave 
up  the  children  to  human  nurture.  Acca  Laurentia,  his  wife,  became 
their  foster-mother.  They  grew  up,  along  with  her  twelve  sons,  on  the 
Palatine  hill,  in  straw  huts  which  they  built  for  themselves  :  that  of 
Romulus  was  preserved  by  continual  repairs,  as  a  sacred  relic,  down 
to  the  time  of  Nero.  They  were  the  stoutest  of  the  shepherd  lads, 
fought  bravely  against  wild  beasts  and  robbers,  maintaining  their  right 
against  everyone  by  their  might,  and  turning  might  into  right.  Their 
booty  they  shared  with  their  comrades.  The  followers  of  Romulus 
were  called  Quinctilii,  those  of  Remus  Fabii  ;  the  seedsof  discord  were 
soon  sown  amongst  them.  Their  wantoness  engaged  them  in  disputes 
with  the  shepherds  of  the  wealthy  Numitor,  who  fed  their  flock  on 
Mount  Aventine  :  so  that  here,  as  in  the  story  of  Evander  and  Cacus, 
we  find  the  quarrel  between  the  Palatine  and  the  Aventine  in  the  tales 
of  the  remotest  times.  Remus  was  taken  by  the  stratagem  of  these 
shepherds,  and  dragged  to  Alba  as  a  robber.  A  secret  foreboding,  the 
remembrance  of  his  grandsons,  awakened  by  the  story  of  the  two 
brothers,  kept  Numitor  from  pronouncing  a  hasty  sentence.  The 
culprit's  foster-father  hastened  with  Romulus  to  the  city,  and  told  the 
old  man  and  the  youths  of  their  kindred.  They  resolved  to  avenge 
their  own  wrong  and  that  of  their  house.  With  their  faithful  com- 
rades, whom  the  dangers  of  Remus  had  brought  to  the  city,  they  slew 
the  king  ;  and  the  people  of  Alba  again  became  subject  to  Numitor. 

"  lUit  love  for  the  home  which  fate  had  assigned  them,  drew  the 
youths  back  to  the  banks  of  the  Tiber,  to  found  a  city  there,  and  the 
shepherds,  their  old  companions,  were  their  first  citizens.  .  .  .  This 
is  the  old  tale,  as  it  was  written  by  Fabius,  and  sung  in  ancient  lays 
down  to  the  time  of  Dionysius." — N'iebithy's  Hist,  of  Rome. 

In  the  cliff  of  the  Palatine,  below  the  fig-tree,  was  shown 
for  many  centuries  the  cavern  Lupercai,  sacred  from  the 
earliest  times  to  the  Pelasgic  god  Pan. 

"  Hinc  lucum  ingentem,  quern  Romulus  acer  Asylum 
Retulit,  et  gelida  monstrat  sub  rupe  Lupercai, 
Parrhasio  dictum  Panos  de  more  Lycaei." 

Virgil,  Aen.  viii.  342. 

"La  louve,  nourrice  de  Romulus,  a  peut-etre  ete  imaginee  en 
raison  des  rapports  mythologiques  qui  existaient  entre  le  loup  et  Pan, 
defenseur  des  troupeaux.  Ce  qu'il  y  a  de  sfir,  c'est  que  les  fetes 
lupcrcales   gardcrent  le  caractere  du  dicu  en  I'honneur  duquel  elles 


238  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

avaient  ete  primitivement  instituees  et  I'empreinte  d'une  origine  pelas- 
gique  ;  ces  fetes  au  temps  de  Ciceion  avaient  encore  un  caractere 
pastoral  en  memoire  de  I'Arcadie  d'ou  on  les  croyait  venues.  Les 
Luperques  qui  representaienl  les  Satyres,  compagnons  de  Pan,  faisaicnt 
le  lour  de  i'antique  sejour  des  Pelasges  sur  Ic  Palatin.  Ces  hommes 
nus  allaient  frappant  avec  les  lanieres  de  peau  de  bouc,  I'animal  lascif 
par  excellence,  les  femmes  pour  les  rendre  fecondes  ;  des  fetes  analo- 
gues se  celebraient  en  Arcadie  sous  le  nom  de  Lukeia  (les  fetes  des 
loups).  dont  le  mot  lupercales  est  una  traduction." — Aruphr,  Hist. 
Ro:>u\  i,  143. 

In  the  hut  of  Romulus  were  preserved  several  objects 
venerated  as  relics  of  him. 

On  conservait  le  baton  augural  avec  lequel  Romulus  avail  dessine 
surle  ciel,  suivant  le  rite  etrusque,  I'espace  ou  s'etait  manifeste  le 
grand  auspice  des  douze  vaulours  dans  lesquels  Rome  crut  voir  la 
promesse  des  douze  siecles  qu'en  effet  le  destin  devait  lui  accorder. 
Tous  les  augures  se  servirent  par  la  suite  xie  ce  baton  sacre,  qui  fut 
trouve  intact  apres  I'incendie  du  monument  dans  lequel  il  etait  con- 
sevee,  miracle  })aien  dont  I'equivalent  pourrait  se  renconlrer  dans  plus 
d'une  legende  de  la  Rome  chretienne.  On  montrait  le  cornouiller  ne 
du  bois  de  la  lance  que  Romulus,  avec  la  vigueur  ."-urhumaine  d'un 
demi-dieu,  avail  jetee  de  I'Aventin  sur  le  Palatin,  011  elle  s'etait  en- 
fancee  dans  la  terre  et  avail  produit  un  grand  arbre. 

"  On  montrait  sur  lo  Palatin  le  l^erceau  el  la  cabane  de  Romulus. 
Plutarque  a  vu  ce  berceau,  le  Satito  Presepio  d.t<,z.nc\^x\^  Remains,  qui 
etait  allache  avec  des  liens  d'airain,  el  sur  lequel  on  avail  trace  des 
caracteres  mysterieux.  La  cabane  etait  a  un  seul  etage.  en  planches 
et  couverte  de  roseaux,  que  Ton  reconstruisait  pieusemenl  cliaque  fois 
qu'un  incendie  la  delruisail  ;  car  elle  brula  a  diverses  reprises,  te  que 
la  nature  des  materiaux  dont  elle  etail  formee  fail  croire  facileinenl. 
J'ai  vu  dans  les  environs  de  Rome  un  cabaret  rustique  donl  la  toilure 
elail  exactemenl  pareille  a  celle  de  la  cabane  de  Romulus." — Ampere, 
Hist.  Rod  I.  i.  342. 

Turning  along  the  terrace  which  overhangs  the  Velabrum, 
we  reach  the  ruins  of  the  Palace  of  Tiberius,^  in  which  he 
resided  daring  the  earlier  part  of  his  reign,  when  he  was 
under  the  influence  of  his  aged  and  imperious  mother  Livia. 
Here  he  had  to  mourn  for  Drusus,  his  only  son,  who  fell  a 
victim  (a.  d.  23)  to  poison  administered  to  him  by  his  wife 
Livilla  and  her  lover,  the  favorite  Sejanus.  Here  also,  in 
A.D.  29,  died  Livia,  widow  of  Augustus,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
six,  "  a  memorable  example  of  successful  artifice,  having 
attained  in  succession,  by  craft  if  not  by  crime,  every  object 
she  could  desire  in  the  career  of  female  ambition."^  It  waa 

'  Tacitus, ///i/.  1.  77;  Suci.  Vitell.  15,  ^  Merivale,ch.  xlv. 


HOUSE    OF  DRUSUS.  239 

from  the  vrindows  of  the  Tiberiana  Domus  that  Tacitus 
describes  VitelUus  as  watching  the  burning  of  the  Capito- 
line  Temple  of  Jupiter,  and  the  fight  between  his  adherents 
and  the  partisans  of  Vespasian  under  Sabinus. 

The  row  of  arches  remaining  are  those  of  the  soldiers' 
quarters.  In  the  fourth  arch  is,  or  was,  a  curious  graffito 
of  a  ship.  In  another  the  three  pavements  in  use  at  dif- 
ferent times  may  be  seen  in  situ,  one  above  another.  On 
the  terrace  abo\  c  these  arches  has  recently  been  discovered 
a  large  piscina,  ox  fish-pond ;  beneath,  on  the  right,  are  the 
painted  chambers  of  a  building,  which  is  supposed  to  have 
been  the  House  of  Drusus  (elder  brother  of  Tiberius)  and 
Antonia.  Several  of  the  rooms  in  this  building  are  richly 
decorated  in  fresco  :  one  has  the  picture  of  a  street  v/ith 
figures  of  females  going  to  a  sacrifice,  and  of  ladies  at  their 
toilet  ;  another  of  Mercury,  lo,  and  Argus  ;  and  a  third 
of  Galatea  and  Polyphemus.  From  the  nam.es  of  the 
characters  represented  in  these  pictures  being  affixed  to 
them  in  Greek,  we  may  naturally  conclude  that  they  are 
the  work  of  Greek  artists. 

The  north-eastern  corner  of  the  area  is  entirely  occupied 
by  the  vast  ruins  of  the  Palace  of  Caligula,  built  against 
tne  side  of  the  hill  above  the  Clivus  Victoriae,  which  still 
remains,  and  consisting  of  ranges  of  small  rooms,  commu- 
nicating with  open  galleries,  edged  by  marble  balustrades, 
of  which  a  portion  exists.  In  these  rooms  the  half-mad 
Caius  Caligula  rushed  about,  sometimes  dressed  as  a  char- 
ioteer, sometimes  as  a  warrior,  and  delighted  in  astonishing 
his  courtiers  by  his  extraordinary  pranks,, or  shocking  them 
by  trying  to  enforce  a  belief  in  his  ov/n  divinity.' 

"  C'est  dans  ce  palais  que,  tourmente  par  I'insomnie  et  par  I'agita- 
tion  de  son  ame  furieuse,  il  passera  une  partie  de  la  nuit  a  errer  sous 
d'immenses  portiques,  attendant  et  appelant  le  jour.  C'est  la  aussi 
qu'il  aura  I'incroyable  idee  de  placer  un  dieu  infame. 

"  Caligula  se  fit  batir  sur  le  Palatin  deux  temples.  II  avait  d'abord 
Youlu  avoir  une  demeure  sur  le  mont  Capitolin  ;  mais,  ayant  refiechi 
que  Jupiter  I'avait  precede  au  Capitole,  il  en  prit  de  i'humeur  et  re- 
tourna  sur  le  Palatin.  Dans  les  folies  de  Caligula,  on  voit  se  manifes- 
ter  cette  pensee  :  Je  suis  dieu !  pensee  qui  n'etait  peut-etre  pas  tres-ex- 
traordinaire  chez  un  jeune  homme  de  vingt-cinq  ans  devenu  tout-a- 
coup  maitre  du  monde.  II  parut  en  effet  croire  a  sa  divinite,  prenant 
le  nom  et  les  attributs  de  divers  dieux,  et  changeant  de  nature  divine 
en  changeant  de  perruque. 

'  Suet,  Cal.  22. 


240 


WALKS  I.V  JWME. 


"  Non  content  de  s'elever  un  temple  a  lui-meme,  Caligula  en  vint  S 
etre  son  propre  pretre  et  a  s'adorer.  Le  despotisme  oriental  avail 
connu  cette  adoration  etrange  de  soi  :  sur  les  monuments  de  I'Egypte 
on  voit  Ramses-roi  presenter  son  offrande  a  Ramses-dieu  ;  mais  Cali- 
gula fit  ce  que  n'avait  fait  aucun  pharaon  :  il  se  doiine  pour  collegue, 
dans  ce  culte  de  sa  propre  per.-^onne,  son  cheval,  qu'il  ne  nomma  pas, 
mais  qu'il  songea  un  moment  de  nommer  consul." — Ampere,  Emp. 
ii.  7- 

Here  "one  day  at  a  public  banquet,  when  the  consuls  were  re- 
clining by  his  side,  Caligula  burst  suddenly  into  a  fit  of  laughter  ;  and 
when  they  courteously  inquired  the  cause  of  his  mirth,  astounded  them 
by  coolly  replying  that  he  was  thinking  how  by  one  word  he  could 
cause  both  their  heads  to  roll  on  the  floor.  He  amused  himself  with 
similar  banter  even  with  his  wife  Caesonia,  for  whom  he  seems  to 
have  had  a  stronger  feeling  than  for  any  of  his  former  consorts. 
While  fondling  her  neck  he  is  reported  to  have  said,  '  Fair  as  it  is, 
how  easily  I  could  sever  it.'" — Merivale,  ch.  xlviii. 

After  the  murder  of  Caligula  (Jan.  24,  a.d.  41)  by  the 
tribune  Chaerea,  in  the  vaulted  passage  which  led  from  the 
palace  to  the  theater,  a  singular  chance  which  occurred  in 
this  part  of  the  palace  led  to  the  elevation  of  Claudius  to 
the  throne. 

"  In  the  confusion  which  ensued  upon  the  death  of  Caius,  several 
of  the  praetorian  guards  had  flung  themselves  furiously  into  the  palace 
and  began  to  plunder  its  glittering  chambers.  None  dared  to  offer 
them  any  opposition  ;  the  slaves  or  freedmen  fled  and  concealed  them- 
selves. One  of  the  inmates,  half-hidden  behind  a  curtain  in  an  ob- 
scure corner,  was  dragged  forth  with  brutal  violence  ;  and  great  was 
the  intruders'  surprise  when  they  recognized  him  as  Claudius,  the  long 
despised  and  neglected  uncle  of  the  murdered  emperor.'  He  sank  at 
their  feet  almost  senseless  with  terror  :  but  the  soldiers  in  their  wildest 
mood  still  respected  the  blood  of  the  Caesars,  and  instead  of  slaying  or 
maltreating  the  suppliant,  the  brother  of  Germanicus,  they  hailed  him, 
more  in  jest  perhaps  than  earnest,  with  the  title  of  Imperator,  and 
carried  him  off  to  their  camp." — Merivale,  ch.  xlix. 

In  this  same  palace  Claudius  was  feasting  when  he  was 
told  that  his  hitherto  idolized  wife  Messalina  was  dead, 
without  being  told  whether  she  died  by  her  own  hand  or 
another's — and  asked  no  questions,  merely  desiring  a  ser- 
vant to  pour  him  out  some  more  wine,  and  went  on  eating 
his  supper.'^  Here  also  Claudius,  who  so  dearly  loved  eat- 
ing, devoured  his  last  and  fatal  supper  of  poisoned  mush- 
rooms, which  his  ne.xt  loving  wife  (and  niece),  Agrippina, 

'  Suet.  Claud,  lo.  "  Prorepsit  ad  solarium  proximum,  interque  praetenta 
foribus  vela  se  abdidit."  The  solarium  was  the  external  terraced  portico,  and 
this  still  remains. 

'  Tac.  Ann.  xi.  37,  38  ;  Dion.  l.\.  31  ;   Suet.  Claud.  39. 


TEMPLE    OF  CYBELE. 


241 


prepared  for  him,  to  make  way  for  her  son  Nero  upon  the 
throne.' 

The  CHvus  Victoriae  commemorates  by  its  name  the 
Temple  of  Victory, "^  said  to  have  been  founded  by  the  Sabine 
aborigines  before  the  time  of  Romulus,  and  to  be  the  ear- 
Hest  temple  at  Rome  of  which  there  is  any  mention  except 
that  of  Saturnus.  This  temple  was  rebuilt  by  the  consul 
L.  Postumius. 

Chief  of  a  group  of  small  temples,  the  famous  Temple  of 
Cybele,  "  Mother  of  the  Gods,"  stood  at  this  corner  of  the 
Palatine.  Thirteen  years  before  it  was  built,  the  "  Sacred 
Stone,"  the  form  under  which  the  "  Idaean  Mother  "  was 
worshiped,  had  been  brought  from  Pessinus  in  Phrygia, 
because,  according  to  the  Sibylline  books,  frequent  showers 
of  stones  which  had  occurred  could  only  be  expiated  by 
its  being  transported  to  Rome.  It  was  given  up  to  the 
Romans  by  their  ally  Attains,  king  of  Pergamus,  and  P. 
Cornelius  Scipio,  the  younger  brother  of  Africanus — ac- 
counted the  worthiest  and  most  virtuous  of  the  Romans — 
was  sent  to  receive  it.  As  the  vessel  bearing  the  holy  stone 
came  up  the  Tiber,  it  grounded  at  the  foot  of  the  Aven- 
tine,  when  the  aruspices  declared  that  only  chaste  hands 
would  be  able  to  move  it.  Then  the  Vestal  Claudia  drew 
the  vessel  up  the  river  by  a  rope. 

"  Ainsi  Sainte  Brigitte,  Suedoise  morte  a  Rome  prouva  sa  purete 
en  louchant  le  bois  de  I'autel,  qui  reverdit  sondain.  Une  statue  fut 
erigee  a  Claudia,  dans  le  vestibule  du  temple  de  Cybele.  Bien  qu'elle 
cut  ete,  disait-on,  seule  epargnee  dans  deux  incendies  du  temple,  nous 
n'avons  plus  celte  statue,  mais  nous  avons  au  Capitole  un  bas-relief 
ou  I'evenenient  miraculeux  est  represente.  C'est  un  autel  dedie  par 
une  affranchie  de  la,;'d'«j  Claudia  ;  il  a  ete  trouve  au  pied  de  I'Aventin, 
pres  du  lieu  qu'on  designait  comme  celui  oil  avait  ete  opere  le  miracle." 
— Ampere,  Hist.  Koni.  iii.  142. 

In  her  temple,  which  was  round  and  surmounted  by  a 
cupola,  Cybele  was  represented  by  a  statue  with  its  face  to 
the  east  ;  the  building  was  adorned  with  a  painting  of 
Corybantes,  and  plays  were  acted  in  front  of  it.'' 

"  Qua  madidi  sunt  tecta  Lyaei 
Et  Cybeles  picto  stat  Corybante  domus." 

Martial,  Ep.  i.  71,  q. 

1  Tac.  Ann.  xii.  67  ;  Suet.  Clavd.  44.         -  Dionysius,  i    32  ;   Livy,  xxix.  14. 
^  Dyer's  Hist,  of  ike  City  0/  Rome. 


242  WALKS  IN  HOME. 

This  temple,  after  its  second  destruction  by  fire,  was 
entirely  rebuilt  by  Augustus  in  a.d.  2. 

"  Cybele  est  certainement  la  grande  deesse,  la  grande  mere,  c'est-a- 
dire  la  personification  de  la  fecondite  et  de  la  vie  universelle  :  bizarre 
idole  qui  presente  le  spectacle  hideux  de  mamelles  disposeesparpaires 
le  long  d  un  corps  comme  enveloppe  dans  une  gaine,  et  d'oii  sortent 
des  taureaux  et  des  abeilles,  images  des  forces  creatrices  et  des 
puissances  ordonnatrices  de  la  nature.  On  honorait  cette  deesse  de 
I'Asie  par  des  orgies  furieuses,  par  un  melange  de  debauche  effrenee 
£t  de  rites  cruels  ;  ses  pretres  effemines  dansaient  au  son  des  flutes 
lydiennes  et  de  ses  crotales,  veritables  castagnettes,  semblables  acelles 
que  fait  resonner  aujourd'hui  le  paysan  remain  en  dansant  la  fougueube 
salLirelle.  On  voit  au  musee  du  Capitole  I'effigie  en  bass-relief  d'un 
avchigalle,  d'un  chef  de  ces  pretrej  insenses,  et  pres  de  lui  les  attributes 
de  la  deesse  asiatiqae,  les  flutes,  les  ciotales,  et  la  mysterieuse  corbeille. 
Cet  archigalle,  avec  son  air  de  femme.  sa  robe  qui  conviendrait  a  une 
femme,  nous  retrace  I'espece  de  demence  religieuse  a  laquelle  s'asso- 
ciaient  les  delirer  pervers  d'Heliogable." — Ampere,  Einp.  li.  310. 

We  have  the  authority  of  Martial'  that  in  the  immediate 
neighborhood  of  the  temple  of  Cybele  stood  the  Temple  of 
Apollo^  though  Signor  Rosa  places  it  on  the  other  side  of 
the  hill  in  the  gardens  of  S.  Buenaventura.  Its  remains 
have  yet  to  be  discovered. 

"  Nothing  could  exceed  the  magnificence  of  this  temple,  according 
to  the  accounts  of  ancient  authors.  Propertius,  who  was  present  at  its 
dedication,  has  devoted  a  short  elegy  to  the  description  of  it,  and  Ovid 
describes  if  as  a  splendid  structure  of  white  marble. 

"  Turn  medium  claro  surgebat  marmore  templum, 
Et  patri  Phoebo  carius  Ortygia. 
Auro  Solis  erat  supra  fastigia  currus, 

Et  valvae  Libyci  nobile  dentis  opus. 
Altera  dejectos  Parnassi  vertice  Gallos, 

Altera  moerebat  funera  Tantalidos. 
Deinde  inter  matrem  Deus  ipse,  interque  sororem 
Pythius  in  longa  carmina  veste  sonat." 

Propertius,  ii.  EL  31. 

"  Inde  timore  pari  gradibus  sublimia  celsis 
Ducor  ad  intonsi  Candida  templa  Dei." 

OT'id,   'Frist,  iii.  El.  i. 

"  P'rom  the  epithet  aurea  porticus  it  seems  probable  that  the  cor- 
nice of  the  p<jrlico  which  surrounded  it  was  gilt.  The  columns  were 
of  African  marble,  or  giallo-antico,  and  must  have  been  fifty-two  in 
number,  as  between  them  were  the  statues  of  the  fifty  Danaids,  and 
that  of  their  father,  brandishing  a  naked  sword." 

'  Ep.  i.  73. 


TEMPLE    OF  APOLLO.  243 

"  Quaeris  cur  veniam  tibi  tardior  ?  aurea  Phoebi 
PorticuB  a  magno  Caesare  aperta  fuit. 
Tola  erat  in  speciem  Poenis  digesta  columnis  : 
Inter  quas  Danai  foemina  turba  senis." 

Proper t.  ii.  EL  31. 

"  Signa  peregrinis  ubi  sunt  alterna  columnis 
Belides,  et  stricto  barbarus  ense  pater." 

Ovid,  Trist.  iii.  i.  61. 

"  Here  also  was  a  statue  of  Apollo  sounding  the  lyre,  apparently  a 
likeness  of  Augustus  ;  whose  beauty  when  a  youth,  to  judge  from  his 
bust  in  the  Vatican,  might  well  entitle  him  to  counterfeit  the  god. 
Around  the  akar  were  the  images  of  four  oxen,  the  work  of  Myron,  so 
beautifully  sculptured  that  they  seemed  alive.  In  the  middle  of  the 
portico  rose  the  temple,  apparently  of  white  marble.  Over  the  pedi- 
ment was  the  chariot  of  the  sun.  The  gates  were  of  ivory,  one  of 
them  sculptured  with  the  story  of  the  giants  hurled  down  from  the 
heights  of  Parnassus,  the  other  represeniing  the  destruction  of  the 
Niobids.  Inside  the  temple  was  the  statue  of  Apollo  in  a  tunica  tala- 
ris, or  long  garment,  between  his  mother  Latona  and  his  sister  Diana, 
the  work  of  Scopas,  Cephisodorus,  and  Timotheus.  Under  the  base 
of  Apollo's  statue  Augustus  caused  to  be  buried  the  Sibylme  books 
which  he  had  selected  and  placed  in  gilt  chests.  Attached  to  the 
temple  was  a  library  called  Bibliotlicca  Graeca  et  Latina,  apparently, 
however,  only  one  structure,  containing  the  literature  of  both  tongues. 
Only  the  choicest  works  were  admitted  to  the  honor  of  a  place  in  it, 
as  we  may  infer  from  Horace  : 

' '  Tangere  vitct 
Scripta,  Palatinus  quaecunque  recepit  Apollo." 

Ep.  i.  3.  16. 

"  The  library  appears  to  have  contained  a  bronze  statue  of  Apollo, 
fifty  feet  liigh  ;  whence  we  must  conclude  that  the  roof  of  the  hall 
exceeded  that  height.  In  this  library,  or  more  probably,  perhaps,  in 
an  adjoining  apartment,  poets,  orators  and  philosophers  recited  their 
productions.  The  listless  demeanor  of  the  audience  on  such  occasions 
seems,  from  the  description  of  the  younger  Pliny,  to  have  been,  in 
general,  not  over-encouraging.  Attendance  seems  to  have  been  con- 
sidered as  a  friendly  duty." — Dyer's  City  of  Pome. 

The  temple  of  Apollo  was  built  by  Augustus  to  com- 
memorate the  battle  of  Actium.  He  appropriated  to  it 
part  of  the  land  covered  with  houses  which  he  had  pur- 
chased upon  the  Palatine  : — another  part  he  gave  to  the 
Vestals  ;  the  third  he  used  for  his  own  palace. 

"  Phoebus  habet  partem.  Vestae  pars  altera  cessit  : 
Quod  superest  illis,  tertius  ipse  tenet. 

Stet  domus,  aeternos  tres  habet  una  deos." 

Oz'id,  Fast.  iv.  ggl. 


244 


WALKS  IX  ROniE. 


Thus  Apollo  and  Vesta  became  as  it  were  tht  household 
gods  of  Augustus  : 

"  Vestaque  Caesareos  inter  sacrata  penates, 

Et  cum  Caesarea  tu,  Phoebe  domestice,  Vesta." 

Ovid,  Metam.  xv.  864. 

Other  temples  on  the  Palatine  were  that  of  Juno  Sospito  : 

"  Principio  mensis  Phrygiae  contermina  Matri 
Sospita  delubris  dicitur  aucta  novis." 

Ovid,  Fast.  ii.  55 

of  Minerva  : 

"  Sexte,  Palatinae  ciiltor  facunde  Minervae 

Ingenio  frueris  qui  propiore  Dei." — Martini,  Ep.  v.  5. 

a  temple  of  Moonlight  mentioned  by  Varro  (iv.  10)  and  a 
shrine  of  Vesta. 

"  \'estaque  Caesareos  inter  sacrata  penates." 

Ovid,  Met.  i. 

From  the  Torretta  del  Palatino,  which  is  near  the  house 
of  Caligula,  there  is  a  magnificent  view  over  the  seven  hills 
of  Rome  ; — the  Palatine,  Aventine,  Capitoline,  Coeline, 
Quirinal,  Viminal,  Esquiline.  From  this  point,  also,  it  is 
very  interesting  to  remember  that  these  were  not  the  heights 
considered  as  "  the  Seven  Hills  "  in  the  ancient  history  of 
Rome,  when  the  sacrifices  of  the  Septimotitium  were  offered 
upon  the  Palatine,  Velia  and  Germale — the  three  divisions 
of  the  Palatine — of  which  one  can  no  longer  be  traced  ; 
upon  the  Fagutal,'  Oppius,  and  Cispius,  the  secondary 
heights  of  the  Esquiline  ;  and  upon  the  Suburra,  which 
perhaps  comprehended  the  Viminal."  Hence,  also,  we  see 
the  ground  we  have  traversed  on  the  Palatine  spread  before 
us  like  a  map. 

If  we  descend  the  staircase  in  the  Palace  of  Caligula,  we 
may  trace  as  far  as  the  Porta  Romanula  the  piers  of  the 
Bridge  of  CaHo;iila,  which,  half  in  \anity,  half  in  madness,  he 
threw  across  the  valley,  that  he  might,  as  he  said,  the  more 
easily  hold  intercourse  with  his  friend  and  comrade  Jupiter 
upon  the  Capitol.  One  of  the  piers  which  he  used  for  his 
bridge,  beyond  the  limits  of  the  palace,  was  formed  by  the 
temple  of  Augustus  built  by  Tiberius."     This  bridge,  with 

-  So  called  rrom  its  beeches.  '^  Fcsius.  340.  348. 

="  Suet.  Tib.  37,  Cat.  21,  22;  Tac.  ./;;;.•   vi    45. 


WALL   OF  ROMULUS.  245 

all  Other  works  of  Caligula,  was  of  very  short  duration, 
being  destroyed  immediately  after  his  death  by  Claudius. 

Here,  behind  the  church  of  S.  Maria  Liberatrice,  are 
some  remains  which  are  believed  to  belong  to  the  Regia  of 
Julius  Caesar. 

If  we  turn  to  the  left  we  shall  find  that  against  the  es- 
carpment of  the  Palatine,  behind  S.  Teodoro  are  remains 
of  an  early  concrete  wall  of  imperial  date,  behind  which 
the  tufa  rock  is  visible.  The  wall  is  only  built  where  the 
tufa  is  of  a  soft  character,  and  the  concrete  still  retains 
the  impression  of  supporting  timbers,  which  have  them- 
selves rotted  away.  Here,  also,  are  fragments  of  bases  of 
towers  of  republican  times.  Near  the  western  corners  of  the 
hill  is  a  portion  of  the  earliest  wall  of  the  Palatine,  usually 
known  as  the  JVal/  of  Ronnilus,  but  more  probably  of  Tar- 
quinius  Priscus,  built  in  large  oblong  blocks,  without  mor- 
tar or  cement.' 

"  Le  systeme  de  construction  est  le  meme  que  dans  les  villas  d'Etru- 
rie  et  dans  la  muraille  batie  a  Rome  par  les  rois  etrusques.  Cependant 
I'appareil  est  moins  reguher.  Les  murs  d'une  petite  ville  du  Latium 
fondee  par  un  aventurier  ne  pouvaient  etre  aussi  soignes  que  les  murs 
des  villes  de  I'Etrurie,  pays  tout  autrement  civilise.  La  petite  cite  de 
Romulus,  bornee  au  Palatin,  n'avait  pas  I'importance  de  la  Rome  des 
Tarquins,  qui  couvrait  les  huit  collines. 

"  Du  reste,  la  construction  est  etrusque  et  devait  I'etre.  Romulus 
n'avait  dans  sa  ville,  habitee  par  des  patres  et  des  bandits,  personne 
qui  flit  capable  d'en  batir  I'enceinte.  Les  Etrusques,  grands-batis- 
seurs,  etaient  de  I'autre  cote  du  fleuve.  Quelques-uns  meme  I'avaient 
probablement  passe  deja  et  habitaient  le  mont  Ccelius.  Romulus  dut 
s'adresser  a  eux,  et  faire  faire  cet  ouvrage  par  des,  architectes  et  des 
maijOns  etrusques.  Ce  fut  aussi  selon  le  rile  de  I'Etrurie,  pays  sacer- 
dotal, que  Romulus,  suivant  en  cela  I'usage  etabli  dans  les  cites  lat- 
ines,  fit  consacrer  I'enceinte  de  la  ville  nouvelle.  II  agit  en  cette  cir- 
constance  comme  agit  un  paysan  romain,  quand  il  appelle  un  pretre 
pour  benir  I'emplacement  de  la  maison  qu'il  veut  batir. 

"  Les^details  de  la  ceremonie  par  laquelle  fut  inauguree  la  premiere 
enceinte  de  Rome  nous  ont  ete  transmis  par  Plutarque,"  et,  avec  un 
grand  detail  par  Tacite,'  qui  sans  doute  avait  sous  les  yeux  les  li\Tes 
de  pontifes.  Nous  connaissons  avec  exactitude  le  contour  que  tra(j'a 
la  charrue  sacree.     Nous  pouvons  le  sui\Te  encore  aujourd'hui. 

"  Romulus  attela  un  taureau  blanc  et  une  vache  blanche  a  una 
charrue  dont  le  soc  etait  d'airain.''  L'usage  de  I'airain  a  precede  a 
Rome,  comme  partout,  l'usage  du  fer.  II  partit  du  lieu  consacre  par 
I'antique  autel  d'Hercule,  au-dessous  de  Tangle  occidental  du  Palatin 

'  The  real  wall  of  Romulus  must  hava  been  a  mere  earthwork. 
«  Plut.  Romzd.  xi.  ^  Tac.  A  nn.  xii.  24.  ^  Prcll.  R.  Mytk,  456. 


246  WALK'S  I.V  ROME. 

et  de  la  premiere  Rome  des  Pelasges,  et,  se  dirigeant  vers  le  sud-est, 
tra(j-a  son  sillon  le  long  de  la  base  de  la  colline. 

"  Ceux  qui  suivaient  Romulus  rejetaient  les  mottes  de  terre  en 
dedans  du  sillon,  image  du  Vallum  futur.  Ce  sillon  etait  I'Agger  de 
Servius  TuUius  en  petit.  A  I'exlremite  de  la  vallee  qui  separe  le  Pal- 
atin  de  I'Aventin,  ou  devait  etre  le  grand  cirque,  et  oil  est  aujourd'hui 
la  rue  des  Cercki,  il  prit  a  gauche,  et,  contournant  la  colline,  continua, 
en  creusant  toujours  son  sillon,  a  tracer  sans  le  savoir  la  route  que 
devaient  suivre  un  jour  les  triomphes,  puis  revint  au  point  d'ou  il  ctait 
parti.  La  charrue,  I'inslrument  du  labour,  le  symbole  de  la  vie  agri- 
cole  des  enfants  de  Saturne,  avail  dessine  le  contour  de  la  cite  guer- 
riere  de  Romulus.  De  meme,  quand  on  avait  detruit  une  ville,  on 
faisait  passer  la  charrue  sur  le  sol  qu'elle  avait  occupe.  Par  la,  ce  sol 
devenait  sacre,  et  il  n'etait  pas  plus  permis  de  I'habiter  qu'il  ne  I'etait 
de  franchir  le  sillon  qu'on  creusait  autour  des  villes  lors  de  leur  fonda- 
lion,  comme  le  fit  Romulus  et  comme  le  firent  toujours  depuis  Les 
fondateurs  d'une  colonie  ;  car  toute  colonic  etait  une  Rome." — Am- 
pere, Hist.  Ronte,  i.  282. 

Close  under  this,  the  northern  side  of  the  walls  of  Rom- 
ulus, ran  the  Via  Nova,  down  which  Marcus  Caedicius 
was  returning  to  the  city  in  the  gloaming,  when,  at  this 
spot,  between  the  sacred  grove  and  the  temple  of  Vesta, 
he  heard  a  supeniatural  voice  bidding  him  to  Avam  the 
senate  of  the  approach  of  the  Gauls.  After  the  Gauls  had 
invaded  Rome,  and  departed  again,  an  altar  and  sanctuary 
recorded  the  miracle  on  this  site. ' 

At  the  corner  near  S.  Anastasia,  are  remains  of  a  private 
house  of  early  times  built  against  the  cliff.  Near  this  were 
steps  supposed  to  be  those  called  the  Stairs  of  Cacus,  lead- 
ing up  to  the  hut  of  Faustulus.  On  the  other  side  the 
Gradiis  Pidchri  Littoris,  the  ua/irj  Auri]  of  Plutarch,  led 
to  the  river.^  This  was  the  spot  called  Germalus  in  re- 
membrance of  the  tvv'in  brothers  (germani)  Romulus  and 
RemuSj  who  are  believed  to  have  been  cast  ashore  by 
the  swollen  Tiber  and  suckled  by  the  wolf  near  this.  The 
statue  of  the  wolf  nov/  in  the  Capitol  was  found  close  by. 

Here  a  remarkable  altar  of  republican  times  has  been 
discovered,  and  remains  in  situ.    It  is  inscribed  sei  deo  sei 

DEIV.-\E  SAC.  C  SEXTIVS  C  T  CALVINUS  TR DE  SENATI    SKN- 

TENTiA  RKSTiTviT.  Some  SLippose  this  to  be  the  actual 
altar  mentioned  above  as  erected  to  the  Genius  Loci,  in 
consequence  of  the  mysterious  warning  of  the  Gallic 
invasion.       The    father   of    the    tribune    C.    S.    Calvinus, 

'  Cic.  !)e  Div.  i.  45  ;  Livy,  v.  32.  -  Plut.  Rom.  Sol.  3. 


CHAMBERS    UNDER    THE  PALATINE.  247 

mentioned  in  the  inscription,  was  consul  with  C.  Cassius 
Longinus,  B.C.  124,  and  is  described  by  Cicero  as  an 
elegant  orator  of  a  sickly  constitution.'  • 

Beyond  this  a  number  of  chambers  have  been  discovered 
under  the  steep  bank  and  ancient  wall  of  the  Palatine, 
and  retain  a  quantity  of  graffiti  scratched  up  on  their  walls. 
The  most  interestmg  of  these,  found  in  the  fourth  chamber, 
has  been  removed  to  the  Kircherian  Museum.  It  is 
generally  believed  to  have  been  executed  during  the  reign 
of  Septimius  Severus,  and  to  have  been  done  in  an  idle 
moment  by  one  of  the  soldiers  occupying  these  rooms, 
supposed  to  have  been  used  as  guard-chambers  under  that 
emperor.  If  so,  it  is  perhaps  the  earliest  existing  pictorial 
allusion  to  the  manner  of  our  Saviour's  death.  It  is  a  cari- 
cature, evidently  executed  in  ridicule  of  a  Christian  fellow- 
soldier.  The  figure  on  the  cross  has  an  ass's  head,  and  by 
the  worshiping  figure  is  inscribed  in  Greek  characters, 
Alexamenos  worships  his  God. 

"  The  lowest  orders  of  the  populace  were  as  intelh'gently  hostile  to 
it  [the  worship  of  the  Crucified]  as  were  the  philosophers.  Witness 
that  remarkable  caricature  of  the  adoration  of  our  crucified  Lord,  which 
was  discovered  some  ten  years  ago  beneath  the  ruins  of  the  Palatine 
palace.  It  is  a  rough  sketch,  traced,  in  all  probability,  by  the  hand  of 
some  pagan  slave  in  one  of  the  earliest  years  of  the  third  century  of 
our  era.  A  human  figure  with  an  ass's  head  is  represented  as  fixed  to 
a  cross,  while  another  figure  in  a  tunic  stands  on  one  side.  This  figure 
is  addressing  himself  to  the  crucified  monster,  and  is  making  a  gesture 
which  was  the  customary  pagan  expression  of  adoration.  Underneath 
there  runs  a  rude  inscription  :  Alexamenos  adores  his  God.  Here  we 
are  face  to  face  with  a  touching  episode  of  the  life  of  the  Roman 
Church  in  the  days  of  Severus  or  of  Caracall^.  As  under  Nero,  so  a 
century  and  a  half  later,  there  were  worshipers  of  Christ  in  the  house- 
hold of  Caesar.  But  the  paganism  of  the  later  date  was  more  intelli- 
gently and  bitterly  hostile  to  the  Church  than  the  paganism  which  had 
shed  the  blood  of  the  apostles.  The  Gnostic  invective  which  attributed 
to  the  Jews  the  worship  of  an  ass,  was  applied  by  pagans  indiscrimi- 
nately to  the  Jews  and  Christians.  Tacitus  attributes  the  custom  to  a 
legend  respecting  services  rendered  by  wild  asses  to  the  Israelites  in 
the  desert;  'and  so,  I  suppose,'  observes  Tertullian,  'it  was  thence 
presumed  that  we,  as  bordering  upon  the  Jewish  religion,  were  taught 
to  worship  such  a  figure.'  Such  a  story,  once  current,  was  easily 
adapted  to  the  purposes  of  a  pagan  caricaturist.  Whether  from  igno- 
rance of  the  forms  of  Christian  worship,  or  in  order  to  make  his  parody 
of  it  more  generally  intelligible  to  its  pagan  admirers,  the  draughtsman 
has  ascribed  to  Alexamenos  the  gestures  of  a  heathen  devotee.     But 

'  Cic.  Brut.  34. 


248  IV A  LA'S   /.V  ROME. 

the  re::l  object  of  his  parody  is  too  plain  to  be  mistaken.  Jesus  Christ, 
we  iTi:iy  be  sure,  had  other  confessors  and  worshipers  in  the  Imperial 
palace  as  well  as  Alexamenos.  The  moral  pressure  of  the  advancing 
Church  was  felt  throughout  all  ranks  of  pagan  society  ;  ridicule  was 
invoked  to  do  the  work  of  argument  ;  and  the  moral  persecution  which 
crowned  all  true  Christian  devotion  was  often  oily  the  prelude  to  a 
sterner  test  of  that  loyalty  to  a  crucified  Lord,  which  was  as  insensible 
to  the  misrepresentations  as  Christian  faith  was  superior  to  the  logic 
of  b.cathendom."  ' — Liddon,  Bamptoii  Lectures  c/  1S66,  lect.  vii.  p. 
593- 

These  chambers  acquire  a  great  additional  interest  from 
the  behef  which  many  entertain  that  they  are  those  once 
occupied  by  the  Praetorian  Guard,  in  which  S.  Paul  was 
confined. 

"  The  close  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians  contains  a  remarkable 
example  of  the  forcible  imagery  of  S.  Paul.  Considered  simply  in  it- 
self, the  description  of  the  Christian's  armor  is  one  of  the  most  strik- 
ing passages  in  the  sacred  volume.  But  if  we  view  it  in  connection 
with  the  circumstances  with  which  the  Apostle  was  surrounded,  we 
find  a  new  and  living  emphasis  in  his  enumeration  of  all  the  parts  of 
the  heavenly  panoply, — the  belt  of  sincerity  and  truth,  with  which  the 
loins  are  girded  for  the  spiritual  war, — the  breast-plate  of  that  right- 
eousness, the  inseparable  links  whereof  are  faith  and  love, — the  strong 
sandals,  with  which  the  feet  of  Christ's  soldiers  are  made  ready,  not 
for  such  errands  of  death  and  despair  as  those  on  which  the  Praetorian 
soldiers  were  daily  sent,  but  for  the  universal  message  of  the  gospel 
of  peace, — the  large  shield  of  confident  trust,  wherewith  the  whole 
man  is  protected,  and  whereon  the  fiery  arrows  of  the  Wicked  One 
fall  harmless  and  dead, — the  close-fitting  helmet,  with  which  the  hope 
of  salvation  invests  the  head  of  the  believer, — and  finally  the  sword 
of  the  Spirit,  the  Word  of  God,  which,  when  wielded  by  the  Great 
Captain  of  our  Salvation,  turned  the  tempter  in  the  wilderness  to 
flight,  while  in  the  hands  of  His  chosen  Apostle  (with  whose  memory 
the  sword  seems  insepar.ably  associated),  it  became  the  means  of  estab- 
lishing Christianity  on  the  earth. 

"All  this  imagery  becomes  doubly  forcible  if  we  remember  that 
when  S.  Paul  wrote  the  words  he  was  chained  to  a  soldier,  and  in  the 
close  neighborhood  of  military  sights  and  sounds.  The  appearance 
of  the  Praetorian  guards  was  daily  familiar  to  him;  as  his  'chains,' 
on  the  other  hand  (so  he  tells  us  in  the  succeeding  Epistle),  became 
well  known  throughout  the  whole  Practorimn  !  (Phil.  i.  13).  A  dif- 
ference of  opinion  has  existed  as  to  the  precise  meaning  of  the  word 
in  this  passage.  Some  have  identified  it,  as  in  the  authorized  version, 
with  the  house  of  Caesar  on  the  Palatine  :  more  commonly  it  has  been 
supposed  to  mean  that  permanent  camp  of  the  Praetorian  guards 
which  Tib'-.-ius  established  on  the  north  of  the  city,  outside  the  walls. 
As  regards  the  former  opinion,  it  is  true  that  the  word  came  to  be 

'  Psdre  Garucci,  S.  T.,  has  published  an  exhaustive  monograph  on  this  noM 
celebrated  "  Grafiito  Blasfcmo."     Roma,  1858. 


HOUSE   OF  MORTEN SIUS. 


-"40 


used,  almost  as  we  use  the  word  '  palace,'  for  royal  residences  gener- 
ally or  for  any  residences  of  princely  splendor.  Yet  we  never  find  t'ae 
word  employed  for  the  imperial  house  at  Rome  :  and  we  believe  the 
truer  view  to  be  that  which  has  been  recently  advocated,  namely,  that 
it  denotes  here,  not  the  place  itself,  but  the  quarters  of  that  part  of 
the  imperial  guards  which  was  in  immediate  attendance  upon  the  em- 
peror. The  emperor  was  praetor  or  commander-in-chief  of  the  troops, 
and  it  was  natural  that  his  immediate  guard  should  be  in  a.  practoritim 
near  him.  It  might,  indeed,  be  argued  that  this  military  establish- 
ment on  the  Palatine  would  cease  to  be  necessary  when  the  Praeto- 
rian camp  was  established  :  but  the  purpose  of  that  establishment  was 
to  concentrate  near  the  city  those  cohorts  which  had  previously  been 
dispersed  in  other  parts  of  Italy  :  a  local  body-guard  near  the  palace 
would  not  cease  to  be  necessary  :  and  Josephus,  in  his  account  of  the 
imprisonment  of  Agrippa,  speaks  of  a  '  camp '  in  connection  with  the 
'  royal  house.'  Such  we  conceive  to  have  been  the  barrack  immediately 
alluded  to  by  S.  Paul  :  though  the  connection  of  these  smaller  quarters 
with  the  general  camp  was  such  that  he  would  naturally  become  known 
to  '  all  the  rest '  of  the  guards,  as  well  as  those  who  might  for  the  time 
be  connected  with  the  imperial  household. 

"  S.  Paul  tells  us  (in  the  Epistle  to  the  Philippians)  that  throughout 
the  Praetorian  quarter  he  was  well  known  as  a  prisoner  for  the  cause 
of  Christ,  and  he  sends  special  salutations  to  the  Philippian  Church 
from  the  Christians  of  the  imperial  household.  These  notices  bring 
before  us  very  vividly  the  moral  contrasts  by  which  the  Apostle  was 
surrounded.  The  soldier  to  whom  he  was  chained  to-day  might  have 
been  in  Nero's  body-guard  yesterday  ;  his  comrade  who  next  relieved 
guard  might  have  been  one  of  the  executioners  of  Octavia,  and  might 
have  carried  her  head  to  Poppaea  a  few  weeks  b._fore. 

"  History  has  few  stronger  contrasts  than  when  it  shows  us  Paul 
preaching  Christ  under  the  walls  of  Nero's  palace.  Thenceforward 
there  were  but  two  religions  in  the  Roman  world — the  worship  of  the 
emperor,  and  the  worship  of  the  Saviour.  The  old  superstitions  had 
long  been  worn  out  ;  they  had  lost  all  hold  on  educated  minds.  .  ,  . 
Over  against  the  altars  of  Nero  and  Poppaea,  the  voice  of  a  prisoner 
was  daily  heard,  and  daily  woke  in  groveling  souls  the  consciousness 
of  their  divine  destiny.  Men  listened,  and  knew  that  self-sacrifice 
was  better  than  ease,  humiliation  more  exalted  than  pride,  to  suffer 
nobler  than  to  reign.  They  felt  that  the  only  religion  which  satisfied 
the  needs  of  man  was  the  religion  of  sorrow,  the  religion  of  self-devo- 
tion, the  religion  of  the  cross." — Conybearc  and Hotvson. 

We  now  reach  the  hollow  beneath  the  Villa  Mills,  or 
Villa  Palatina — a  convent  of  Visitandine  nuns,  still  (1882) 
unconfiscated,  and  occupying  a  most  beautiful  position. 
The  remains  in  this  villa  are  decided  to  be  those  of  the 
House  of  Hortensius,  an  orator  "  who  was  second  only  to 
Cicero  in  eloquence,  and  who  in  the  early  part  at  least  of 
their  lives,  was  his  chief  opponent.'     Cicero  himself  de- 

'  Dyer,  p.  143. 

TT* 


250  WALK'S  /X  ROME. 

scribes  the  extraordinary  gifts  of  his  rival,'  as  well  as  the 
integrity  with  which  he  fulfilled  the  duties  of  a  quaestor." 
In  the  latter  portion  of  his  public  career  Hortensius  were 
frequently  engaged  on  the  same  side  as  Cicero,  and  then 
always  recognized  his  superiority  by  allowing  him  to  speak 
last.  Hortensius  died  B.C.  50,  to  the  great  grief  of  his 
ancient  rival.^  The  splendid  villas  of  Hortensius  were 
celebrated.  He  was  accustomed  to  water  his  trees  with 
wine  at  regular  intervals,^  and  had  huge  fish-ponds  at  Bauli, 
into  which  the  salt  water  fish  came  to  feed  from  his  hand, 
and  he  became  so  fond  of  them,  that  he  wept  for  the  death 
of  a  favorite  muraena.^  But  his  house  on  the  Palatine  was 
exceedingly  simple  and  had  no  decorations  but  plain  col- 
umns of  Alban  stone."  This  was  the  chosen  residence  of 
Augustus,  until,  upon  its  destruction  by  fire,  the  citizens 
insisted  upon  raising  the  more  sumptuous  residence  in  the 
hollow  of  the  Palatine  by  public  subscription.  The  sub- 
terranean chambers  which  have  been  discovered  have  some 
interesting  remains  of  stucco  ornament. 

The  villa,  which  is  now  turned  into  a  convent,  possessed 
some  frescoes  painted  by  Giulio  Romano  from  designs  of 
Raffaelle,  but  these  have  been  destroyed  or  removed  in 
deference  to  the  modesty  of  the  present  inhabitants. 

Ascending  the  hillside  by  a  path  through  the  little  orange- 
garden,  we  reach  the  remains  of  a  Stadium  for  foot-races, 
with  a  large  semicircular  exedra,  or  stand  for  viewing  the 
sports,  probably  of  the  time  of  Hadrian.  Hence  we  enter 
the  grand  ruins,  which  are  by  far  the  most  picturesque  part 
of  the  palace  of  the  Caesars,  and  the  only  part  not  im- 
bedded in  soil  before  1861.  These  ruins  are  supposed  to 
be  remains  of  the  Palace  of  Nero,  but  as  no  inscriptions 
have  been  discovered,  no  part  of  them  can  be  identified.' 
Few  compositions  can  be  finer  than  those  formed  by  the 
hugh  masses  of  stately  brick  arches,  laden  with  a  wealth  of 
laurustinus,  cytisus,  and  other  flowering  shrubs,  standing 
out  against  the  soft  hues  and  delicate  blue  and  pink 
shadows  of  the  distant  campagna.  Beneath  the  terrace  is 
a  fine  range  of  lofty  chambers  on  arches,  framing  lovely 
glimpses  of  the  Alban  hills,  and  the  deserted  convents  of 

■  Pro  Quinct.  t,  2,  22,  24,  26.  '  Pro  Verr.  i.  14,  39. 

'  Ad  Att.  vi.  6.  *   Macrob.  Saturn,  ii.  9. 

*  Varr.  R.  R.  iii.  17  ;  Pliny,  H.  N -  ix.  55.  '  Suet.  Aug.ji. 

'  The  Palace  of  Nero  is  described  in  Tac.  Ann.  xv.  42,  and  Suet.  Ner.  31. 


PALACE    OF  DO.MITIAN:  251 

the  Pseudo-Aventine.  This  was  a  portion  of  the  palace 
which  longest  remained  entire,  and  which  was  inhabited  by 
HeracUus  in  the  seventh  century.  Some  consider  that  these 
iTiins  were  incorporated  into  the 

Septizonium  0/  Severus,  so  called  from  its  seven  stories 
of  building,  erected  a.d.  198,  and  finally  destroyed  by 
Sixtus  v.,  who  carried  off  its  materials  for  the  building  of 
S.  Peter's.  It  was  erected  by  Severus  at  ihe  southern  cor- 
ner of  the  palace,  in  order  that  it  might  at  once  strike  the 
eye  of  his  African  compatriots  '  on  their  arrival  in  Rome. 
He  built  two  other  edifices  which  he  called  Septizonium, 
one  on  the  Esquiline  near  the  baths  of  Titus,  and  the  other 
on  the  Via  Appia,  which  he  intended  as  the  burial  place 
of  his  family,  and  where  his  son  Getawas  actually  interred. 

The  remaining  ruins  in  this  division  of  the  hill,  supposed 
to  be  those  of  a  theater,  a  library,  &c.,  have  not  yet  been 
historically  identified.  They  possibly  belong  to  the  Palace 
of  Domitian  (Imp.  a.d.  81-96),  who  built  largely  on  the 
Palatine.  The  magnificence  of  his  palace  is  extolled  in 
the  inflated  verses  of  Statins,  who  describes  the  imperial 
dwelling  as  exciting  the  jealousy  of  the  abode  of  Jupiter — 
as  losing  itself  among  the  stars  by  its  height,  and  rising 
above  the  clouds  into  the  full  splendor  of  the  sunshine  ! 
Such  was  the  extravagance  displayed  by  Domitian  in  these 
buildings,  that  Plutarch  compares  him  to  Midas,  who 
wished  everything  to  be  made  of  gold.  This  probably  was 
the  scene  of  many  of  the  tyrannical  vagaries  of  Domitian. 

"  '  Having  once  made  a  great  feast  for  the  citizens,  he  proposed,' 
says  Dion,  '  to  follow  it  up  with  an  entertainment  to  a  select  number 
of  the  highest  nobility.  He  fitted  up  an  apartment  all  in  black.  The 
ceiling  was  black,  the  walls  were  black,  the  pavement  was  black,  and 
upon  it  were  ranged  rows  of  bare  stone  seats,  black  also.  The  guests 
were  introduced  at  night  without  their  attendants,  and  each  might  see 
at  the  head  of  his  couch  a  column  placed,  like  a  tomb-stone,  on  which 
his  own  name  was  graven,  with  the  cresset  lamp  above  it,  such  as  is 
suspended  in  the  tombs.  Presently  there  entered  a  troop  of  naked 
boys,  blackened,  who  danced  around  with  horrid  movements,  and  then 
stood  still  before  them,  offering  them  the  fragments  of  food  which  are 
commonly  presented  to  the  dead.  The  guests  were  paralyzed  with 
terror,  expecting  at  ever)'  moment  to  be  put  to  death  ;  and  the  more, 
as  the  others  maintained  a  deep  silence,  as  though  they  were  dead 
themselves,  and  Domitian  spoke  of  things  pertaining  to  the  state  of 

'  Septimius  Severus  was  born  a.d.  146,  near  Lentis  in  Africa.  Statius  ad- 
dresses a  poem  to  one  of  his  ancestors,  Sept.  Sev^rJs  of  Leptis. 


252 


WALA'S  I.V  ROME. 


the  departed  only.'  But  this  funeral  feast  was  not  destined  to  end 
tragically.  Caesar  happened  to  be  in  a  sportive  mood,  and  when  he 
liad  sufticiently  enjoyed  his  jest,  and  had  sent  his  visitors  home  ex- 
pecting worse  to  follow,  he  bade  each  to  be  presented  with  the  silver 
cup  and  platter  on  wiiich  his  dismal  supper  had  been  served,  and  with 
the  slave,  now  neatly  washed  and  appareled,  who  had  waited  upon 
him.  Such,  said  the  populace,  was  the  way  in  which  it  pleased  the 
emperor  to  solemnize  the  funeral  banquet  of  the  victims  of  his  defeats 
in  l)acia,  and  of  his  persecutions  in  the  city." — Merivalc,  ch.  Ixii. 

It  was  in  this  palace  that  the  murder  of  Domitian  took 
place : 

"  Of  the  three  great  deities,  the  august  assessors  in  the  Capitol, 
Minerva  was  regarded  by  Domitian  as  his  special  patroness.  Her 
image  stood  by  his  bedside  ;  his  customary  oath  was  by  her  divinity. 
But  now  a  dream  apprized  him  that  the  guardian  of  his  person  was 
disarmed  by  the  guardian  of  the  empire,  and  that  Jupiter  had  forbid- 
den his  daughter  to  protect  her  favorite  any  longer.  Scared  by  these 
horrors  he  lost  ail  self-control,  and  petulantly  cried,  and  the  cry  was 
itself  a  portent :  '  Now  strike  Jove  whom  he  will  ! '  From  super- 
natural terrors  he  reverted  again  and  again  to  earthly  fears  and  sus- 
picions. Henceforward  the  tyrant  allowed  none  to  be  admitted  to 
his  presence  without  beinij;  previously  searched  ;  and  he  caused  the 
ends  of  the  corridor  in  which  he  took  exercise  to  be  hned  with  polish- 
ed marble,  to  reflect  the  image  of  any  one  behind  him  ;  at  the  same 
time  he  inquired  anxiously  into  the  horoscope  of  every  chief  whom  he 
might  fear  as  a  possible  rival  or  successor. 

"  The  victim  of  superstition  had  long  since,  it  was  said,  ascertained 
too  surely  the  year,  the  day,  the  hour  which  should  prove  fatal  to  him. 
He  had  learnt  too  late  that  he  was  to  die  by  the  sword.  .  .  .  The 
omens  were  now  closing  about  the  victim,  and  his  terrors  became 
more  importunate  and  overwhelming.  '  Something,'  he  exclaimed, 
'is  about  to  happen,  which  men  shall  talk  of  all  the  world  over.' 
Drawing  a  drop  of  blood  from  a  pimple  on  his  forehead,  '  May  this  be 
all,'  he  added.  His  attendants,  to  reassure  him,  declared  that  the 
hour  had  passed.  Embracing  the  flattering  tale  with  alacrity,  and 
rushing  at  once  to  the  extreme  of  confidence,  he  announced  that  the 
danger  was  over,  and  that  he  would  bathe  and  dress  for  the  evening 
repast.  But  the  danger  was  just  then  ripening  within  the  walls  of  the 
palace.  The  mysteries  there  enacted,  few,  indeed,  could  penetrate, 
and  the  account  of  Domitian's  fall  has  been  colored  by  invention  and 
fancy.  The  story  that  a  child,  whom  he  suffered  to  attend  in  his 
private  chamber,  found  by  chance  the  tablets  which  he  had  placed 
under  his  pillow,  and  that  the  empress,  on  inspecting  them,  and  find- 
ing herself,  with  his  most  familiar  servants,  designated  for  execution, 
contrived  a  plot  for  his  assassination,  is  one  so  often  repeated  as  to 
cause  great  suspicion .  But  neither  can  we  accept  the  version  of 
Philostratus,  who  would  have  us  believe  that  the  murder  of  Domitian 
was  the  deed  of  a  single  traitor,  a  freedman  of  Clemens,  l^anled  Ste- 
phanus.  who,  indignant  at  his  pationV.  death,  and  urged  to  fury  by  the 


PALACE   OF  DOMITIAN: 


253 


sentence  on  his  patron's  wife,  Domitilla,  rushed  alone  into  the  tyrant\ 
chamber,  diverted  his  attention  with  a  frivolous  pretext,  and  smote 
him  with  the  sword  he  bore  concealed  in  his  sleeve.  It  is  more  likely 
that  the  design,  however  it  originated,  was  common  to  several  of  the 
household,  and  that  means  were  taken  among  them  to  disarm  the 
victim,  and  baffle  his  cries  for  assistance.  Stephanus,  who  is  said  to 
have  excelled  in  personal  strength,  may  have  been  employed  to  deal 
the  blow  ;  for  not  more,  perhaps,  than  one  attendant  would  be  ad- 
mitted at  once  into  the  presence.  Struck  in  the  groin,  but  not 
mortally,  Domitian  snatched  at  his  own  weapon,  but  found  the  sword 
removed  from  its  scabbard.  He  then  clutched  the  assassin's  dagger, 
cutting  his  own  fingers  to  the  bone  ;  then  desperately  thrust  the  bloody 
talons  into  the  eyes  of  his  assailant,  and  beat  his  head  with  a  golden 
goblet,  shrieking  all  the  time  for  help.  Thereupon  in  rushed  Parthe- 
nius,  Maximus,  and  others,  and  dispatched  him  as  he  lay  writhing  on 
the  pavement." — Merivale,  ch.  Ixii. 

"Gibbon  has  described  the  hopeless  condition  of  one  who  should 
attempt  to  fly  from  the  wrath  of  the  almost  omnipotent  imperator. 
But  this  dire  impossibility  of  escape  was  in  the  end  dreadfully  retal- 
iate! upon  that  imperator  ;  persecutors  and  traitors  were  found 
everywhere  ;  and  the  vindictive  or  the  ambitious  subject  found  him- 
self as  omnipresent  as  the  jealous  or  oiTended  emperor.  There  was 
no  escape  open,  says  Ciibbon,  from  Caesar :  true  ;  but  neither  was 
there  any  escape  for  Caesar.  The  crown  of  the  Caesars  was  there- 
fore a  crown  of  thorns  ;  and  it  must  be  admitted  that  never  in  this 
world  have  rank  and  power  been  purchased  at  so  awful  a  cost  of  tran- 
quillity and  peace  of  mind.  The  steps  of  Caesar's  throne  were  abso- 
lutely saturated  with  the  blood  of  those  who  had  possessed  it  ;  and  so 
inexorable  was  the  murderous  fate  which  overhung  that  gloomy  exist- 
ence, that  at  length  it  demanded  the  spirit  of  martyrdom  in  him  who 
ventured  to  ascend  it." — De  Qtdncey,   The  Caesars. 

Trajan  stripped  the  palace  of  his  predecessors  of  all  its 
ornaments  to  adorn  the  temple  of  Jupiter  Capitolinus,'  but 
it  was  restored  by  Commodus,  after  a  fire  which  occured 
in  his  reign,*  and  enriched  by  HeUogabalus,'  and  almost 
every  succeeding  emperor,  till  the  time  of  Theodoric.^ 

"  It  is  illusion  ?  or  does  there  a  spirit  from  perfecter  ages, 

Here,  even  yet,  amid  loss,  change,  and  corruption,  abide  ? 
Does  there  a  spirit  we  know  not,  though  seek  ;  though  we  find,  com- 
prehend not 
Here  to  entice  and  confuse,  tempt  and  evade  us,  abide? 
Lives  in  the  exquisite  grace  of  the  column  disjointed  and  single, 

Haunts  the  rude  masses  of  brick  garlanded  gaily  with  vine. 
E'en  in  the  turret  fantastic  surviving  that  springs  from  the  ruin, 
E'en  in  the  people  itself?  is  it  illusion  or  not  ? — Cloiigh. 

Returning  by  the  way  we  came,  and  ascending  the  Cli- 

'  Martial,  xii,  Ep.  75.  ^  Dion.  Cass.  Cotnmod.     . 

»  Lamprid.  Elagab.  8.  *  Cassiod,  vii.  5. 


254 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


vus  Victoriae,  we  shall  find  ourselves  again  on  the  eastern 
slope  of  the  hill  from  which  we  started,  the  site  once  occu- 
pied by  so  many  of  the  great  patrician  families,  whose  res- 
idence on  the  Palatine  caused  the  name  of  palace  to  be 
afterward  applied  to  noble  residences.  Here  at  one  time 
lived  Caius  Gracchus,  who,  to  gratify  the  populace,  gave  up 
his  house  on  the  side  of  the  Palatine,  and  made  his  home 
in  the  gloomy  Suburra.  Here  also  lived  his  coadjutor  in 
the  consulship,  Fulvius  Flaccus,  who  shared  his  fate,  and 
whose  house  was  razed  to  the  ground  by  the  people  after 
his  murder.  At  this  corner  of  the  hill  also  was  the  house 
of  Q.  Lutatius  Catulus,  poet  and  historian,  who  was  consul 
B.C.  1 02,  and  together  with  Marius  was  conqueror  of  the 
Cimbri  in  a  great  battle  near  Vercelli.  In  memory  of  this 
he  founded  a  temple  of  the  *'  Fortuna  hujusce  diei,"  and 
decorated  the  portico  of  his  house  with  Cimbrian  trophies. 
Varro  mentions  that  his  house  had  also  a  domed  roof.' 
Here  also  the  Consul  Octavius,  murdered  on  the  Janiculum 
by  the  partisans  of  Marius,  had  a  house,  which  was  rebuilt 
with  great  magnificence  by  Emilius  Scaurus,  who  adorned 
it  with  columns  of  marble  thirty-eight  feet  high.'"'  These 
two  last-named  houses  were  bought  by  the  wealthy  Clodius, 
who  gave  14,800,000  sesterces,  or  about  130,000/.  for  that 
of  Sciurus,  and  throwing  down  the  Portions  Catuli,  in- 
cluded its  site,  and  the  house  of  E.  Scaurus,  in  his  own 
magnificent  dwelling  Clodius  was  a  member  of  the  great 
house  of  the  Claudii,  and  was  the  favored  lover  of  Pom- 
peia,  wife  of  Julius  Caesar,  by  whose  connivance,  disguised 
as  a  female  musician,  he  attempted  to  be  present  at  the 
orgies  of  the  Bona  Dea,  which  were  celebrated  in  the  house 
of  the  Pontifex  Maximus  close  to  the  temple  of  Vesta,  and 
from  which  men  were  so  carefully  excluded  that  even  a 
male  mouse,  says  Juvenal,  dared  not  show  himself  there. 
The  position  of  his  own  dwelling,  and  that  of  the  pontifex, 
close  to  the  foot  of  the  Clivus  Victoriae,  afforded  every 
facility  for  this  adventure,  but  it  was  discovered  by  his 
losing  himself  in  the  passages  of  the  Regia.  A  terrible 
scandal  was  the  result — Caesar  divorced  Pompeia,  and  the 
senate  referred  the  matter  to  the  pontifices,  who  declared 
that  Oodius  was  guilty  of  sacrilege.  Clodius  attempted  to 
prove  an  alibi,  but  Cicero's  evidence  showed  that  he  was 

'  De  re  Rust.  iii.  5.  '  Pliny,  xxxvi.  2. 


HOUSE   OF  CICERO.  255 

with  him  in  Rome  only  three  hours  before  he  pretended  to 
have  been  at  Interamna.  Bribery  and  intimidation  secured 
his  acquittal  by  a  majority  of  thirty-one  to  twenty-five,'  but 
from  this  time  a  deadly  enmity  ensued  between  him  and 
Cicero. 

The  house  of  Clodius  naturally  leads  us  to  that  of 
Cicero,  which  was  also  situated  at  this  corner  of  the  Pala- 
tine, whence  he  could  see  his  clients  in  the  Forum  and  go 
to  and  fro  to  his  duties  there.  This  house  had  been  built 
for  M.  Livius  Drusus,  who,  when  his  architect  proposed  a 
plan  to  prevent  its  being  overlooked,  answered,  "  Rather 
build  it  so  that  all  my  fellow-citizens  may  behold  every- 
thing that  I  do."  In  his  acts  Drusus  seemed  to  imitate 
the  Gracchi  ;  but  he  sought  popularity  for  its  own  sake, 
and  after  being  the  object  of  a  series  of  conspiracies,  was 
finally  murdered  in  the  presence  of  his  mother  Cornelia,  in 
his  own  hall,  where  the  image  of  his  father  was  sprinkled 
with  his  blood.  When  dying  he  turned  to  those  around 
him,  and  asked,  with  characteristic  arrogance,  based  per- 
haps upon  conscious  honesty  of  purpose,  "When  will  the 
commonwealth  have  a  citizen  like  me  again  ?  "  After  the 
death  of  Drusus  the  house  was  inhabited  by  L.  Licinius 
Crassus,  the  orator,  who  lived  here  in  great  elegance  and 
luxury.  His  house  was  called  from  its  beauty  "  the  Venus 
of  the  Palatine,"  and  was  remarkable  for  its  size,  the  taste 
of  its  furniture,  and  the  beauty  of  its  grounds.  "  It  was 
adorned  with  pillars  of  Hymettian  marble,  with  expensive 
vases,  and  triclinia  inlaid  with  brass.  His  gardens  were 
provided  with  fish-ponds,  and  some  noble  lotus-trees  shaded 
his  walks,  Ahenobarbus,  his  colleague  in  the  censorship, 
found  fault  with  such  corruption  of  manners,^  estimated 
his  house  at  a  hundred  million,  or,  according  to  Valerius 
Maximus,'  six  million  sesterces,  and  complained  of  his  cry- 
ing for  the  loss  of  a  lamprey  as  if  it  had  been  a  daughter. 
It  was  a  tame  lamprey  which  used  to  come  at  the  call  of 
Crassus,  and  feed  out  of  his  hand.  Crassus  retorted  by  a 
public  speech  against  his  colleague,  and  by  his  great  powers 
of  ridicule,  turned  him  into  derision,  jested  upon  his  name  ; ' 
and  to  the  accusation  of  weeping  for  a  lamprey,  replied, 
that  it  was  more  than  Ahenobarbus  had  done  for  the  loss 

'  See  Smith's  Did.  of  Roman  Biography. 
'  Plin.  H.  N.  xvii.  i.  '^  ix.  4.  *  Suet,  Nero,  2. 


2  50  WALK'S  IN  ROME. 

of  any  of  his  three  wives."  '  Cicero  i)urchased  I  he  house 
of  Crassus  a  year  or  two  after  his  consulate  for  a  sum  equal 
to  about  30,000/.,  and  removed  thither  from  the  Carinae 
with  his  wife  Terentia.  His  house  was  close  to  that  of 
Clodius,  but  a  little  lower  down  the  hill,  which  enabled 
him  to  threaten  to  increase  the  height,  so  as  to  shut  out 
his  neighbor's  view  of  the  city.''  Upon  his  accession  to  the 
tribuneship  Clodius  procured  the  disgrace  of  Ciceio,  and 
after  his  flight  to  Greece,  obtained  a  decree  of  banishment 
against  him.  He  then  pillaged  and  destroyed  his  house 
upon  the  Palatine,  as  well  as  his  villas  at  Tusculum  and 
Formiae,  and  obliged  Terentia  to  take  refuge  with  the  Ves- 
tals, whose  Superior  was  fortunately  her  sister.  But  in  the 
following  year,  a  change  of  consuls  and  revulsion  of  the 
popular  favor  led  to  the  recall  of  Cicero,  who  found  part 
of  his  house  appropriated  by  Clodius,  who  had  erected  a 
shrine  to  Libertas  (with  a  statue  which  was  that  of  a  Greek 
courtesan  carried  off  from  a  tomb)  on  the  site  of  the  re- 
mainder, which  he  had  razed  to  the  ground/ 

"  Clodius  had  also  destroyed  the  portico  of  Calulus  ;  in  fact,  he  ap- 
pears to  have  been  desirous  of  appropriating  all  this  side  of  the  Pala- 
tine. He  wanted  to  buy  the  house  of  the  aedile  Heius.  Seius  having 
declared  that  so  long  as  he  lived  Clodius  should  not  have  it,  Clodius 
caused  him  to  be  poisoned,  and  then  bought  his  house  under  a  feigned 
name  !  He  was  thus  enabled  to  erect  a  portico  three  hundred  feet  in 
length,  in  place  of  that  of  Catalus.  The  latter,  however,  was  after- 
ward restored  at  the  public  expense. 

"  Cicero  obtained  public  grants  for  the  restoration  of  his  house  and 
of  his  Tusculan  and  Formian  \illas,  but  very  far  from  en'".ngh  to  cover 
the  losses  he  had  suffered.  The  aristocratic  part  of  the  Senate  appears 
to  have  envied  and  grudged  the  novus  hovio  to  whose  abilities  they 
looked  for  protection.  He  was  advised  not  to  rebuild  his  house  on  the 
Palatine,  but  to  sell  the  ground.  It  was  not  in  Cicero's  temper  to 
take  such  a  course  ;  but  he  was  hampered  ever  after  with  debts.  Clo- 
dius, who  had  been  defeated  but  not  beaten,  still  continued  his  per- 
secutions. He  organized  a  gang  of  street  boys  to  call  out  under 
Cicero's  windows,  "Bread!  Bread!"  His  bands  interrupted  the 
dramatic  performances  on  the  Palatine,  at  the  Megalesian  games,  by 
rushing  upon  the  stage.  On  another  occasion,  Clodius,  at  the  head 
of  his  myrmidons,  besieged  the  Senate  in  the  temple  of  Concord.  He 
attacked  Cicero  in  the  streets,  to  the  danger  of  his  life  ;  and  when  he 
had  begun   to  rebuild    his  house,  drove   away  the   masons,  overthrew 

'  .Smith's /^/(7.  0/ Roman  Biography. 

''  "  ToUam  altius  tectum,  non  ut  ego  tc  despician,  scd   nc  tu  aspicias  urbern 
cam,  quam  delere  vo]u\fiU."  -Ve  J/unisp.  Kes.  15. 
'  Cic.  /'fo  Dovi.  ad  /'out.  42. 


HOUSE   OF -CICERO. 


257 


what  part  had  been  re-erected  of  Catulus'  portico,  and  cast  burning 
torches  into  the  house  of  Quintus  Cicero,  which  he  had  hired  next  to 
his  brother's  on  the  Palatine,  and  consumed  a  great  part  of  it." — 
Dyers  City  of  Rome,  152. 

The  indemnity  which  Cicero  received  from  the  State  in 
order  to  rebuild  his  house  on  the  Palatine  amounted  to 
about  16,000/.  The  house  of  Quintus  Cicero  was  rebuilt 
close  to  his  brother's  at  the  same  time  by  Cyrus,  the 
fashionable  architect  of  the  day. ' 

Among  other  noble  householders  on  this  part  of  the  Pal- 
atine was  Mark  Antony,^  whose  house  was  afterward 
given  by  Augustus  to  Agrippa  and  Messala,  soon  after 
which  it  was  burnt  down. 

A  small  Museum  in  this  part  of  the  garden  contains 
some  of  the  smaller  objects  which  have  been  found  in  the 
excavations,  and  specimens  of  the  different  marbles  and 
alabasters.  There  is  nothing  of  any  great  importance. 
The  fragments  of  statues  and  some  busts  which  were  found 
while  the  ruins  belonged  to  Napoleon  III.  (including 
Flavia  Domitilla,  wife  of  Vespasian,  and  Julia,  daughter 
of  Titus),  were  sent  to  Paris,  but  casts  have  been  left 
here. 

^  See  Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  iv.  528.  ^  Dion  Cass.  liii.  27. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE   COELIAN. 


S.  Gregorio — S.  Giovanni  e  Paolo — Arch  of  Dolabella — S.  Tommaso 
in  Formis — Villa  Mattel — S.  Maria  della  Navicella — S.  Stefano 
Rotondo — I  Santi  Quattro  Incoronati — S.  Clemcntc. 

THE  Coelian  Hill  extends  from  S.  John  Latcran  to 
the  Vigna  of  the  Porta  Capena,  and  from  the  Foun- 
tain of  Egeria  to  the  Convent  of  S.  Gregorio.  It  is  now 
entirely  uninhabited,  except  by  monks  of  the  Camaldolese, 
Passionist  and  Kedemptorist  Orders,  and  by  the  Augustin- 
ian  Nuns  of  the  Incoronati. 

In  the  earlier  times  the  name  of  this  hill  was  Mons 
Querquetulanus,  ''The  Hill  of  Oaks,"  and  it  was  clothed 
with  forest,  part  of  which  long  remained  as  the  sacred 
wood  of  the  Camenae.  It  first  received  its  name  of  Coe- 
lius  from  Coelius  Vibenna,  an  Etruscan  Lucumo  of  Ardea, 
who  is  said  to  have  come  to  the  assistance  of  Romulus  in 
his  war  against  the  Sabine  king  Tatius,  and  to  have  after- 
ward established  himself  here.  In  the  reign  of  Tullus 
Hostilius  the  Coelian  assumed  some  importance,  as  that 
king  fixed  his  residence  here,  and  transported  hither  the 
Latin  population  of  Alba. 

As  the  Coelian  had  a  less  prominent  share  in  the  history 
of  Rome  than  of  the  other  hills,  it  preserves  scarcely  any 
historical  monuments  of  pagan  times.  All  those  which  ex- 
isted under  the  republic  v/ere  destroyed  by  a  great  fire 
which  ravaged  this  hill  in  the  reign  of  Tiberius,'  except  the 
Temple  of  the  Nymphs,  which  once  stood  in  the  grove  of 
the  Camenae,  and  v/hich  had  been  already  burnt  by  Clo- 
dius,  in  order  to  destroy  the  records  of  his  falsehoods  and 
debts  which  it  contained. '^  Some  small  remains  in  the 
garden  of  the  Passionist  convent  are  attributed  to  the 
temple  which  Agrippina,  raised  to  her  husband,  the  Erape- 

'  Dyer's  Rome,  p.  222.  ^  Ampfere,  /fist.  Rom.  iv.  ^60. 

253 


THE   CO  ELI  AN. 


259 


ror  Claudius,  and  in  S.  Stefano  Rotondo  some  antiquaries 
recognize  the  Macellum  of  Nero.  There  are  no  remains 
of  the  palace  of  the  Emperor  Tetricus,  who  lived  here, 
"between  the  two  sacred  groves,"'  in  a  magnificent 
captivity  under  x\urelian,  whom  he  received  here  at  a 
banquet,  at  which  he  exhibited  an  allegorical  picture  repre- 
senting his  reception  of  the  empire  of  Gaul,  and  his  subse- 
quent resignation  of  it  for  the  simple  insignia  of  a  Roman 
senator.* 

To  the  Christian  visitor,  however,  the  Coelian  will 
always  prove  of  the  deepest  interest — and  the  slight  thread 
of  connection  which  runs  between  all  its  principal  objects, 
as  well  as  their  nearness  to  one  another,  brings  them 
pleasantly  within  the  limits  of  a  single  day's  excursion. 
Many  of  those  who  are  not  mere  passing  visitors  at  Rome 
will  probably  find  that  their  chief  pleasure  lies  not  amid 
the  well-known  sights  of  the  great  basilicas  and  palaces, 
but  in  quiet  walks  through  the  silent  lanes  and  amid  the 
decaying  buildings  of  these  more  distant  hills. 

"  The  recollection  of  Rome  will  come  back,  after  many  years,  in 
images  of  long  delicious  strolls,  in  musing  loneliness,  through  the  de- 
serted ways  of  the  ancient  city  ;  of  climbing  among  its  hills,  over 
ruins,  to  reach  some  vantage-ground  for  mapping  out  the  subjacent 
territory,  and  looking  beyond  on  the  glorious  chains  of  greater  and 
lesser  mountains,  clad  in  their  imperial  hues  of  gold  and  purple  ;  and 
then,  perhaps,  of  solemn  entrance  into  the  cool  solitude  of  an  open 
basilica,  where  your  thought  now  rests,  as  your  body  then  did,  after 
the  silent  evening  prayer,  and  brings  forward  from  many  well-remem- 
bered nooks,  every  local  inscription,  every  lovely  monument  of  art, 
the  characteristic  feature  of  each,  or  the  great  names  with  which  it  is 
associated.  The  Liberian  speaks  to  you  of  Bethlehem  and  its  treas- 
ured mysteries  ;  the  Sessorian  of  Calvary  and  its  touching  relics. 
Baronius  gives  you  his  injunctions  on  Christian  architecture  inscribed, 
as  a  legacy,  in  his  title  of  Fasciola  ;  .'>.  Dominic  lives  in  the  fresh 
paintings  of  a  faithful  disciple,  on  the  walls  of  the  opposite  church  of 
S.  Xystus  ;  there  stands  the  chair  and  there  hangs  the  hat  of  S. 
Charfes,  as  if  he  had  just  left  his  own  church,  from  which  he  calls 
himself  in  his  signature  to  letters,  '  the  Cardinal  of  S.  Praxedes ; ' 
near  it,  in  a  sister  church,  is  fresh  the  memory  of  S.  Justin  Martyr, 
addressing  his  apologies  for  Christianity  to  heathen  emperor  and 
senate,  and  of  Pudens  and  his  British  spouse  ;  and,  far  beyond  the 
city  gates,  the  cheerful  Philip  ^  is  seen  kneeling  at  S.  Sebastino, 
waiting  for  the  door  to  the  Platonia  to  be  opened  for  him,  that  he 
may  watch  the  night  through  in  the  martyr's  dormitory.  " — Wise 
man's  Life  of  Leo  XII. 

J  Trebellus  PoUio.  »  Gibbon,  v.  i.  ^^  S.  Filippo  Neri. 


26o  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

"  For  myself,  I  must  say  that  I  know  nothing  to  compare  with  a 
pilgrimage  among  the  antique  churches  scattered  over  the  Esquiline, 
the  Coelian,  and  the  Aventine  Hills.  They  stand  apart,  each  in  its 
solitude,  amid  gardens,  and  vineyards,  and  heaps  of  nameless  ruins  ; — 
here  a  group  of  cypresses,  there  a  lofty  pine  or  solitary  palm  ;  the  tute- 
lary saint,  perhaps  some  Sant'  Achilleo,  or  Santa  Bibiana,  whom  we 
never  heard  of  before, — an  altar  rich  in  precious  marbles, — columns  of 
porphyry, — the  old  frescoes  dropping  from  the  walls, — the  everlasting 
colossal  mosaics  looking  down  so  solemn,  so  dim,  so  spectral  ;  these 
grow  upon  us,  until  at  each  succeeding  visit  they  themselves,  and  the 
associations  by  which  they  are  surrounded,  become  a  part  of  our  daily 
life,  and  may  be  said  to  hallow  that  daily  life  when  considered  in  a 
right  spirit.  True,  what  is  most  sacred,  what  is  most  poetical,  is  often 
desecrated  to  the  fancy  by  the  intrusion  of  those  prosaic  realities  which 
easily  strike  prosaic  minds  ;  by  disgust  at  the  foolish  fabrications  which 
those  who  recite  them  do  not  believe,  by  lying  inscriptions,  by  tawdry 
pictures,  by  tasteless  and  even  profane  restorations  ; — by  much  that 
saddens,  much  that  offends,  much  that  disappoints  ; — but  then  so 
much  remains  !  So  much  to  awaken,  to  elevate,  to  touch  the  heart ; 
so  much  that  will  not  pass  away  from  the  memory,  so  much  that  makes 
a  part  of  our  after-life." — A/rs.  Jameson. 


We  may  pass  under  the  Arch  of  Constantine,  or  through 
the  pleasant  sunny  walks  l:no\vn  as  the  Parco  di  San  Gre- 
^^r/*?,— planted  by  the  French  during  their  first  occupation 
of  Rome,  but  which  may  almost  be  regarded  as  a  remnant 
of  the  sacred  grove  of  the  Camenae  which  once  occupied 
this  site. 

The  further  gate  of  the  Parco  opens  on  a  small  triangular 
piazza,  whence  a  broad  flight  of  steps  leads  up  to  the  Church 
of  S.  Gregorio,  to  the  English  pilgrim  one  of  the  most  in- 
teresting spots  in  Rome,  for  it  was  at  the  head  of  these 
steps  that  S.  Augustine  took  his  last  farewell  of  Gregory  the 
Great,  and,  kneeling  on  this  greensward  below,  the  first  mis- 
sionaries of  England  received  the  parting  blessings  of  the 
great  pontiff,  as  he  stood  on  the  height  in  the  gateway.  As 
we  enter  the  portico  (built  1633,  by  Card.  Scipio  Borghese), 
we  see  on  either  side  two  world-famous  inscriptions. 

On  the  right : 

Adsta  hospes 

et  lege. 

Hie  olim  fuit  M.  Gregori  domus 

Ipse  in  monasterium  convertit, 

Ubi  monasticen  professus  est 

Et  diu  abbas  praefuit. 
Monachi  primum  Benedictini 


I 


S.    GR  EGO  RIO.  2f)l 

Mox  Graeci  tenuere 

Dein  Benedictini  iterum 

Post  varies  casus 

Quum  janidiu 

Esset  commendatum 

Et  poene  desertum. 

Anno  MDLXXlil. 

Camaldulenses  indued 

Qui  et  industria  sua 

Et  ope  plurium 

R.  E.  Cardinalium 

Quorum  hie  monumenta  exstant, 

Favente  etiam  Clemente  XI.  P.  M. 

Templum  et  adjaeentes  aedes 

In  banc  quara  cernis  formam 

Restituerunt. 

On  the  left  : 

Ex  hoe  monasterio 
Prodierunt 
S.  Gregorius  M.  Fundator  et  Parens. 
S.   Eleutherius,  AB.     Hilarion,  AB. 
S.  Augustinus.   Anglor.  Apostol. 
S.   Laurentius.   Cantuar.  Archiep. 
S.   Mellitus.   Londinen.   Ep.  mox 

Archiep.  Cantuar. 
S.  Justus.   Ep.    Roffensis. 

S.  Paulinus.   Ep.   Eborac.  • 

S.  Maximianus.   Syracusan.   Ep. 
SS.  Antonius,  Merulus,  et  Joannes,  Monachi. 
S.  Petrus.   AB.   Cantuar. 

Marinianus.    Archiep.   Raven. 
Probus.   Xenodochi    Jerosolymit. 
Curator.  A.  S.   Gregorio.  Elect. 
Sabinus  Callipolit.   Ep. 
Gregorius.   Diac.  Card.  S.   Eustach. 
Hie  .  Etiam  .  Diu  .  Vixit  .  M.  Gregori 
Mater  .  S.  Silvia  .  Hoc  .  Maxime 
Colenda  .  Quod  .  Tantum  .  Pietatis 
Sapientiae  .  Et  .  Doetrinae  .  Lumen 
Pepererit. 

"  Cette  ville  incomparable  renferme  peu  de  sites  plus  tttrayants  et 
plus  dignes  d'eternelle  mamoire.  Le  sanctuaire  occupe  Tangle  occi- 
dental du  mont  Coelius.  .  .  .  II  est  a  egale  distance  du  grand  Cirque, 
des  Thermes  de  Caraealla  et  du  Colisee,  tout  proche  de  le'glise  des 
saints  martyrs  Jean  et  Paul.  Le  berceau  du  christianisme  de  I'Angle- 
terre  touche  ainsi  au  sol  trempc  par  le  sang  de  tant  de  milliers  de  mar- 
tyrs. En  face  s'eleve  le  mont  Palatin,  berceau  de  Rome  paienne,  en- 
core convert  des  vastes  debris  du  palais  des  Cesars.  .  .  .  Ou  est  done 
I'Anglais  digne  de  ce  nom  qui,  en  portant  son  regard  du  Palatin  i.i' 
Coliace,  pourrait  contempler  sans  emotion  ce  coin  de  lerre  d'ou  lui  sont 


2^2  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

venus  la  foi,  le  noni  chreticn  et  la  Bible  dont  il  est  si  fier.  Voili  oi 
les  enfants  esclaves  de  ses  aieux  etaient  recueillis  et  sauvt's  !  Sur  ces 
pierres  s'agenouillaient  ceux  qiii  ont  fait  sa  patrie  chretienne  !  Sous 
ces  voutes  a  ete  concu  par  une  ame  sainte,  confic  a  Dieu,  btni  par 
Dieu,  accepte  et  accompli  par  d'humbles  et  genereux  Chretiens,  le 
grand  dessein  !  Par  ces  degres  sont  descendus  les  quarante  moines 
qui  ont  porte  a  I'Angleterre  la  parole  de  Dieu,  la  lumicre  de  I'Evan- 
gile,  la  succession  apostolique  et  la  regie  de  Saint-Benoit  !  " — Monta- 
lembert,  Aloincs  a  Occident. 

Hard  by  was  the  house  of  S.  Silvia,  mother  of  S.  Greg- 
ory, of  which  the  ruins  still  remain,  opposite  to  the  church 
of  SS.  Giovanni  e  Paolo,  and  in  the  little  garden  which 
still  exists,  we  may  believe  that  he  played  as  a  child  under 
his  mother's  care.  Close  to  his  mother's  home  he  founded 
the  monastery  of  S.  Andrew,  to  which  he  retired  from  the 
world,  taking  nothing  with  him  but  his  favorite  cat,  and  in 
which  he  dwelt  for  many  years  as  a  monk,  employed  in 
vv^riting  homilies,  and  in  the  enjoyment  of  visionary  conver- 
sation with  the  Virgin,  whom  he  believed  to  answer  him  in 
person  from  her  picture  before  which  he  knelt.  "  To  this 
monastery  he  presented  his  own  portrait,  with  those  of  his 
father  and  mother,  which  were  probably  in  existence  300 
years  after  his  death  ;  and  this  portrait  of  himself  prob- 
ably furnished  that  peculiar  type  of  physiognomy  which 
we  trace  in  all  the  best  representations  of  him."  '  During 
the  life  of  penance  and  poverty  which  was  led  here  by  S. 
Gregory,  he  sold  all  his  goods  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor, 
retaining  nothing  but  a  silver  basin  given  him  by  his 
mother.  One  day  a  poor  shipwrecked  sailor  came  several 
times  to  beg  in  the  cell  where  he  was  writing,  and  as  he 
had  no  money,  he  gave  him  instead  this  one  remaining 
treasure.  A  long  time  after  S.  Gregory  saw  the  same 
shipwrecked  sailor  reappear  in  the  form  of  his  guardian 
angel,  who  told  him  that  God  had  henceforth  destined  him 
to  rule  his  church,  and  become  the  successor  of  S.  Peter, 
v.hose  charity  he  had  imitated.'' 

"  Un  moine  (a.D  590)  va  monter  pour  la  premiere  fois  sur  la  cliaire 
aposlolique.  Ce  moine,  ic  plus  illustre  de  tous  ceux  qui  ont  compte 
parrai  les  souverains  pontifes,  y  rayonnera  d'un  eclat  qu'aucun  de  ses 
predccesseurs  n'a  cgale  et  qui  rejaillira,  commc  une  sanction  supreme, 
sur  I'institut  dont  il  est  issu.  Gregoire,  le  seul  parmi  les  hommes  avec 
le  Pape  Leon  I  qui  ait  re9u  a  la  fois,  du  consentement  universe!,  le 

'  Mn:^  laraciioo.  "  Monlalemljert.  Moitus  d^Occident. 


5.    GREGORIO.  263 

double  sumom  de  Saint  et  de  Grand,  sera  re'ternel  honneur  de  I'Ordre 
benedictin  comme  de  la  papaute.  Far  soji  genie,  mais  surtout  par  le 
charme  et  I'ascendant  de  sa  vertu,  il  organisera  le  domaine  temporel 
des  papes,  il  developpera  et  regularisera  leur  souverainete  spirituelle, 
11  fondera  leur  paternelle  suprematie  sur  les  royaute's  naissantes  et  les 
nations  nouvelles  qui  vont  devenir  les  grands  peuples  de  I'avenir,  et 
s'appeler  la  France,  i'Espagne,  I'Angleterrc.  A  vrai  dire,  c'est  lui  qui 
inaugure  le  moyen  age,  la  societe  modcrne  et  la  civilisation  chre 
tienne. " — Montalembert. 

The  church  of  S.  Gregory  is  approached  by  a  cloistered 
court  filled  with  raoiiuments.  On  the  left  is  that  of  Sir 
Edward  Came,  one  of  the  commissioners  to  obtain  the 
opinion  of  foreign  universities  respecting  the  divorce  of 
Henry  VIII.  from  Catherine  of  Arragon,  ambassador  to 
Charles  V.,  and  afterward  to  the  court  of  Rome.  He  was 
recalled  when  the  embassy  was  suppressed  by  Elizabeth, 
but  was  kept  at  Rome  by  Paul  IV.,  w^ho  had  conceived  a 
great  affection  for  him,  and  he  died  here  in  1561.  Another 
monument  of  an  exile  for  the  Catholic  faith,  is  that  of 
Robert  Pecham,  who  died  1567,  inscribed  : 

"Roberto  Pecham  Anglo,  equiti  aurato,  Philippi  et  Mariae  Angliae 
et  Hispan.  regibus  olim  a  consiliis  genere  religione  virtute  praeclaro 
qui  cum  patriam  suam  a  fide  catholica  deficientem  adspicere  sine 
summo  dolore  non  posset,  reliclis  omnibus  quae  in  hac  vita  carissima 
esse  solent,  in  voluntarium  profectus  exilium,  post  sex  annos,  paupe- 
ribus  Christi  heredibus  testamento  institutis,  sanctissime  e  vita  migra- 
vit. " 

The  Church,  rebuilt  in  1734,  under  Francesco  Ferrari, 
has  sixteen  ancient  granite  columns  and  a  fine  Opus  Alex- 
andrinum  pavement.  Among  its  monuments  we  may  ob- 
serve that  of  Cardinal  Zurla,  a  learned  writer  on  geograph- 
ical subjects,  who  v/as  abbot  of  the  adjoining  convent. 
It  was  a  curious  characteristic  of  the  laxity  of  morals  in 
the  time  of  Julius  II.  (1503-13),  that  her  friends  did  not 
hesitate  to  bury  the  famous  Aspasia  of  that  age  in  this 
church,  and  to  inscribe  upon  her  tomb  :  "  Imperia,  cor- 
tisana  Romana,  quae  digna  tanto  nomine,  rarae  inter 
homines  formae  specimen  dedit.  Vixit  annos  xxvi.  dies 
xii.  obiit  15 n,  die  15  Augusti," — but  this  monument  has 
now  been  removed. 

At  the  end  of  the  right  aisle  is  a  picture  by  Badalocchi, 
commemorating  a  miracle  on  this  spot,  when,  at  the  mo- 
ment of  elevation,  the  Host  is  said  to  have  bled  in  the 


264  IVALA'S  /X  ROME. 

hands  of  S.  Gregory,  to  convince  an  unbeliever  of  the 
truth  of  transubstantiation.  It  will  be  observed  that  in 
this  and  in  most  other  representations  of  S.  Gregory,  a 
dove  is  perched  upon  his  shoulder,  and  whispering  into  his 
ear.  This  is  commemorative  of  the  impression  that  every 
word  and  act  of  the  saint  was  directly  inspired  by  the 
Holy  Ghost  ;  a  belief  first  engendered  by  the  happy 
promptitude  of  Peter,  his  archdeacon,  who  invented  the 
story  to  save  the  beloved  library  of  his  master  which  was 
about  to  be  destroyed  after  his  death  by  the  people,  in  a 
pitiful  spirit  of  revenge,  because  they  fancied  that  a  famine 
which  was  decimating  them  had  been  brought  about  by 
the  extravagance  of  Gregory. '  An  altar  beneath  this 
picture  is  decorated  with  marble  reliefs  representing  the 
same  miracle,  and  also  the  story  of  the  soul  of  the  Em- 
peror Trajan  being  freed  from  purgatory  by  the  interces- 
sion of  Gregory.      (Chap.  IV.  p.  1 68.) 

A  low  door  near  this  leads  into  the  monastic  cell  of  S. 
Gregory,  containing  his  marble  chair,  and  the  spot  where 
his  bed  lay,  inscribed  : 

"  Nocte  dieque  vigil  longo  hicdefessa  labore 
Gregoiius  modica  membra  quiete  levat." 

Here  also  an  immense  collection  of  minute  relics  of  saints 
is  exposed  to  the  veneration  of  the  credulous. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  church  is  the  Saiviati  Chapel, 
the  burial  place  of  that  noble  family,  modernized  in  1690 
by  Carlo  Maderno.  Over  the  altar  is  a  copy  of  Annibale 
Caracci's  picture  of  S.  Gregory,  which  once  existed  here, 
but  is  now  in  England.  On  the  right  is  the  picture  of  the 
Madonna,  "which  spoke  to  S.  Gregory,"  and  which  is  said 
to  have  become  suddenly  impressed  upon  the  wall  after  a 
vision  in  which  she  appeared  to  him  ; — on  the  left  is  a  beau- 
tiful marble  dossale  of  the  fifteenth  century. 

Hence  a  sacristan  will  admit  the  visitor  into  the  Garden 
of  S.  Silvia,  whence  there  is  a  grand  view  over  the  opposite 
Palatme. 

"  To  stand  here  or  on  the  summit  of  the  flight  of  steps  which  leads 
to  the  portal,  and  look  across  to  the  ruined  Palace  of  the  Caesars, 
makes  the  mind  giddy  with  the  rush  of  thoughts.  There,  before  us, 
the  Palatine  Hill — Pagan  Rome  in  the  dust  ;  here,  the  little  cell,  a  few 

'  Milman's  Latin  Ckrtstianiiy,  vol.  ii 


GARDEN   OF  S.    SILVIA.  265 

feet  square,  where  slept  in  sackcloth  the  man  who  gave  the  last  blow 
to  the  power  of  the  Caesars,  and  first  set  his  foot  as  sovereign  on  the 
cradle  and  capital  of  their  greatness." — Mrs.  Jameson. 

Here  are  three  Chapels,  restored  by  the  historian  Car- 
dinal Baronius,  in  the  sixteenth  century.  The  first  of  S. 
Silvia,  contains  a  fresco  of  the  Almighty  w  ith  a  choir  of 
angels,  by  Guido,  and  beneath  it  a  beautiful  statue  of  the 
venerable  saint  (especially  invoked  against  convulsions),  by 
Niccolo  Cordieri — one  of  the  best  statues  of  saints  in  Rome. 
The  second  chapel,  of  S.  Andrew,  contains  the  two  famous 
rival  frescoes  of  Gtddo  ^r\A  Dotncnichiiio.  Guido  has  repre- 
sented S.  Andrew  kneeling  in  reverent  thankfulness  at  first 
sight  of  the  cross  on  which  he  was  to  suffer  ;  Domenichino 
— a  more  painful  subject — the  flagellation  of  the  saint.  Of 
these  paintings  Annibale  Caracci  observed  that  "  Guido's 
was  the  painting  of  the  master ;  but  Domenichino's  the 
painting  of  the  scholar  who  knew  more  then  the  master." 
The  beautiful  group  of  figures  in  the  corner,  where  a  terri- 
fied child  is  hiding  its  face  in  its  mother's  dress,  is  intro- 
duced in  several  other  pictures  of  Domenichino. 

"It  is  a  well-known  anecdote  that  a  poor  old  woman  stood  for  a 
long  ticie  before  the  story  of  the  Domenichino,  pointing  it  out  bit  by 
bit  and  explaining  it  to  a  child  who  was  with  her,  and  that  she  then 
turned  to  the  story  told  by  Guido,  admired  the  landscape  and  went 
away.  It  is  added  that  when  Annibale  Caracci  heard  of  this,  it  seemed 
to  him  in  itself  a  sufficient  reason  for  giving  the  preference  to  the 
former  work.  It  is  also  said  that  when  Domenichino  was  painting 
one  of  the  executioners,  he  worked  himself  up  into  a  fury  with  threat- 
ening words  and  gestures,  and  that  Annibale,  surprising  him  in  this 
condition,  embraced  him,  saying  :  '  Domenico,  to-day  you  have  taught 
me  a  lesson,  whicli  is,  that  a  painter,  like  an  orator,  must  first  feel 
himself  that  which  he  would  represent  to  others.'  " — Lanzi.  v.  82. 

'■  In  historical  pictures  Domenichino  is  often  cold  and  studied, 
especially  in  the  principal  subject,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  the  sub- 
ordinate persons  have  much  grace,  and  a  noble  character  of  beauty. 
Thus,  in  the  scourging  of  S.  Andrew,  a  group  of  wom.en  thrust  back 
by  the  executioners  is  of  the  highest  beauty.  Guido's  fresco  is  of  high 
merit — S.  Andrew,  on  his  way  to  execution,  sees  the  cross  before  him 
in  the  distance,  and  falls  upon  his  knees  in  adoration,  the  executioners 
and  spectators  regard  him  with  astonishment." — Ktigler. 

The  third  chapel,  of  S.  Barbara,  contains  a  grand  statue 
of  S.  Gregory,  by  Niccolo  Cordieri'  (where  the  whispering 

'  Rome  possesses  at  least  eiffht  fine  modem  statues  of  saints  :- besides  those 
of  S.  Silvia  and  S.  Gregory,  are  the  S.  Agnese  of  Algardi,  the  S,  Bibiana  of 
Bernini,  the  S.  Cecilia  of  ?4aderno,  the  S.  Susanna  of  Quesnoy,  the  S  Martina 
of  Menghino,  and  the  S.  Bruno  of  Houdon. 


266  WALKS   IN  ROME. 

dove  is  again  represented),  and  the  table  at  which  Le  daily 
fed  twelve  poor  pilgrims  after  washing  their  feet.  The 
Roman  breviary  tells  how  on  one  occasion  an  angel  ap- 
peared at  the  feast,  as  the  thirteenth  guest.  This  story — 
the  sending  forth  of  S.  Augustine — and  other  events  of  S. 
Gregory's  life,  are  represented  in  rude  frescoes  upon  the 
walls  by  Viviaui. 

The  adjoining  Conve?it  (modern)  is  of  vast  size,  and  is 
now  occupied  by  Camaldolese  monks,  though  in  the  time 
of  S.  Gregory  it  belonged  to  the  Benedictines.  In  its 
situation  it  is  beautiful  and  quiet,  and  must  have  been  so 
even  in  the  time  of  S.  Gregory,  who  often  regretted  the 
seclusion  which  he  was  compelled  to  quit. 

"  Un  jour,  plus  accable  que  jamais  par  le  poids  des  affaires  secu- 
lieres,  il  s'etait  retire  dans  un  lieu  secret  pour  s'y  livrer  dans  un 
long  silence  a  sa  tristesse,  et  y  fut  rejoint  par  le  diacre  Pierre,  son 
eleve,  son  ami  d'enfance  et  le  compagnon  dc  ses  cheres  etudes. 
'  Vous  est-il  done  arrive  quelque  chagrin  nouveau,'  lui  dit  le  jeune 
homme,  'pour  que  vous  soyez  ainsi  plus  triste  qu'a  I'ordinaire?' 
'  Mon  chagrin,'  lui  repondit  le  pontife,  'est  celui  de  tous  mes  jours, 
toujours  vieux  par  I'usage,  et  toujours  nouveau  par  sa  croissance 
quotidienne.  Ma  pauvre  ame  se  rappelle  ce  qu'elle  etait  autrefois, 
dans  notre  monastere,  quand  elle  planait  sur  tout  ce  qui  passe,  sur 
tout  ce  qui  change  ;  quand  elle  ne  songeait  qu'au  ciel  ;  quand  elle 
franchissait  par  la  contemplation  le  cloitre  de  ce  corps  qui  I'enserre  ; 
quand  elle  aimait  d'avance  la  mort  comme  I'cntree  de  la  vie.  Et 
maintenant  il  lui  faut,  a  cause  de  ma  charge  pastorale  supporter 
les  mille  affaires  des  hommes  du  siecle  et  se  souiller  dans  cette 
poussiere.  Et  quand,  apres  s'etre  ainsi  repandue  au  dehors,  elle 
veut  retrouver  sa  retraite  interieure,  elle  n'y  revient  qu'amoindrie. 
Je  meiite  sur  tout  ce  que  je  souiTre  et  sur  tout  ce  que  j'ai  perdu. 
Me  voici,  battu  par  I'ocean  et  tout  brise  par  la  tempete  ;  quand  je 
pense  a  ma  vie  d'autrefois,  il  me  semble  regarder  en  arriere  vers 
le  rivage.  Et  ce  qu'il  y  a  de  plus  triste,  c'est  qu'ainsi  ballotte  par 
I'orage,  je  puis  a  peine  entrevoir  le  port  que  j'ai  quittc.'" — AIoii- 
talembcrt,  Moines  tV  Occident. 

Pope  Gregory  XVI.  was  for  some  years  abbot  of  this 
convent,  to  which  he  was  afterward  a  generous  benefactor  ; 
— regretting  always,  like  his  great  predecessor,  the  peace 
of  his  monastic  life.  His  last  words  to  his  cardinals,  v/ho 
were  imploring  him,  for  political  purposes,  to  conceal  his 
danger,  were  singularly  expressive  of  this — "  Per  Dio 
lasciatemi ! — voglio  morire  da  frate,  non  da  sovrano." 
The  last  great  ceremony  enacted  at  S.  Gregorio  was  when 
Cardinal  Wiseman  consecrated  the  mitred  abbot  of  English 


SS,    GIOVANNI  E   PAOLO.  267 

Cistercians — Dr.  Manning  preaching  at  the  same  time  on 
the  prospects  of  English  CathoHcism. 

Ascending  the  steep  paved  lane  betv/een  S.  Gregorio 
and  the  Parco,  the  picturesque  church  on  the  left  with  the 
arcaded  apse  and  tall  campanile  {c.  a.d.  1206),  inlaid  with 
colored  tiles  and  marbles,  is  that  of  ^S'vS.  Giovanni  e  Faolo, 
two  officers  in  the  household  of  the  Christian  princess  Con- 
stantia,  daughter  of  the  Emperor  Constantine,  in  whose 
time  they  occupied  a  position  of  great  influence  and  trust. 
When  Julian  the  Apostate  came  to  the  throne,  he  attempt- 
ed to  persuade  them  to  sacrifice  to  idols,  but  they  refused, 
saying,  "  Our  lives  are  at  the  disposal  of  the  emperor,  but 
our  souls  and  our  faith  belong  to  our  God."  Then  Julian, 
fearing  to  bring  them  to  public  martyrdom,  lest  their 
popularity  should  cause  a  rebellion  and  the  example  of 
their  well-known  fortitude  be  an  encouragement  to  others, 
sent  off  soldiers  to  behead  them  privately  in  their  own 
house.  Hence  the  inscription  on  the  spot,  "  Locus  mar- 
tyrii  SS.  Joannis  et  Pauli  in  aedibus  propriis. "  The 
church  was  built  by  Pammachus,  the  friend  of  S.  Jerome, 
on  the  site  of  the  house  of  the  saints.  It  is  entered  by  a 
portico  adorned  with  eight  ancient  granite  columns,  in- 
teresting as  having  been  erected  by  the  English  pope, 
Nicholas  Breakspear,  a.d.  1158.  The  interior,  in  the 
basilica  form,  has  sixteen  ancient  columns  and  a  beautiful 
opus-ale xa?!driniivi  pavement.  In  the  center  of  the  floor 
is  a  stone,  railed  off,  upon  which  it  is  said  that  the  saints 
v/ere  beheaded.  Their  bodies  are  contained  in  a  porphyry 
urn  under  the  high  altar.  In  early  times  these  were  the 
only  bodies  of  saints  preserved  within  the  walls  of  Rome 
(the  rest  being  in  the  catacombs).  In  the  Sacramentary 
of  S.  Leo,  in  the  Preface  of  SS.  John  and  Paul,  it  is  said, 
*'  Of  Thy  merciful  providence  Thou  hast  vouchsafed  to 
crown  not  only  the  circuit  of  the  city  with  the  glorious 
passions  of  the  m.artyrs,  but  also  to  hide  in  the  very  heart 
of  the  city  itself  the  victorious  lim.bs  of  S.  John  and  S. 
Paul." ' 

Above  the  tribune  are  frescoes  by  Pomcrancio.  Beneath 
the  altar  on  the  left  of  the  tribune  is  preserved  the  em- 
balmed body  of  S.  Paul  of  the  Cross  (v^'ho  died  1776,  and 
whose  fcbtival  is  April  28),  founder  of  the  Order  of  Pas> 

'  See  Roma   Soite-rranea,  p.   !o6. 


268  W A  LA'S  IN    ROME. 

sionists,  who  ii  .habit  the  adjoining  convent.  The  aged 
face  bears  a  beautiful  expression  of  repose  ;— the  body  is 
dressed  in  the  robe  which  clothed  it  when  living.'  In 
honor  of  this  saint  a  splendid  chapel  has  been  erected  on 
the  right  of  the  nave  (1868-70),  cased  with  precious  ala- 
basters and  jaspers  Its  two  great  alabaster  pillars  were  the 
gift  of  Pius  I X. 

Male  visitors  are  admitted  through  the  convent  to  its 
large  and  beautiful  Garden,  which  overhangs  the  steep  side 
of  the  Coelian  towards  the  Coliseum,  of  which  there  is  a 
fine  view  between  its  ancient  cypresses.  Here,  on  a  site 
near  the  monastery,  are  some  remains  believed  to  be  those 
of  the  temple  built  by  Agrippina  (r.  a.d.  57),  daughter  of 
Germanicus,  to  the  honor  of  her  deified  husband  (and 
uncle)  Claudius,  after  she  had  sent  him  to  Olympus  by 
feeding  him  with  poisonous  mushrooms.  Nero,  ,who 
wished  to  efface  the  memory  of  his  predecessor,  pulled 
down  this  temple,  on  the  pretext  that  it  interfered  with 
his  Golden  House,  but  it  was  rebuilt  under  Vespasian. 
In  this  garden  also  is  the  entrance  to  the  vast  substruc- 
tions known  as  the  Vivarium,  whence  the  wild  beasts  who 
devoured  the  early  Christian  martyrs  were  frightened  by 
burning  tow  down  a  subterranean  passage  into  the  arena. 
The  ruins  in  the  part  of  the  garden  nearest  to  the  Coliseum 
have  been  supposed  to  be  those  of  the  Vectilian  Palace  of 
Commodus,  in  which  he  was  murdered. 

The  famous  church  of  SS.  Giovanni  e  Paolo  at  Venice 
was  founded  by  emigrants  from  this  convent.  The  mem- 
ory of  these  saints  was  so  much  honored  up  to  the  time  of 
Pope  Gregory  the  Great,  that  the  eve  of  their  festival  was 
an  obligatory  fast.  Their  festa  (June  26)  is  still  kept  with 
great  solemnities  on  the  Coelian,  when  the  railing  round 
their  place  of  execution  is  wreathed  and  laden  with  flowers. 
When  the  "  station  "  is  held  at  their  church,  the  apse  is 
illuminated. 

Continuing  to  follow  the  lane  up  the  Coelian,  we  reach 
the  richly  tinted  brick  Arch  of  Dolahella,  erected,  a.d.  id, 
by  the  consuls  P.  Cornelius   Dolabella  and  Caius  Julius 

'  "  Domine  Jesu  Christe,  qui  ad  mysterium  cruc'S  praedicandum  Sanctum 
Paulum  singular!  cantate  donasti,  et  per  eum  novam  in  ecclesia  familiam 
florescere  voluisti  :  ipsius  nobis  intercessione  concede,  ut  pnssionem  tuatn  jupi- 
ler  recolantes  in  lerris,  eiusdem  frucnim  consequi  mercamur  in  coclin"- 
CclUct  0/  S.  Pa-ul  0/  the  Cross  Roman  I'esper^'Bopk. 


S.    TOM  MA  so  IN  FORM  IS.  269 

Silanus.  Nero,  building  his  aqueduct  to  the  palace  of 
the  Caesars,  made  use  of  this,  which  already  existed,  and 
included  it  in  his  line  of  arches. 

Above  the  arch  is  a  Hermitage.,  revered  as  that  where 
S.  Giovanni  de  Matha  lived,  and  where  he  died  in  1213. 
Before  he  came  to  reside  here  he  had  been  miraculously 
brought  from  Tunis  (whither  he  had  gone  on  a  mission)  to 
Ostia,  in  a  boat  without  helm  or  sail,  in  which  he  knelt 
without  ceasing  before  the  crucifix  throughout  the  whole 
of  his  voyage  ! 

Passing  beneath  the  gateway,  w^e  emerge  upon  the  pict- 
uresque irregular  piazza  of  the  Navicella,  the  central  point 
of  the  Coelian,  which  is  surrounded  by  a  most  interesting 
group  of  buildings,  and  which  contains  an  isolated  frag- 
ment of  the  aqueduct  of  Nero,  dear  to  artists  from  its 
color.  Behind  this,  under  the  trees,  is  the  little  marble 
Navicella.,  which  is  supposed  to  have  been  originally  a 
votive  offering  of  a  sailor  to  Jupiter  Redux,  whose  temple 
stood  near  this  ;  but  which  was  adapted  by  Leo  X.  as  a 
Christian  emblem  of  the  Church, — the  boat  of  S.  Peter. 

"  The  allegory  of  a  ship  is  peculiarly  dwelt  upon  by  the  ancient 
Fathers.  A  ship  entering  a  port  was  the  favorite  heathen  emblem  of 
the  close  of  life.  But  the  Christian  idea,  and  its  elevation  from  indi- 
vidual to  universal  or  catholic  humanity,  is  derived  directly  from  the 
Bible, — see,  for  instance,  i  Peter  iii.  20,  21.  '  Without  doubt,'  says 
S.  Augustine,  '  the  ark  is  the  figure  of  the  city  of  God  pilgrimizing  in 
this  world,  in  other  words,  of  the  Church,  which  is  saved  by  the  wood 
on  which  hung  the  Mediator  between  God  and  man,  the  man  Christ 
Jesus."  The  same  interpretation  was  recognized  in  the  Latin  Church 
in  the  days  of  TertuUian  and  S.  Cyprian,  etc.  The  bark  of  S.  Peter  is 
similarly  represented  on  a  Greek  gem,  found  in  the  Catacombs,  as 
sailing  on  a  fish,  probably  Leviathan  or  Satan,  while  doves,  emblem- 
atical of  the  faithful,  perch  on  the  mast  and  stem, — two  Apostles  row, 
a  third  lifts  up  his  hands  in  prayer,  and  our  Saviour,  approaching  the 
vessel,  supports  Peter  by  the  hand  when  about  to  sink.  .  .  .  But  the 
allegory  of  the  ship  is  carried  out  to  its  fullest  extent  in  the  fifty-seventh 
chapter  of  the  second  book  of  the  '  Apostolical  Constitutions,'  supposed 
to  have  been  compiled  in  the  name  of  the  Apostles,  in  the  fourth  cen- 
tury."— Lord  Lindsays  Christian  Art,  i.  18. 

On  the  right  is  (first)  the  gateway  of  the  deserted  con- 
vent of  Redemptorists,  called  S.  Tommaso  in  Formis,  which 
was  founded  by  S..  Giovanni  de  Matha,  who,  when  cele- 
brating his  first  mass  at  Paris,  beheld  in  a  vision  an  angeJ 
robed  in  white,  with  a  red  and  blue  cross  upon  his  breast, 


270 


WALKS   LV  HOME. 


and  his  hands  resting  in  benediction  upon  the  heads  of  two 
captives, — a  white  and  a  black  man.  The  bishop  of  Paris 
sent  him  to  Rome  to  seek  explanation  from  Innocent  III., 
who  was  celebrated  as  an  interpteter  of  dreams, — his  foun- 
dation of  the  Franciscan  order  having  resulted  from  one 
whicli  befel  him.  S.  Giovanni  was  accompanied  to  the 
pope  by  another  hermit,  Felix  de  Valois.  They  found  that 
Innocent  had  himself  seen  the  same  vision  of  the  angel 
between  the  two  captives  while  celebrating  mass  at  the 
Lateran,  and  he  interpreted  it  as  inculcating  the  duty  of 
charity  toward  Christian  slaves,  for  which  purpose  he 
founded  the  Trinitarians,  since  called  Redemptorists. 
The  story  of  the  double  vision  is  commemorated  in  a  Afo- 
saic,  erected  above  the  door,  a.d.  1260,  and  bearing  the 
name  of  the  artist,  Jacobus  Cosmati. 

The  next  gate  beyond  the  church  is  that  of  the  Villa 
Mattel.  (Visitors  are  generally  admitted — sometimes  at 
the  entrance  opposite  SS.  Giovanni  e  Paolo — upon  vvTiting 
down  their  names  at  the  gate.) 

These  grounds  are  well  worth  visiting — quite  the  ideal 
of  a  Roman  garden,  a  wealth  of  Ir.rge  Roman  daisies,  roses 
and  periwinkle  spreading  amid  remains  of  ancient  statues 
and  columns.  A  grand  little  avenue  of  ilexes,  lined  with 
ancient  statues,  leads  to  a  terrace  whence  there  is  a  most 
beautiful  view  towards  the  aqueducts  and  the  Alban  Hills, 
with  a  noble  sarcophagus  and  a  quantity  of  fine  aloes  and 
prickly-pears  in  the  foreground.  There  is  an  obelisk,  of 
which  only  the  top  is  Egyptian.  It  is  said  that  there  is  a 
man's  hand  underneath  ;  when  the  obelisk  was  lowered  it 
fell  suddenly,  and  one  of  the  workmen  had  not  time  to 
take  his  hand  away.  In  the  lovv-est  portion  of  the  grounds, 
now  enclosed  in  some  picturesque  ancient  farm-buildings, 
is  the  crystal  spring  which  has  been  identified  as  the  true 
Fountain  of  Egeria,  where  the  nymph  held  her  mysterious 
interviews  with  Numa  Pompilius. 

Almost  standing  in  the  garden  of  the  villa,  and  occupy- 
ing the  site  of  the  house  of  S.  Ciriaca,  is  the  Church  of  S. 
Maria  in  Domenica  or  della  Nailcella.  (If  no  one  is  here, 
the  hermit  at  S.  Stefano  Rotondo  will  unlock  it.)  The  un- 
remarkable portico  was  designed  by  Raffaelle.'  The  damp 
interior  (rebuilt  by  Leo  X.  from  designs  of  Raffaelle)  is 

1  His  sketch  is  in  the  collection  at  Windsor  Castle. 


S.    STEP  A  NO  ROTONDO. 


271 


solemn  and  striking.  It  is  in  the  basilica  form,  the  nave 
separated  from  the  aisles  by  eighteen  columns  of  granite 
and  one  {smaller,  near  the  tribune)  of  porphyry.  The 
frieze,  in  chiaro-oscuro,  was  painted  by  Giidio  Romano  and 
Pieriiio  del  Vaga.  Beneath  the  confessional  are  the  bones 
of  S.  Balbina,  whose  fortress-like  church  stands  on  the 
Pseudo-Aventine.  In  the  tribune  are  curious  mosaics,  in 
which  the  figure  of  Pope  Paschal  I.  is  introduced,  the 
square  nimbus  round  his  head  being  an  evidence  of  its 
portrait  character,  i.  e.,  that  it  was  done  during  his  life- 
time.^ 

"  Within  the  tribune  are  mosaics  of  the  Virgin  and  Child  seated  on 
a  throne,  with  angels  ranged  in  regular  rows  on  each  side  ;  and,  at  her 
feet,  with  unspeakable  stiffness  of  limb,  the  kneeling  figure  of  Pope 
Paschal  I.  Upon  the  walls  of  the  tribune  is  the  Saviour  with  a  nim- 
bus, surrounded  with  two  angels  and  the  twelve  apostles,  and  further 
below,  on  a  much  larger  scale,  two  prophets,  Vvlio  appear  to  point 
towards  him.  The  most  remarkable  thing  here  is  the  rich  foliage 
decoration.  Besides  the  wreaths  of  flowers  (otherwise  not  a  rare 
feature)  which  are  growing  out  of  two  vessels  on  the  edge  of  the  dome, 
the  floor  beneath  the  figures  is  also  decorated  with  flowers — a  graceful 
species  of  ornament  seldom  aimed  at  in  the  moroseness  of  Byzantine 
art.  From  tliis  point,  the  decline  into  utter  barbarism  is  rapid." — • 
Kugler. 

"  TheOlivetan  monks  inhabited  the  church  and  cloisters  of  S.  Maria 
in  Domenica,  commonly  called  in  Navicella,  from  the  rudely  sculptured 
marble  monument  that  stands  on  the  grass  before  its  portal,  a  remnant 
of  bygone  days,  to  which  neither  history  nor  tradition  has  given  a 
name,  but  which  has  itself  given  one  to  the  picturesque  old  church 
which  stands  on  the  brow  of  the  Coelian  Hill." — Lady  Georgiana  lid- 
lertoti. 

A  tradition  of  the  Church  narrates  that  S.  Lorenzo, 
deacon  and  martyr,  daily  distributed  alms  to  the  poor  in 
front  of  his  church — then  the  house  of  S.  Ciriaca— with 
whom  he  had  taken  refuge. 

Opposite,  is  the  round  Church  of  S.  Stefano  Rotondo, 
dedicated  by  S.  Simplicius  in  467.  It  appears  to  have 
been  built  on  the  site  of  an  ancient  circular  build- 
ing, and  to  have  belonged  to  the  great  victual  market — 
Marcellum  Magnum — erected  by  Nero  in  this  quarter.^ 
It  is  seldom  used  for  service,  except  on   S.  Stephen's  Day 

'  A  square  nimbus  indicates  that  a  portrait  was  executed  before^  a  round  after 
the  death  of  the  person  represented. 

'^  See  Emile  Braun.  The  building  of  the  Marcellum  is  described  by  Dion  Cas- 
sius,  i.  18  ;  Notitia,  Reg.  li. 


272 


J  FA  LA'S  IN  ROME. 


(December  26),  But  visitors  are  admitted  through  a  little 
cloister,  in  which  stands  a  well  of  beautiful  proportions,  oi 
temp.  Leo  X. — attributed  to  Michael  Angelo.  The  inte- 
rior is  exceedingly  curious  architecturally.  It  is  one 
hundred  and  thirty-three  feet  in  diameter,  with  a  double 
circle  of  granite  columns,  thirty-six  in  theouter  and  twenty 
in  the  inner  series,  inclosing  two  tail  Corinthian  columns, 
with  two  pilasters  supporting  a  cross  wall.  In  the  center 
is  a  kind  of  temple  in  which  are  relics  of  S.  Stephen  (his 
body  is  said  to  be  at  S.  Lorenzo).  In  the  entrance  of  the 
church  is  an  ancient  marble  seat  from  which  S.  Gregory  is 
said  to  have  read  his  fourth  homily. 

The  walls  are  lined  with  frescoes  by  Pomerancio  and 
Tempesta.  They  begin  with  the  Crucifixion,  but  as  the 
Holy  Innocents  really  suffered  before  our  Saviour,  one  of 
them  is  represented  lying  on  each  side  of  the  Cross.  Next 
comes  the  stoning  of  S.  Stephen,  and  the  frescoes  con- 
tinue to  portray  every  phase  of  human  agony  in  the  most 
revolting  detail,  but  are  interesting  as  showing  a  historical 
series  of  what  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  considers  as  the 
best  authenticated  martyrdoms,  viz.  : 

S.  Peter,  crucified. 

S.  Paul,  beheaded. 

S.  Vitale,    buried  alive. 

S.  Tliecla,  tossed  by  a  bull. 

S.  Gervase,  beaten  to  death. 

SS.  Protasius,  Processus,  and  Martinianus,  be- 
headed. 

S.  Faustus  and  others,  clothed  in  skins  of  beasts 
and  torn  to  pieces  by  dogs. 

'  S.  John,  boiled  in  oil  (which  he  survived)  at  the 
Porta  Latina. 
S.  Cletus,  Pope,  beheaded. 
S.  Denis,  beheaded  (and  carrying  his  head). 
S.  Domitilla,  roasted  alive. 
SS.  Nereus  and  Achilles,  beheaded. 

S.  Ignatius,  Bishop  of  Antioch,  eaten  by  lions 

in  the  Coliseum. 
S.  Clement,  Pope,  tied  to  an  anchor  and  thrown 

into  the  sea. 
S.  Simon,  Bishop  of  Jerusalem,  crucified. 

(   S.    Euslachio,    his   wife    Theophista,    and    his 
-|  children  Agapita  and  Theophista,  burnt  in 

f  a  brazen  bull  before  the  Coliseum. 


Under  Nero 


Under  Domitian 


Under  Trajan 


Under  Hadrian 


S.    STEP  A  NO  ROTONDO. 


273 


Under  Hadrian  .   . 


Under  Antoninus 
Pius  and  Marcus 
Aurelius    .... 


S.  Alexander,  Pope,  beheaded. 
S.  Sinforosa,  drowned,  and  her  seven  sons  mar- 
tyred in  various  v^-ays. 
S.  Pius,  Pope,  beheaded. 

S.   Felicitas  and   her  seven    sons   martyred   in 

various  ways. 
S.  Justus,  beheaded. 
S.  Margaret,  stretched  on  a  rack,   and  torn  to 

pieces  with  iron  forks. 


TT    J  A    i.     •  (  S.  Blandma,  tossed  by  a  bull,  in  a  net. 

Under     Antoninus  Ioa.^i  ^  a  lu^u- 

J  ,,  <  S.  Altalus,  roasted  on  a  red-hot  chair. 

and  verus    •    •   •  (  g    Pothinus  and  others,  burnt  alive. 


Under  Septimius 
Severus  and  Car- 
acalla '. 


Under     Alexander 
Severus  .... 


Under     Valerianus 
and   Gallienus    . 


Under  Claudius  II. 


SS.  Perpetua  and  Felicitas,  torn   to  pieces  by 

lions  in  the  Coliseum. 
SS.  Victor  and  Zephyrinus,  Leonida  and  Basil, 

beheaded. 
S.  Alexandrina,  covered  with  boiling  pitch. 

S.  Calixtus,   Pope,   thrown  into  a  well  with  a 

stone  round  his  neck. 
S.  Calepodius,  dragged  through  Rome  by  wild 

horses,  and  thrown  into  the  Tiber. 
S.  Martina,  torn  with  iron  forks. 
S.  Cecilia,  who,    failing  to  be  suffocated  with 

hot  water,  was  stabbed  in  the  throat. 
S.  Urban  the  Pope,  Tibertius,  Valerianus,  and 

Maximus,    beheaded. 

S.  Ponlianus,  Pope,  beheaded  in  Sardinia. 

S.  Agatha,  her  breasts  cut  off. 

SS.  Fabian  and  Cornelius,  Popes,  and  S.  Cy- 
prian of  Carthage,  beheaded. 

S.  Tryphon,  burnt. 

SS.  Abdon  and  Sennen,  torn  by  lions. 

S.  Apollonia,  burnt,  after  all  her  teeth  were 
pulled  out. 

S.  Stephen,  Pope,  burnt  in  his  episcopal  chair. 

S.  Cointha,  torn  to  pieces. 

S.  Sixtus,  Pope,  killed  with  the  sword. 

S.  Venantius,  thrown  from  a  wall. 

S.  Laurence,  the  deacon,  roasted  on  a  gridiron. 

S.  Hippolytus,  torn  by  wild  horses. 

SS.  Rufina  and  Semula,  drowned  in  the  Tiber. 

SS.  Protus  and  Hiacinthus,  beheaded. 

Three  hundred  Christians,  burnt  in  a  furnace. 
S.  Tertullian,  burnt  with  hot  irons. 
S.  Nemesius,  beheaded. 

S.  Sempronius,  Olympius,  and  Theodulus, 
burnt. 


274 


WALKS  IN   ROME. 


Under  Claudius  II.  ' 


S.  Marios,  hung,  with  a  huge  weight  tied  to  hii 
feet. 

S.  Martha,  and  her  children,  martyred  in  dif- 
ferent ways. 

S.  Cyprian  and  Justinian,  boiled. 

S.  Valentine,  killed  with  the  sword. 


Under  Aurelian  and 
Numerianus.   .    . 


Under      Diocletian 
and  Maximianus. 


Under     I\!axentius  ■ 


S.  Agapitus  (aged  15),  hung  head  downwards 
over  a  pan  of  burning  charcoal.  Inscribed 
above  are  these  words  from  Wisdom,  "  Pro- 
peravit  ut  educeret  ilium  a  seductionibus 
et  iniquitatibus  gentis  suae." 

S.  Cristina,  transfixed  through  the  heart. 

S.  Columba,  burnt. 

.SS.  Crysanthus  and  Daria,  buried  alive. 

S.  Agnes,  bound  to  a  stake,  afterward  be- 
headed. 

S.  Caius,  Pope,  beheaded. 

S.  Emerantia,  stoned  to  death. 

Nearly  the  whole  population  of  Nicomedia  mar- 
tyred in  different  ways. 

S.  Erasmus,  laid  in  a  coffin,  into  which  boiling 
lead  was  poured. 

S.  Blaise,  bound  to  a  column,  and  torn  to  pieces. 

S.  Barbara,  burnt  with  hot  irons. 

S.  Eustrathius  and  his  companions,  martyred  in 
different  ways. 

S.  Vincent   burnt  on  a  gridiron. 

SS.  Primus  and  Felicianus,  torn  by  lions. 

S.  Anastasia,  thrown  from  a  rock  ? 

SS.  Quattro  Incoronati,  martyred  in  various 
ways. 

SS.  Peter  and  Marcellinus,  beheaded. 

S.  Boniface,  placed  in  a  dungeon  full  of  boiling 
pitch. 

S.  Lucia,  shut  up  in  a  well  full  of  serpents. 

S.  Euphemia,  run  through  with  a  sword. 

SS.  Vitus,  Modestus,  and  Crescentius,  boiled 
alive. 

S.  Sebastian,  shot  with  arrows  (which  he  sur- 
vived). 

SS.  Cosmo  and  Damian,  Pantaleon,  Saturninus, 
Susanna,  Gornius,  Adrian,  and  others,  in 
different  ways. 

S.  Catherine  of  Alexandria,  and  others,  broken 
on  the  wheel. 

SS.  Faustina  and  Porfirius,  burnt  with  a  com- 
pany of  soldiers. 

S.  Marcellus,  Pope,  died  worn  out  by  persecu- 
tion. 


S.    STEFANO  ROTOMDO. 


275 


{S.  Simon  and  1,600  citizens  cut  into  fragments. 
S.    Peter,     Lishop    of    Alexandria,    and    forty 
soldiers,  left  to  die,  up  to  their  waists  in  a 
frozen  lake. 

'  SS.  John  and  Paul,  beheaded. 
S.  Artemius,  crushed  between  two  stones. 
\    S.  Pigmenius,  drowned  in  the  Tiber. 

vS.  Bibiana,    flogged  to  death,  and   thrown   for 
food  to  dogs  in  the  Forum, 


Under    Julian    the 
Apostate. 


The  last  picture  represents  the  reunion  of  eminent 
martyrs  (in  which  the  Roman  Church  includes  English 
suiferers  under  Elizabeth),  and  above  is  inscribed  this  verse 
from  Isaiah  xxv.  :  "  Laudabit  populus  fortis,  civitas  gentium 
robustarum." 

"  Au-dessus  du  tableau  de  la  Crucifixion  se  trouve  cette  inscription  ; 
"  Roi  glorieux  des  martyrs,  s'il  donne  sa  vie  pour  racheter  le  peche,  il 
verra  une  posterite  sans  fin."  Et  quelle  posterite  !  Hommes,  femmes, 
vieillards,  jeunes  horames,  juenes  filles,  enfants  !  Comme  tous  accou- 
rent,  comme  tous  savent  moiirir. " — Une  Chrctictiiie  a  Rodic. 

"  Les  pai'ens  avaient  divinise  la  vie,  les  Chretiens  diviniserent  la 
mort." — Madame  de  Stael. 

"  S.  Stefano  Rotondo  exhibits,  in  a  series  of  pictures  all  round  the 
church,  the  martyrdoms  of  the  Christians  in  the  so-called  persecutions, 
with  a  general  picture  of  the  most  eminent  martyrs  since  the  triumph 
of  Christianity.  No  doubt  many  of  the  particular  stories  thus  painted 
will  bear  no  critical  examination  ;  it  is  lilvcly  enough,  too,'  that  Gibbon 
has  truly  accused  the  general  statements  of  exaggeration.  But  this  is 
a  thankless  labor,  such  as  Lingard  and  others  have  undertaken  with 
regard  to  the  S.  Bartholomew  massacre,  and  the  Irish  massacre  of 
1642.  Divide  the  sum  total  of  reported  martyrs  by  twenty, — by  fifty, 
if  you  will, — but  after  all  you  have  a  number  of  persons  of  all  ages  and 
sexes  suffering  cruel  torments  and  death  for  conscience's  sake  and  for 
Christ's,  and  by  their  sufferings  manifestly,  with  God's  blessing,  insur- 
ing the  triumph  of  Christ's  gospel.  Neither  do  I  think  that  we  con- 
consider  the  excellence  of  this  martyr  spirit  half  enough.  I  do  not 
think  pleasure  is  a  sin  :  the  stoics  of  old,  and  the  ascetic  Christians 
since,  who  have  said  so  (see  the  answers  of  that  excellent  man.  Pope 
Gregory  the  Great,  to  Augustine's  questions,  as  given  at  length  by 
B;de),  have,  in  saying  so,  outstepped  the  simplicity  and  wisdom  of 
Christian  truth.  But,  though  pleasure  is  not  a  sin,  yet  surely  the  con- 
templation of  suffering  for  Christ's  sake  is  a  thing  most  needf 'il  to  us  in 
our  days,  from  whom,  in  our  daily  life,  suffering  seems  so  far  removed. 
And,  as  God's  grace  enabled  rich  and  delicate  persons,  women,  and 
even  children,  to  endure  all  extremities  of  pain  and  reproach  in  times 
past,  so  there  is  the  same  grace  no  less  mighty  now,  and  if  we  do  not 
close  ourselves  against  it.  it  might  in  us  be  no  less  glorified  in  a  time 
of  trial.  And  that  such  times  of  trial  will  come,  my  children,  in  your 
times,  if  not  in  mine.  I  do  believe  fully,  both  from  the  teaching  of 


276 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


man's  wisdom  and  of  God's.  And  therefore  pictures  of  martyrdom 
are,  I  think,  very  wholesome — not  to  be  sneered  at,  nor  yet  to  be 
looked  on  as  a  mere  excitement — but  as  a  sober  reminder  to  us  of 
what  Satan  can  do  to  hurt,  and  what  God's  grace  can  enable  the  weak- 
est of  his  people  to  bear.  Neither  should  we  forget  those  who,  by 
their  sufferings,  were  more  than  conquerors,  not  for  themselves  only, 
but  for  us,  in  securing  to  us  the  safe  and  triumphant  existence  of 
Christ's  blessed  faith — in  securing  to  us  the  possibility,  nay  the  actual 
enjoyment,  had  it  not  been  for  the  Antichrist  of  the  priesthood — of 
Christ's  holy  and  glorious  tHH\7]6icx,  the  congregation  and  common- 
wealth of  Christ's  people." — Arnold's  Letters. 

"On  croit  que  I'eglise  de  Saint-Etienne-le-Rond  est  batie  sur  I'em- 
placement  du  Macellum  Attgtisli.  S'il  en  est  ainsi,  les  supplices  des 
martyrs,  hideusement  representes  sur  les  murs  de  cette  eglise,  rappel- 
lent  ce  qu'elle  a  remplace." — Ampere,  Emp.  i.  270. 

"  Je  crains  fort  que  des  peintures  pareilles  a  celles  de  Santo  Stefano, 
au  lieu  d'agir  sur  beaucoup  de  spectateurs  par  voi  d'edification  chre- 
tienne,  n'agissent  par  voie  de  depravation.  Ne  montrez  jamais  le 
rouge  au  taureau,  le  sang  au  tigre,  la  cruaute  a  I'animal  humain." — 
Emile  Monicgitt. 

The  first  chapel  on  the  left,  dedicated  to  SS.  Primus  and 
Felicianus,  contains  some  delicate  small  mosaics. 

"  The  mosaics  of  the  small  altar  of  S.  Stefano  Rotondo,  are  of  a.d. 
642-649.  A  brilliantly  decorated  cross  is  represented  between  two 
standing  figures  of  S.  Primus  and  S.  Felicianus.  On  the  upper  end 
of  the  cross  (very  tastefully  introduced)  appears  a  small  head  of  Christ 
with  a  nimbus,  over  which  the  hand  of  the  Father  is  extended  in  bene- 
diction. " — iCiigler. 

In  the  ne.xt  chapel  is  a  very  beautiful  tomb  of  Bernar- 
dino Capella,  Canon  of  S.  Peter's,  who  died  1524. 

In  a  small  house,  which  formerly  stood  among  the  gar- 
dens in  this  neighborhood,  Palestrina  lived  and  wrote. 

"  Sous  le  rcgne  de  Paul  IV.,  Palestrina  faisait  partie  de  la  chapelie 
papale  ;  mais  il  fut  oblige  de  la  quitter,  parce  qu'il  etait  marie.  II  se 
retira  alors  dans  une  chaumiere  perdue  au  milieu  des  vignes  du  Mont 
Coelius,  et  la,  seul,  inconnu  au  monde,  il  se  livra,  durant  de  longs 
jours,  a  cette  extase^de  la  pensee  qui  agrandit,  au-dela  de  toute  mesui-e, 
la  puissance  creatrice  de  I'homme.  Le  desir  des  Peres  du  concile  lui 
ayant  ete  manifeste,  il  prit  aussitot  une  plume,  ecrivit  en  tete  de  son 
cahier,  '  Mon  Dieu,  eclairez-moi  ! '  et  se  mit  a  I'ceuvre  avec  un  saint 
enthousiasme.  Ses  premiers  efforts  ne  repondirent  pas  a  I'ideal  que 
son  genie  s'etait  forme  ;  mais  peu  a  peu  ses  pensees  s'cclaircirent,  et 
les  flots  de  poesie  qui  inondaient  son  ame,  se  repandirent  en  melodies 
touchantes.  Chaque  parole  du  texte  retentissait  clairement,  allait 
chercher  toutes  les  consciences,  et  les  exaltait  dans  une  emotion  com- 
mune. La  f/iesse  Jn  pape  Man  el  trancha  la  question;  et  Pie  IV. 
s'ecria,  apres  I'avoir  entendue,  qu'il  avait  cm  assister  aux  concerts  dfc* 
&ngts."—Gournerie,  Rome  Clire'tienne,  ii.  195. 


.S'.    SILVESTRO. 


277 


Following  the  lane  of  S.  Stefano  Rotondo — skirted  by 
broken  fragments  of  Nero's  aqueduct — almost  to  its  de- 
bouchment near  S.  J.  Lateran,  and  then  turning  to  the  left, 
we  reach  the  quaint  fortress-like  church  and  convent  of  the 
Sand  Quattro  Incoronati,  crowned  by  a  stumpy  campanile 
of  1 1 12.  The  full  title  of  this  church  is  'I  Santi  quattro 
Pittori  Incoronati  e  i  cinque  Scultori  Martiri,"  the  names 
which  the  Church  attributes  to  the  painters  being  Severus, 
Severianus,  Carpoforus,  and  Vittorinus  ;  and  those  of  the 
sculptors  Claudius,  Nicostratus,  Sinforianus,  Castorius,  and 
Simplicius, — who  all  suffered  for  refusing  to  carve  and 
paint  idols  for  Diocletian.  Their  festa  is  kept  on  Novem- 
ber 8. 

This  church  was  founded  on  the  site  cf  a  temple  of  Diana 
by  Honorius  I.,  a.d.  622  ;  rebuilt  by  Leo  IV.  a.d.  850  ; 
and  again  rebuilt  in  its  present  form  by  Paschal  II.,  who 
consecrated  it  afresh  a.d.  iiii.  It  is  approached  through 
a  double  court,  in  which  are  many  ancient  columns, — per- 
haps remains  of  the  temple.  .Some  antiquaries  suppose 
that  the  church  itself  was  once  of  larger  size,  and  that  the 
pillars  which  now  form  its  atrium  were  once  included  in  the 
nave.  The  interior  is  arranged  on  the  English  plan  with  a 
triforium  and  a  clerestory,  the  triforium  being  occupied  by 
the  nuns  of  the  adjoining  convent.  The  aisles  are  groined, 
but  the  nave  has  a  wooden  ceiling.  Behind  the  tribune  is 
a  vaulted  passage,  partly  subterranean.  The  tribune  con- 
tains a  marble  throne,  and  is  adorned  with  frescoes  by 
Gtova?ini  di  San  Gioi'anni.^  In  the  right  aisle  are  preserved 
some  of  the  verses  of  Pope  Damasus.  Another  inscription 
tells  of  the  restoration  of  the  church  in  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tur)%  and  describes  the  state  of  desolation  into  which  it 
had  fallen. 

"  Haec  quaecumque  vides  veteri  prostrata  ruina 
Obruta  verbenis,  ederis,  dumisque  jacebant." 

Opening  out  of  the  court  in  front  of  the  church  is  the 
little  Chapel  of  S.  Silvestro,  built  by  Innocent  II.  in  1140. 
It  contains  a  series  of  very  curious  frescoes. 

"  Showing  the  influence  of  Byzantine  upon  Roman  art  is  the  little 
chapel  of  S.  Silvestro,  detailing  th.e  history  of  the  conversion  of  Con- 
etantinewith  a  naivete  which,  with  the  exception  of  a  certain  dignity  in 

'  Best  known  by  his  comic  pictures  in  the  Uffizi  at  Florence. 


278  WALKS  I.V  HOME. 

some  of  the  figures,  constitutes  their  sole  attraction.  They  are  indeed 
little  better  than  Chinese  paintings  ;  the  last  of  the  series,  represent- 
ing Constantine  leading  Pope  Sylvester's  horse  by  the  bridle,  walking 
beside  liim  in  his  long  flowing  robe,  with  a  chattah  held  over  his  head 
by  an  attendant,  has  quite  an  Asiatic  character." — Lord  Lindsay's 
Christian  Art. 

"  Here,  as  in  so  many  instances,  legend  is  the  genuine  reflex,  not  of 
the  external,  but  the  moral  part  of  history.  In  this  series  of  curious 
wall-paintings,  we  see  Constantine  dimissing,  consoled  and  laden  with 
gifts,  the  mothers  whose  children  were  to  be  slaughtered  to  provide  a 
bath  of  blood,  the  remedy  prescribed — but  which  he  humanely  rejected 
— for  his  leprosy,  his  punishment  for  persecuting  the  Church  while  he 
yet  lingered  in  the  darkness  of  paganism  ;  we  see  the  vision  of  S.  Peter 
and  S.  Paul,  who  appear  to  him  in  his  dreams,  and  prescrible  the  in- 
fallible cure  for  both  physical  and  moral  disease  through  the  waters  of 
baptism  ;  we  see  the  mounted  emissaries,  sent  by  the  emperor  to  seek 
S.  Sylvester,  finding  that  pontiff'  concealed  in  a  cavern  on  Mount 
Socrate  ;  we  see  that  saint  before  the  emperor,  exhibiting  to  him  the 
authentic  portraits  of  the  two  apostles  (said  to  be  still  preserved  at  S. 
Peter's),  pictures  in  which  Constantine  at  once  recognizes  the  forms 
seen  in  his  vision,  assuming  them  to  be  gods  entitled  to  his  worship  ; 
we  see  the  imperial  baptism,  with  a  background  of  fantastic  architect- 
ure, the  rite  administered  both  by  immersion  (the  neophyte  standing 
in  an  ample  font)  and  affusion  ;  we  see  the  pope  on  a  throne,  before 
which  the  emperor  is  kneeling,  to  offer  him  a  tiara — no  doubt  the  art- 
ist intended  thus  to  imply  the  immediate  bestowal  of  temporal  sover- 
eignty (very  generally  believed  the  act  of  Constantine  in  the  first  flush 
of  his  gratitude  and  neophyte  zeal)  upon  the  papacy  ;  lastly,  we  see 
the  pontiff  riding  into  Rome  in  triumph,  Constantine  himself  leading 
his  horse,  and  other  mitered  bishops  following  on  horseback.  Another 
picture — evidently  by  the  same  hand — quaintly  represents  the  finding 
of  the  true  cross  by  S.  Helena,  and  the  miracle  by  which  it  was  dis- 
tinguished fro.m  the  crosses  of  the  two  thieves, — a  subject  here  intro- 
duced because  a  portion  of  that  revered  relic  was  among  treasures 
deposited  in  this  chapel,  as  an  old  inscription,  on  one  side,  records. 
The  largest  composition  on  these  walls,  which  completes  the  series, 
represents  the  Saviour  enthroned  amid  angels  and  apostles.  This 
chapel  is  now  only  used  for  the  devotions  of  a  guild  of  marble-cutters, 
and  open  for  mass  on  but  one  Sunday — the  last — in  every  month." — 
Hemans'  Mediceval  Christian  Art. 

In  the  fresco  of  the  Crucifixion  in  this  chapel  an  angel 
is  represented  taking  off  the  crown  of  thorns  and  putting 
'on  a  real  crown,  an  incident  nowhere  else  introduced  in 
art. 

The  castellated  Convent  of  the  Santi  Quaftro  was  built  by- 
Paschal  II.  at  the  same  time  as  the  church,  and  was  used 
as  a  papal  palace  while  the  Lateran  was  in  ruins  ;  hence 
its  defensive  aspect,  suited  to  the  troublous  times  of  the 
antipopes.     It  is  still  inhabited  by  Augustinian  nuns,  but 


S.    CLEM  EN  TE. 


279 


their  numbers  have  been  greatly  reduced  since  the  change 
of  Government. 

At  the  foot  of  the  CoeHan,  beneath  the  Incoronati,  and 
in  the  street  leading  from  the  Coliseum  to  the  Lateran,  is 
the  Church  of  S.  Clemente,  to  which  the  discoveries  of  the 
late  Irish  abbot,  Father  Mullooly  (who  died  June,  1S80), 
have  given  an  extraordinary  interest. 

The  upper  church,  in  spite  of  modernizations  under 
Clement  XL  in  the  last  century,  retains  more  of  the  details 
belonging  to  primitive  ecclesiastical  architecture  than  any 
other  building  in  Rome.  It  was  consecrated  in  memory 
of  Clement,  the  fellow-laborer  of  S.  Paul,  and  the  third 
bishop  of  Rome,  upon  the  site  of  his  family  house.  It  was 
already  important  in  the  time  of  Gregory  the  Great,  who 
here  read  his  thirty-third  and  thirty-eighth  homilies.  It 
was  altered  by  Adrian  I.  a.d.  772,  and  by  John  VIII. 
A.D.  800,  and  again  restored  a.d.  1099  by  Paschal  II.,  who 
had  been  cardinal  of  the  church,  and  who  was  elected 
to  the  papacy  within  its  walls.  The  greater  part  of  the 
existing  building  is  thus  either  of  the  ninth  or  the  twelfth 
century. 

At  the  west  end  a  porch,  supported  by  two  columns,  and 
attributed  to  the  eighth  century,  leads  into  the  quadripor- 
ticus,  from  which  is  the  entrance  to  the  nave,  separated  from 
its  aisles  by  sixteen  columns  evidently  plundered  from 
pagan  buildings.  Raised  above  the  nave  and  protected  by 
a  low  marble  wall  is  the  cancelliim,  preserving  its  ancient 
pavement,  ambones,  altar,  and  episcopal  throne. 

"  In  S.  Clemente,  built  on  the  site  of  his  paternal  mansion,  and 
restored  at  the  beginning  of  the  twelfth  century,  an  example  is  still  to 
be  seen,  in  perfect  preservation,  of  the  primitive  church  ;  everything 
remains  in  statu  quo — the  court,  the  portico,  the  cancellum,  the  am- 
bones, paschal  candlestick,  crypt,  and  ciborium — virgin  and  intact  ; 
the  wooden  roof  has  unfortunately  disappeared,  and  a  small  chapel 
dedicated  to  S.  Catherine  has  been  added,  yet  even  this  is  atoned  for 
by  the  lovely  frescoes  of  Masaccio.  I  most  especially  recommend  this 
relic  of  eaily  Christianity  to  your  afTectionate  and  tender  admiration 
Yet  the  beauty  of  S.  Clemente  is  internal  only  ;  outwardly  it  is  little 
more  than  a  barn." — Lord  Lindsay. 

Perhaps  more  beautiful  than  any  other  example  in  the 
world  are  the  transennae,  or  pierced  screens,  removed  from 
the  lower  church,  where  they  stood  in  front  of  the  relics  of 
S.  Clement  and  S.  Ignatius.    The  ciborium  on  the  right  oi 


2  8o  U:  I  LA'S  LV  ROME. 

the  altar  is  of  great  beauty,  and  is  surmounted  by  a  precious 
little  statuette  of  the  Magdalen. 

On  the  left  of  the  side  entrance  is  the  chapel  of  the 
Passion,  clothed  with  frescoes  of  Masaccio,  which,  though 
restored,  are  very  beautiful — over  the  altar  is  the  Cruci' 
fixion,  on  the  side  walls  the  stories  of  S.  Clement  and 
S.  Catherine. 

"  The  celebrated  series  relating  to  S.  Catherine  is  still  most  striking 
in  the  grace  and  refinement  of  its  principal  figures  : 

"  I.  .S.  Catherine  (cousin  of  the  Emperor  Constantine)  refuses  to 
worship  idols. 

"  2.  She  converts  the  empress  of  Maximin.  She  is  seen  through  a 
window  seated  inside  a  prison,  and  the  empress  is  seated  outside  the 
prison,  opposite  to  her,  in  a  graceful  listening  attitude. 

"  3.  The  empress  is  beheaded,  and  her  soul  is  carried  to  heaven  by 
an  angel. 

"  4.  Catherine  disputes  with  the  pagan  philosophers.  She  is  standing 
in  the  midst  of  a  hall,  the  forefinger  of  one  hand  laid  on  the  other,  as 
in  the  act  of  demonstrating.  She  is  represented  fair  and  girlish, 
dressed  with  great  simplicity  in  a  tunic  and  girdle — no  crown,  nor  any 
other  attribute.  The  sages  are  ranged  on  each  side,  some  lost  in 
thought,  others  in  astonishment,  the  tyrant  (Maximin)  is  seen  behind, 
as  if  watching  the  conference,  while  through  an  open  window  we  be- 
hold the  fire  kindled  for  the  converted  philosophers,  and  the  scene  of 
their  execution. 

"5.  Catherine  is  delivered  from  the  wheels,  which  are  broken  by 
an  angel. 

"6.  She  is  beheaded.  In  the  background  three  angels  lay  her  in  a 
sarcophagus  on  the  summit  of  Mount  Sinai." — See  Ja7?ieson's  Sacred 
Art,  p.  491. 

"'Masaccio,'  says  Vasari,  'whose  enthusiasm  for  art  would  not 
allow  him  to  rest  contentedly  at  Florence,  resolved  to  go  to  Rome, 
that  he  might  learn  there  to  surpass  every  other  painter.'  It  was  dur- 
ing this  journey,  which,  in  fact,  added  much  to  his  renown,  that  he 
painled,  in  the  Church  of  San  Clemente — the  chapel  which  now  so 
usually  disappoints  the  expectations  of  the  traveler,  on  account  of  the 
successive  restorations  by  which  his  work  has  been  disfigured.  .  .  . 
The  heavy  brush  which  has  passed  over  each  com  pari  m  en  t  has  spared 
neither  the  delicacy  of  the  outline,  the  roundness  of  the  forms,  nor 
the  play  of  light  and  shade  :  in  a  word,  nothing  which  constitutes  the 
peculiar  merit  of  Masaccio." — Hio,  Poetry  of  Christian  Art. 

At  the  end  of  the  right  aisle  is  the  beautiful  tomb  of 
Cardinal  Rovarella,  ob.  1476.  A  statue  of  S.  John  the 
Baptist  is  by  Simone,  brother  of  Donatello.  Beneath  the 
altar  repose  the  relics  of  S.  Clement,  S.  Ignatius  of  Antioch 
— martyred  in  the  Coliseum — S.  Cyril,  and  S.  Servulus. 

"  S.  Gr^goirc  r  .conto  que  de  son  temps  on  voyait  dans  le  vestibule 


S.    CLEMENTE. 


2«I 


de  I'tglise  Saint  Clement  un  pauvre  paralytique,  priant  et  mendiant, 
sans  que  jamais  una  plainte  sortit  de  sa  bouche,  malgre  les  vives 
douleurs  qu'il  endurait.  Chaque  fidele  lui  donnait,  et  le  paralytique 
distribuait  a  son  tour,  aux  malheureux  ce  qu'il  avait  re9u  de  la  com- 
passion publique.  Lorsqu'il  mourut,  son  corps  fiit  place  pres  de  celui 
de  Saint  Clement,  pape,  et  de  saint  Ignace  d'Aritioche,  et  son  nom  fut 
inscrit  au  martyrologe.  On  le  venere  dans  I'Eglise  sous  le  nom  de 
saint  Servulus." — Une  Chi c'tienne  a  Rome. 

The  mosaics  in  the  tribune  are  well  worth  examination. 

"  There  are  few  Christian  mosaics  in  which  mystic  meaning  and 
poetic  imagination  are  more  felicitous  than  in  those  on  the  apse  of  S. 
Clemente,  where  the  crucifix,  and  a  wide-spreading  vine-tree  (allusive 
to  His  words,  who  said  '  I  am  the  True  Vine  '),  sjjring  from  the  same 
stem  ;  twelve  doves,  emblems  of  the  apostles,  being  on  the  cross  with 
the  Divine  Sufferer  ;  the  Mother  and  S.  John  beside  it,  the  usual  hand 
stretched  out  in  glory  above,  with  a  crown  ;  the  four  doctors  of  the 
Church,  also  other  small  figures,  men  and  birds,  introduced  amid  the 
mazy  vine-foliage  ;  and  at  the  basement,  the  four  mystic  rivers,  with 
stags  and  peacocks  drinking  at  their  streams.  The  figure  of  S.  Dom- 
inic is  a  modern  addition.  It  seems  evident,  from  characteristics  of 
style,  that  the  other  mosaics  here,  above  the  apsidal  arch,  and  at  the 
spandrils,  are  more  ancient,  perhaps  by  about  a  century  ;  these  latter 
representing  the  .Saviour  in  benediction,  the  four  Evangelic  emblems, 
S.  Peter  and  S.  Clement,  S.  Paul  and  S.  Laurence  seated  ;  the  two 
apostles  designated  by  their  names,  with  the  Greek  '  hagios '  in  Latin 
letters.  The  later  art-work  was  ordered  (see  the  Latin  inscription 
below)  in  1299,  by  a  cardinal  titular  of  S.  Clemente,  nephew  to  Boni- 
face VIIL  ;  the  same  who  also  bestowed  the  beautiful  gothic  taber- 
nacle for  the  holy  oils,  with  a  relief  representing  the  donor  presented 
by  S.  Dominic  to  the  Virgin  and  Child — set  against  the  wall  near  the 
tribune,  an  admirable,  though  but  an  accessorial,  object  of  mediaeval 
art." — Heinaiis'  Mediceval  Art. 

From  the  sacristy  a  staircase  (adorned  with  many  ancient 
fragments,  inchiding  a  curious  and  beautiful  statuette  of 
S.  Peter  as  the  Good  Shepherd)  leads  to  the  Lower  Church 
(occasionally  illuminated  for  the  public),  first  discovered 
in  1857,  and  unearthed  by  the  indefatigable  energy  of 
Father  MuUooly.  Here,  there  are  many  pillars  of  the 
rarest  marbles  in  perfect  preservation,  and  a  very  curious 
series  of  frescoes  of  the  eighth  and  ninth  centuries,  parts 
of  which  are  still  clear  and  almost  uninjured.  These  in- 
clude :  the  Crucifixion,  with  the  Virgin  and  S.  John  stand- 
ing by  the  cross — the  earliest  example  in  Rome  of  this 
well-known  subject  ;  the  Ascension,  sometimes  called  by 
Romanists  (in  preparation  for  their  dogma  of  1870)  "the 
Assumption  of  the  Virgin,"  because  the  figure  of  the  Virgin 


282  WALKS  IN   ROME. 

is  elevated  above  the  other  apostles,  though  she  is  evi- 
dently intent  on  watching  the  retreating  figure  of  her 
Divine  Son — in  this  fresco  the  figure  of  a  pope  is  intro- 
duced (with  the  square  nimbus,  showing  that  it  was 
painted  in  his  lifetime;,  and  the  inscription,  "  Sanctissimus 
dominus,  Leo  Papa  Romanus,"  probably  Leo  IIL  or  Leo 
IV.;  the  Maries  at  the  sepulcher;  the  Descent  into  Hades; 
the  Marriage  of  Cana;  the  Funeral  of  S.  Cyril,  with  Pope 
Nicholas  I.  (858-67)  walking  in  the  procession;  and,  the 
most  interesting  of  all — probably  of  somewhat  later  date, 
the  Story  of  S.  Clemente,  and  that  of  S.  Alexis,  whose  ad- 
ventures are  described  in  the  account  of  his  church  on  the 
Aventine.  Beneath  this  crypt,  approached  by  a  staircase, 
and  a  narrow  passage  of  great  interest,  as  showing  at  once 
the  masonry  of  the  kings,  the  republic,  and  the  empire,  is 
still  a  third  structure,  discovered  1867 — probably  the  very 
house  of  S.  Clement — (decorated  with  rich  stucco  orna- 
ment)— sometimes  supposed  to  be  the  "cavern  near  S. 
Clemente  "  to  which  the  Emperor  Otho  IIL,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  twenty-two,  retired  a.d.  999  with  his  confess- 
or, and  where  he  spent  fourteen  days  in  penitential  re- 
tirement. An  altar  and  other  relics  found  here  show  that 
this  most  ancient  Christian  church  was  used  as  a  temple  of 
Mithras,  after  the  worship  of  that  Persian  deity  was  intro- 
duced, to  whom  human  sacrifices  were  offered  at  Rome  in 
the  reign  of  Commodus. 

According  to  the  Acts  of  the  Martyrs,  ihe  Prefect  Ma- 
mertinus  ordered  the  arrest  of  Pope  Clement,  and  intended 
to  put  him  to  death,  but  v.as  deterred  by  a  tumult  of  the 
people,  who  cried  with  one  voice,  "  What  evil  has  he  done, 
or  rather  what  good  has  he  not  done  ?  "  Clement  was 
then  condemned  to  exile  in  the  Chersonese,  and  Mamer- 
tinus,  touched  by  his  submission  and  courage,  dismissed 
him  with  the  words,  "  May  the  God  you  worship  bring 
you  relief  in  the  place  of  your  banishment." 

In  his  exile  Clement  received  into  the  Church  more  than 
two  hundred  Christians  v.-ho  had  been  waiting  for  baptism, 
and  miraculously  discovered  water  for  their  support  in  a 
barren  rock,  to  which  he  was  directed  by  a  Lamb,  in  whose 
form  he  recognized  the  guidance  of  the  Son  of  God.  The 
enthusiasm  which  these  marvels  excited  led  Trajan  to  send 
executioners  to  Cherson  (now  Inkerman),  by  whom  Clem- 


.V.    CLEMENTE. 


283 


ent  was  tied  to  an  anchor  and  thrown  into  the  sea.  But 
his  disciples  kneeling  on  the  shore,  prayed  that  his  relics 
might  be  given  up  to  them,  when  the  waves  retired,  and 
disclosed  a  marble  chapel,  built  by  unearthly  hands — over 
the  tomb  of  the  saint.  From  the  Chersonese  the  remains 
of  S.  Clement  v/ere  brought  back  to  Rome  by  S.  Cyril, 
the  Apostle  of  the  Slavonians,  who,  dying  here  himself, 
was  buried  by  his  side. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  AVENTINE. 

Jewish  Burial-^ound — S.  Sabina  —  S.  Alessio  —  The  Priorato — S 
Prisca — The  Vigna  dei  Gesuiti  —  S.  Sabba  —  S.  Balbina. 

THE  Aventine,  which  is  perhaps  the  highest,  and  now 
— from  its  coronet  of  convents— the  most  pictur- 
esque of  all  the  Roman  hills,  is  of  irregular  form,  and  is 
divided  into  two  parts  by  a  valley  ;  one  side,  the  higher,  is 
crowned  by  the  churches  of  S.  Sabina,  S.  Alessio  and  the 
Priorato,  which  together  form  "  the  Capitol  of  the  Aven- 
tine "  ;  the  other,  known  as  the  Pseudo- Aventine,  is 
marked  by  the  churches  of  S.  Sabba  and  S.  Balbina. 

Virgil  and  Ovid  allude  repeatedly  to  the  thick  woods 
which  once  clothed  the  Aventine.'  Dionysius  speaks  of 
the  laurel  or  bay,  an  indigenous  tree  of  ancient  Rome, 
which  grew  there  in  abundance.  Only  one  side  of  the 
hill,  that  towards  the  Tiber,  now  shows  any  of  the  natural 
cliff,  but  it  was  once  remarkable  for  its  rocks,  and  the 
Pseudo- Aventine  obtained  the  name  of  Saxum  from  a  huge 
solitary  mass  of  stone  which  surmounted  it. 

"  Est  moles  nativa  ;  loco  res  nomina  fecit. 

Appellant  Saxum  :   pars  bona  montis  ea  est."' 

The  upper  portion  of  the  hill  is  of  volcanic  formation, 
and  it  is  supposed  that  the  legend  of  Cacus  vomiting  forth 
flames  from  his  cave  on  the  side  of  the  Aventine  had  its 
origin  in  noxious  sulphuric  vapors  emitted  by  the  soil,  as 
is  still  the  case  at  the  Solfatara  on  the  Way  to  Tivoli.  The 
demi-god  Faunus,  who  had  an  oracle  at  the  Solfatara,  had 
also  an  oracle  on  this  hill.^ 

Some  derive  the  name  of  Aventine  from  Aventinus  Sil- 
vius,  king  of  Alba,  who  was  buried  here  ;  ^  others  from 

'  Virg.  Aen.  viii.  104,  io3,  216;  Ov.  Fast.  i.  551.  '^  Ov.  Fast.  v.  149. 

*  Ampere,  Hist.  Rom,  i.  79,  ^  Varro,  iv.  7. 


STORY  OF    THE  A  V EN  TINE.  285 

Avens,  a  .Sabine  river  ;  while  others  say  that  the  name 
simply  means  "  the  hill  of  birds,"  and  connect  it  with  the 
story  of  the  foundation  of  the  city.  For  when  it  became 
necessary  to  decide  whether  Romulus  or  Remus  was  to 
rule  over  the  newly-built  Rome,  Romulus  seated  himself 
upon  the  Palatine  to  watch  the  auspices,  but  Remus  upon 
the  rock  of  the  Pseudo-Aventine.  Here  Remus  saw  only 
six  vultures,  while  Romulus  saw  twelve,  but  each  interpret- 
ed the  augury  in  his  own  favor,  and  Remus  leapt  across 
the  boundary  of  the  Palatine,  whether  in  derision  or  war, 
and  was  slain  by  his  brother,  or  by  Celer,  one  of  his  followers. 
He  was  brought  back  and  buried  upon  the  Aventine,  and 
the  stone  whence  he  had  watched  the  vultures  was  thence- 
forth called  the  Sacred  Rock.  Ancient  tradition  places 
the  tomb  of  Remus  on  the  Pseudo-Aventine,  but  in  the 
middle  ages  the  tomb  of  Caius  Cestius  was  believed — 
even  by  Petrarch — to  be  the  monument  of  Remus. 

Some  authorities  consider  that  when  Remus  was  watch- 
ing the  vultures  on  the  Pseudo-Aventine,  that  part  of  the 
hill  was  already  occupied  by  a  Pelasgic  fortress  called 
Romoria,  but  at  this  time,  and  for  long  afterwards,  the 
higher  part  of  the  Aventine  was  held  by  the  Sabines. 
Here  the  Sabine  king  Numa  dedicated  an  altar  to  Jupiter 
Elicius,'  and  the  Sabine  god  Consus  had  also  an  altar 
here.  Hither  Numa  came  to  visit  the  forest  gods  Faunas 
and  Picus  at  their  sacred  fountain  : 

"  Lucus  Aventino  suberat  niger  illicis  umbra. 
Quo  posses  viso  dicere,  numen  inest. 
In  medio  gramen,  muscoque  adoperta  virenti    • 

Manabat  saxo  vena  perennis  aquae. 
Inde  fere  soli  Faunus  Picusque  dibebant."* 

By  mingling  wine  and  honey  with  the  waters  of  their 
spring,  Numa  snared  the  gods,  and  compelled  them  to  tell 
him  how  he  might  learn  from  Jupiter  the  knowledge  of  his 
will,  and  to  reveal  to  him  a  charm  against  thunder  and 
lightning.^ 

The  Sabine  king  Tatius,  the  rival  of  Romulus,  was 
buried  on  the  Aventine  "  in  a  great  grove  of  laurels,"  and 
at  his  tomb,  then  called  Armilustrum,  it  was  the  custom, 
every  year,  in  the  month  of  October,  to  hold  a  feast  for  the 

'  Liv>',  i.  20.  -  Ovid.  Fast.  iii.  295. 

'  "  Onions,  hair,  and  pilchards."— Sec  Plutarch's  iJ/c  of  Xunta.. 


286  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

purification  of  arms,  accompanied  by  martial  dances.  A 
horse  was  at  the  same  time  sacrificed  to  Janus,  the  Sabine 
war-god. ' 

Ancus  Martius  surrounded  the  Aventine  by  a  wall,"  and 
settled  there  many  thousands  of  the  inhabitants  of  Latin 
towns  which  he  had  subdued.  This  was  the  origin  of  the 
plebs,  who  were  soon  to  become  such  formidable  opponents 
of  the  first  colonists  of  the  Palatine,  who  took  rank  as 
patricians,  and  who  at  first  found  in  them  an  important 
counterpoise  to  the  power  of  the  original  Sabine  inhabit- 
ants, against  whom  the  little  Latin  colony  of  Romulus  had 
hitherto  been  standing  alone.  The  Aventine  continued 
always  to  be  the  especial  property  and  sanctuary  of  the 
plebs,  the  patricians  avoiding  it — in  the  first  instance,  it  is 
supposed,  from  an  impression  that  the  hill  was  of  evil 
omen,  owing  to  the  story  of  Remus.  In  B.C.  416,  the 
tribune  Icilius  proposed  and  carried  a  law  by  which  all  the 
public  lands  of  the  Aventine  were  officially  conferred  upon 
the  plebs,  who  forthwith  began  to  cover  its  heights  with 
houses,  in  which  each  family  of  the  people  had  a  right  in 
one  floor — a  custom  which  still  prevails  at  Rome.  At  this 
time,  also,  the  Aventine  was  included  for  the  first  time 
within  the  pomoerium  or  religious  boundary  of  the  city. 
Owing  to  its  being  the  "hill  of  the  people,"  the  commons 
henceforth  held  their  comitia  and  elected  their  tribunes 
here  ;  and  here,  after  the  murder  of  Virginia,  to  whom  the 
tribune  Icilius  had  been  betrothed,  the  army  assembled 
against  Appius  Claudius. 

Very  little  remains  of  the  numerous  temples  which  once 
adorned  the  hill,  but  their  sites  are  tolerably  well  ascer- 
tained. We  still  ascend  the  Aventine  by  the  ancient  Clivus 
Publicius,  originally  paved  by  two  brothers  Publicii,  who 
were  aediles  at  the  same  time,  and  had  embezzled  a  sum 
of  public  money,  which  they  were  compelled  to  expend 
thus — 

"  Parte  locatvt  clivum,  qui  tunc  crat  ardua  rupes  : 
Utile  nunc  iter  est,  Publiciumque  vocant."* 

At  the  foot  of  this  road  was  the  Temple  of  Luna,  or  Jana, 
in  which  Tatius  had  also  erected  an  altar  to  Janus  or  the 
Sun. 

'  Amporc.  //i<-/.  of  Rome.  i.  ^,27.      '^  Dionysius,  iii.  43.      '  Ovid,  Fast.  v.  zgj. 


STORY  OF    THE  AVENTINE.  287 

'  Luna  regit  menses  ;  hujus  quoque  tempora  mensis 
Finit  Aventino  Luna  colencla  jugo."  ' 

It  was  up  this  road  that  Caius  Gracchus,  a  few  hours 
before  his  death,  fled  to  take  refuge  in  a  small  Temple  of 
Diana,  which  stood  somewhere  near  the  present  site  of  S. 
Alessio,  where,  kneeling  before  the  statue  of  the  goddess, 
he  implored  that  the  people  who  had  betrayed  him  might 
never  be  free.  Close  by,  singularly  enough,  rose  the  Tem- 
ple of  Liberty,  which  his  grandfather,  Sempronius  Grac- 
chus, had  built.  Adjoining  this  temple  was  a  hall  where 
the  archives  of  the  censors  were  kept,  and  where  they 
transacted  business  :  this  was  rebuilt  by  Asinius  Pollio, 
who  added  to  it  the  first  public  library  established  in 
Rome. 

"  Nee  me  quae  doctis  patuerunt  prima  libellis 
Atria,  Libertas  tangere  passa  sua  est."  ^ 

In  the  same  group  stood  the  famous  sanctuary  of  Juno 
Regino,  vowed  by  Camillus  during  the  siege  of  Veii,  and 
to  which  the  Juno  of  the  captured  city  was  removed  after 
she  had  given  a  verbal  consent  when  asked  whether  she 
wished  to  go  to  Rome  and  inhabit  a  new  temple,  much  as 
the  modern  queen  of  heaven  is  apt  to  do  in  modern  times 
at  Rome.^  The  Temples  of  Liberty  and  Juno  were  both 
rebuilt  under  Augustus ;  some  imagine  that  they  were 
under  a  common  roof.  If  they  were  distinct  buildings, 
nothing  of  the  former  remains ;  some  beautiful  columns 
built  into  the  church  of  S.  Sabina  are  all  that  remain  of 
the  temple  of  Juno,  though  Livy  thought  that  her  reign 
here  would  be  eternal — 

"...  in  Aventinum,  aeternam  sedem  suam."  * 

Also  belonging  to  this  group  was  a  temple  of  Minerva. 

"  Sol  abit  a  Geminis,  et  Cancri  signa  rubescunt : 
Coepit  Aventina  Pallas  in  arce  coli."  ^ 

Here  the  dramatist  Livius  Andronicus,  who  lived  upon 
the  Aventine,  was  honored  after  his  death  by  a  company 
of  scribes  and  actors.  Another  poet  who  lived  upon  the 
Aventine  was   Ennius,  who  is  described  as  inhabiting  a 

'  Fast.  iii.  883.  ■■"  Ovid,  Trist.  iii.  71. 

'  See  the  account  of  the  Ch.  of  S.  Francesca  Romana,  Chap.  IV. 
*  Livy,  V.  22.  *  Ovid,  Fast.  vi.  727. 


2  88  WALKS  LV  ROME. 

humble  dwelling,  and  being  attended  by  a  single  female 
slave.      The  poet  Gallus  also  lived  here. 

"  Totis,  Galle,  jubes  tibi  me  servire  diebus, 
Et  per  Aventinum  ter  quater  ire  tuum  !  " 

On  the  other  side  of  the  Aventine  (above  the  Circus 
Maximus),  which  was  originally  covered  with  myrtle — a 
shrub  now  almost  extinct  at  Rome— on  the  site  now  occu- 
pied by  the  convent  of  S.  Prisca,  was  a  more  important 
Temple  of  Diana,  sometimes  called  by  the  Sabine  name  of 
Murcia, — built  in  imitation  of  the  Temple  of  Diana  at 
Ephesus.     Propertius  writes — 

"  Phyllis  Aventinae  quaedam  est  vicina  Dianae  ;  "^ 

and  Martial — 

"  Quique  videt  propius  magni  certamina  Circi 
Laudat  Aventinae  vicinus  Sura  Dianae."  3 

Here,  till  the  time  of  Dionysius,  was  preserved  the  pillar 
of  brass  on  which  was  engraved  the  law  of  Icilius. 

Near  this  were  the  groves  of  Simila,  the  retreat  of  the 
infamous  association  discovered  and  terribly  punished  at 
the  time  of  the  Greek  wars  ;  and— in  the  time  of  the  em- 
pire— the  gardens  of  Servilia,  where  she  received  the  de- 
votion of  Julius  Caesar,  and  in  which  her  son  Brutus  is 
said  to  have  conspired  his  murder,  and  to  have  been  inter- 
rogated by  his  wife  Portia  as  to  the  mystery,  which  he  re- 
fused to  reveal  to  her,  fearing  her  weakness  under  torture, 
until,  by  the  concealment  of  a  terrible  wound  v/hich  she 
had  given  to  herself,  she  had  proved  to  him  that  the 
daughter  of  Cato  could  suffer  and  be  silent. 

The  Aventine  continued  to  be  inhabited,  and  even  popu- 
lous, until  the  sixth  century,  from  which  period  its  pros- 
perity began  to  decline.  In  the  eleventh  century  it  was 
occupied  by  the  camp  of  Henry  IV.  of  Germany,  when  he 
came  in  war  against  Gregory  VII.  In  the  thirteenth  century 
Honorius  III.  made  a  final  effort  to  reestablish  its  popu- 
larity ;  but  with  each  succeeding  generation  it  has  become, 
partly  owing  to  the  ravages  of  malaria,  more  and  more 
deserted,  till  now  its  sole  inhabitants  are  monks,  and  the 
few  ague-stricken  contadini  who  look  after  the  monastic 

1  Mart.  X.  Ep.  56.  '■'  Propert.  iv.  El.  9.  »  Mart.  vi.  Ep.  64. 


THE    CLIl'US  PUBLICIUS.  28Q 

vineyards.  In  wandering  along  its  desolate  lanes,  hemmed 
in  by  hedges  of  elder,  or  by  walls  covered  with  parasitical 
plants,  it  is  difficult  to  realize  the  time  when  it  was  so 
thickly  populated  ;  and  except  in  the  quantities  of  colored 
marbles  with  which  its  fields  and  vineyards  are  strewn, 
there  is  nothing  to  remind  one  of  the  16  aediculae,  64  baths, 
25  granaries,  88  fountains,  130  of  the  larger  houses  called 
domus,  and  2,487  of  the  poorer  houses  called  insulae,  which 
occupied  this  site. 

The  present  interest  of  the  hill  is  almost  wholly  ecclesi- 
astical, and  centers  around  the  story  of  S.  Dominic,  and 
the  legends  of  the  saints  and  martyrs  connected  with  its 
different  churches. 


The  best  approach  to  the  Aventine  is  behind  the  Church 
of  S.  Maria  in  Cosmedin,  where  the  Via  S.  Sabina,  once 
the  Clivus  Publicius  (available  for  carriages)  turns  up  the 
hill. 

A  lane  on  the  left  leads  to  the  Jewish  Burial  Ground, 
used  as  a  place  of  sepulture  for  the  Ghetto  for  many  cen- 
turies. A  curious  instance  of  the  cupidity  attributed  to  the 
Jewish  race  may  be  seen  in  the  fact  that  they  have,  for  a 
remuneration  of  four  baiocchi,  habitually  given  leave  to 
their  neighbors  to  discharge  the  contents  of  a  rubbish-cart 
into  their  cemetery,  a  permission  of  which  the  Remans 
have  so  abundantly  availed  themselves,  that  the  level  of  the 
soil  has  been  raised  by  many  yards,  and  whole  sets  of  older 
monuments  have  been  completely  swallowed  up,  and  new 
ones  erected  over  their  heads. 

After  we  turn  the  corner  at  the  hill  top,  with  its  fine  view 
over  the  Palatine,  and  cross  the  trench  of  fortification 
formed  during  the  fear  of  a  Garibaldian  inva.sion  in  1867, 
we  skirt  what  appears  to  be  part  of  a  city  wall.  This  is  in 
fact  the  wall  of  the  Honorian  city,  built  by  Pope  Hono- 
rius  III.,  of  the  great  family  of  Savelli,  whose  idea  was  to 
render  the  Aventine  once  more  the  populous  and  favorite 
portion  of  the  city,  and  who  began  great  works  for  this 
purpose.  Before  his  arrangements  were  completed  S.  Do- 
minic arrived  in  Rome,  and  was  appointed  master  of  the 
papal  household,  and  abbot  of  the  convent  of  S.  Sabina, 
where  his  ministrations  and  popularity  soon  formed  such 
an  attraction,  that  the  pope  wisely  abandoned  his  design 
13 


290 


WALKS  LV  ROME. 


of  founding  a  new  city  which  would  commemorate  himself, 
and  left  the  field  to  S.  Dominic,  to  whom  he  made  over  the 
land  on  this  side  of  the  hill.  Henceforward  the  convent 
of  S.  Sabina  and  its  surroundings  have  become,  more  than 
any  other  spot,  connected  with  the  history  of  the  Domini- 
can Order  ;  there  all  the  great  saints  of  the  order  have 
received  their  first  inspiration,  have  resided,  or  are  buried  ; 
there  S.  Dominic  himself  received  in  a  beatific  vision  the 
institution  of  the  rosary  ;  there  he  was  ordered  to  i)lant  the 
famous  orange-tree,  which,  being  then  unknown  in  Rome, 
he  brought  from  his  native  Spain  as  the  only  present  which 
it  was  suitable  for  the  graditude  of  a  poor  monk  to  offer 
to  his  patron  Honorius,  who  was  himself  one  of  the  great 
botanists  of  his  time ;  an  orange-tree  which  was  described 
by  John  Evelyn  in  1664,  and  which  still  lives,  and  is  firmly 
believed  to  flourish  or  fail  with  the  fortunes  of  the  Domin- 
ican Order,  so  that  it  has  been  greatly  the  worse  for  the 
suppression  of  convents,  though  the  brief  residence  of  Pere 
Lacordaire  at  S.  Sabhia  is  said  to  have  proved  exceedingly 
beneficial  to  it,  and  his  visit  even  caused  a  nev/  sucker  to 
sprout. 

The  Church  of  S.  Sabina  was  built  on  the  site  of  the 
house  of  the  saint — in  which  she  suffered  martyrdom 
under  the  Emperor  Hadrian,'  a.d.  124 — by  Peter,  a  priest 
of  Illyria,  "  rich  for  the  poor,  and  poor  for  himself," 
{pauperibus  locuples,  sibi pauper),  as  we  read  in  the  mosaic 
inscription  inside  the  principal  entrance.  S.  Gregory  the 
Great  read  two  of  his  homilies  here.  The  church  was 
rebuilt  in  824,  and  restored  and  reconsecrated  by  Gregory 
IX.  in  1238.  Much  of  its  interest, — ancient  pavements, 
mosaics,  &c., — was  destroyed  in  1587  by  Sixtus  V.,  who 
took  the  credit  of  discovering  the  relics  of  the  martyrs  who 
are  buried  beneath  the  altar. 

On  the  west  is  a  covered  corridor  containing  several 
ancient  inscriptions.  It  is  supported  on  one  side  by  an- 
cient spiral  columns  of  j)avonazzetto,  on  the  other  these 
have  been  plundered  and  replaced  by  granite.  Hence, 
through  a  window,  ladies  are  allowed  to  gaze  upon  the 
celebrated  orange-tree,  665  years  old,  v/hich  they  cannot 
approach  ;  a  rude  figure  of  S.  Dominic  is  sculptured  upon 

"  There  is  a  beautiful  picture  of  S.  Sabina  oy  Vivarinj  of  Murano,  in  S.  Zacha- 
ria,  at  Venice. 


5.    SAB  IN  A. 


2gi 


the  low  wall  which  surrounds  it.  The  west  door,  of  the 
twelfth  century,  in  a  richly  sculptured  frame,  is  cited  by 
Kugler  as  an  instance  of  the  extinction  of  the  Byzantine 
influence  upon  art.  Its  panels  are  covered  with  carvings 
from  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  referred  by  Mamachi 
to  the  seventh,  by  Agincourt  to  the  thirteenth  century. 
Some  of  the  subjects  have  been  destroyed  ;  among  those 
which  remain  are  the  Annunciation,  the  Angels  appearing 
to  the  Shepherds,  the  Angel  and  Zacharias  in  the  Temple, 
the  Magi,  Moses  turning  the  rods  into  serpents,  the  Ascent 
of  Elijah,  Christ  before  Pilate,  the  Denial  of  Peter,  and 
the  Ascension.  Within  the  entrance  are  the  only  remains 
of  the  magnificent  mosaic,  erected  in  431,  under  Celestine 
I.  (which  entirely  covered  the  west  wall  till  the  time  of 
Sixtus  v.),  consisting  of  an  inscription  in  large  letters, 
with  a  female  figure  on  either  side,  that  on  the  left  bearing 
the  name  "  Ecclesia  cum  circumcisione,"  that  on  the  right, 
"  Ecclesia  ex  gentibus. "  Among  the  parts  destroyed  were 
the  four  beasts  typical  of  the  Evangelists,  and  S.  Peter  and 
S.  Paul.  The  church  was  thus  gorgeously  decorated, 
because  in  the  time  of  the  Savelli  popes  it  was  what  the 
Sistine  is  now,  the  Chiesa  Apostolica. 

The  nave  is  lined  by  twenty-four  Corinthian  columns  of 
white  marble,  relics  of  the  Temple  of  Juno  Regina,  which 
once  stood  here.  Above  is  an  inlaid  frieze  of  pietradura, 
of  A.D.  431,  which  once  extended  up  to  the  windows,  but 
was  destroyed  by  Sixtus  V.,  who  at  the  same  time  built  up 
the  windows  which  till  then  existed  over  each  pier.  In 
the  middle  of  the  pavement  near  the  altar  is  a  very  curi- 
ous mosaic  figure  over  the  grave  of  Munoz  de  Zamora,  a 
General  of  the  Dominican  Order,  who  died  in  1300. 
Nearer  the  west  door  are  interesting  incised  slabs  repre- 
senting a  German  bishop  and  a  lady,  benefactors  of  this 
church,  and  (on  the  left)  a  slab  with  arms  in  mosaic,  to  a 
lady  of  the  Savelli  family.  In  the  left  aisle  is  another 
monument  of  131 2,  commemorating  a  warrior  of  the  impe- 
rial house  of  Germany.  The  high  altar  covers  the  remains 
of  Sabina  and  Seraphia,  Alexander  the  Pope,  Eventiusand 
Theodulus,  all  martyrs.  In  the  chapel  beneath  S.  Domi- 
nic is  said  to  have  flagellated  himself  three  times  nightly, 
"  perche  un  colpo  solo  non  abbastava  per  mortificare  i' 
carne." 


292 


JVALA'S  IX  ROME. 


At  the  end  of  the  right  aisle  is  the  Chapel  of  the  Rosary, 
where  a  beautiful  picture  of  Sassoferrato,  called  "  La  Ma- 
donna del  Rosario,"  commemorates  the  vision  of  S.  Dominic 
on  that  spot,  in  which  he  received  the  rosary  from  the 
hands  of  the  Virgin. 

"  S.  Catherine  of  Siena  kneels  with  S.  Dominic  before  the  throne 
of  the  Madonna  ;  the  Hly  at  her  feet.  The  infant  Saviour  is  turned 
towards  her,  and  with  one  hand  He  crowns  her  with  thorns,  with  the 
other  He  presents  the  rosary.  This  is  the  master-piece  of  the  painter, 
with  all  his  usual  elegance,  without  his  usual  insipidity." — Jameson's 
Monastic  Ordets. 

Few  Roman  Catholic  practices  have  excited  more  ani- 
madversion than  the  "  vain  repetition  "  of  the  worship  of 
the  Rosary.  The  Pere  Lacordaire  (a  Dominican)  de- 
fended it,  saying  : 

"  Le  rationaliste  sourit  en  voyant  passer  de  longues  fils  de  gens  qui 
redisent  une  meme  parole.  C'elui  qui  est  e'claire  d'une  meilleure 
,'umiere  comprend  que  I'amour  n'a  qu'un  mot,  et  qu'en  le  disant  tou- 
jours,  il  ne  le  repete  jamais." 

Grouped  around  this  chapel  are  three  beautiful  tombs — 
a  cardinal,  a  bishop,  and  a  priest  of  the  end  of  the  fif- 
teenth century.  That  of  the  cardinal  (which  is  of  the 
well-known  Roman  type  of  the  time)  is  inscribed  "  Ut 
moriens  viveret,  vixit  ut  moriturus  ;  "  the  others  are  incised 
slabs.  At  the  other  end  of  the  aisle  is  a  marble  slab,  on 
which  S.  Dominic  is  said  to  have  been  wont  to  lie  prostrate 
in  prayer.  One  day  while  he  was  lying  thus,  the  devil  in 
his  rage  is  said  to  have  hurled  a  huge  stone  (a  round  black 
marble, //>//-a  di paragone)  at  him,  which  missed  the  saint, 
who  left  the  attack  entirely  unnoticed.  The  devil  was 
frantic  with  disappointment,  and  the  stone  remaining  as  a 
relic,  is  preserved  on  a  low  pillar  in  the  nave.  A  small 
gothic  ciborium,  richly  inlaid  with  mosaic,  remains  on  the 
left  of  the  tribune. 

Opening  from  the  left  aisle  is  a  chapel  built  by  Elic  of 
Tuscany — very  rich  in  precious  marbles.  The  frame  of 
the  panel  on  the  left  is  said  to  be  unique. 

It  was  in  this  church,  in  12 18,  that  S.  Hyacinth,  struck 
by  the  preaching  of  S.  Dominic,  and  by  the  recollection  of 
the  barbarism,  heathenism,  and  ignorance  which  prevailed 
jn  many  parts  of  his  native  land  of  Silesia,  offered  himself 
as  its  missionary,  and  took   the  vows  of   ihc    Dominican 


S.    SAB  IN  A. 


293 


Order,  together  with  his  cousin  S.  Ceslas.  Hither  fled  to 
the  monastic  Ufe  S.  Thomas  Aquinas,  pursued  to  the  very 
door  of  the  convent  by  the  tears  and  outcries  of  his  mother, 
who  vainly  implored  him  to  return  to  her.  One  evening, 
a  pilgrim,  worn  out  with  travel  and  fatigue,  arrived  at  the 
door  of  this  convent,  mounted  upon  a  wretched  mule,  and 
implored  admittance.  The  prior  in  mockery  asked,  "  What 
are  you  come  for,  my  father  ?  are  you  come  to  see  if  the 
college  of  cardinals  is  disposed  to  elect  you  as  pope?" 
"I  come  to  Rome,"  replied  the  pilgrim  Michele  Ghislieri, 
"  because  the  interests  of  the  Church  require  it,  and  I  shall 
leave  as  soon  as  my  task  is  accomplished  :  meanwhile  I 
implore  you  to  give  me  a  brief  hospitality  and  a  little  hay 
for  my  mule. "  Sixteen  years  afterwards  Ghislieri  mounted 
the  papal  throne  as  Pius  V.,  and  proved,  during  a  troubled 
reign,  the  most  rigid  follower  and  eager  defender  of  the 
institutions  of  S.  Dominic.  One  day  as  Ghislieri  was  about 
to  kiss  his  crucifix  in  the  eagerness  of  prayer,  "  the  image 
of  Christ,"  says  the  legend,  "retired  of  its  own  accord  from 
his  touch,  for  it  had  been  poisoned  by  an  enemy,  and  a 
kiss  would  have  been  death.  This  crucifix  is  now  pre- 
served as  a  precious  relic  in  the  convent,  where  the  cells, 
both  of  S.  Dominic  and  S.  Pius  V.  are  preserved,  though, 
like  most  historical  chambers  of  Roman  saints,  their  inter- 
est is  lessened  by  their  having  been  beautified  and  changed 
into  chapels.  In  the  cell  of  S.  Dominic  part  of  the  an- 
cient timber  ceiling  remains.  Here  is  the  beautiful  por- 
trait of  the  saint  by  Bazzani,  founded  on  the  records  of  his 
personal  appearance  ;  the  lily  lies  by  his  side — the  glory 
hovers  over  his  head — he  is,  as  the  chronicler  describes 
him,  "of  amazing  beauty."  In  this  cell  he  is  said  fre- 
quently to  have  passed  the  night  in  prayer  with  his  rival  S. 
Francis  of  Assisi.  The  refectory  is  connected  with  an- 
other story  of  S.  Dominic  : 

"  It  happened  that  when  he  was  residing  with  forty  of  his  friars  in 
the  convent  of  S.  Sabina  at  Rome,  the  brothers  who  had  been  sent  to 
beg  for  provisions  had  returned  with  a  very  small  quantity  of  bread, 
and  they  knew  not  what  they  should  do,  for  night  was  at  hand,  and 
they  had  not  eaten  all  day.  Then  S.  Dominic  ordered  that  they  should 
seat  themselves  in  the  refectory,  and,  taking  his  place  at  the  head  of 
the  table,  he  pronounced  the  usual  blessing  :  and  behold  !  two  beau- 
tiful youths  clad  in  white  and  shining  garments  appeared  among 
them  ;  one  carried  a  basket  of  bread,  and  the  other  a  pitcher  of  wine, 


294 


W A  Lies  IN  HOME. 


which  they  distributed  to  the  brethren  ;  then  they  disappeared,  and 
no  one  knew  how  they  had  come  in,  nor  how  they  had  gone  out.  And 
tlie  brethren  sat  in  amazement  ;  but  S.  Dominic  stretched  forth  his 
hand,  and  said  calmly,  '  My  children,  eat  what  tlod  hath  sent  you  ;  ' 
and  it  was  truly  celestial  food,  such  as  they  had  never  tasted  before 
nor  since.  ' — -Jameson's  Alonastic  0?-ders,  p.  369. 

Other  saints  who  sojourned  for  a  time  in  this  convent 
were  S.  Norbert,  founder  of  the  Premonstratensians  (ob. 
1 134),  and  S.  Rayrnond  de  Penaforte  (ob.  1275),  who  left 
his  labors  in  Barcelona  for  a  time  in  1230  to  act  as  chap- 
lain to  Gregory  IX. 

In  1287  a  conclave  was  held  at  S.  Sabina  for  the  election 
of  a  successor  to  Pope  Martin  IV.,  but  was  broken  up  by 
the  malaria,  six  cardinals  dying  at  once  within  the  convent, 
and  all  the  rest  taking  flight  except  Cardinal  Savelli,  who 
would  not  desert  his  paternal  home,  and  survived  by  keep- 
ing large  fires  constantly  burning  in  his  chamber.  Ten 
months  afterward  his  perseverance  was  rewarded  by  his 
own  election  to  the  throne  as  Honorius  IV. 

In  the  garden  of  the  convent  are  some  small  remains  of 
the  palace  of  the  great  Savelli  pope,  Honorius  III.  Here, 
on  the  declivity  of  the  Aventine,  many  important  excava- 
tions were  made  in  1856-57,  by  the  French  Prior  Besson, 
a  person  of  great  intelligence,  and  he  was  rewarded  by  the 
discovery  of  some  fine  fragments  of  the  wall  of  Servius 
Tullius,  formed  of  gigantic  blocks  of  peperino,  and  an 
ancient  Roman  house,  its  chambers  paved  with  black  and 
white  mosaic.  In  the  chambers,  which  were  found  deco- 
rated in  stucco  with  remnants  of  painting  in  figures  and 
arabesque  ornaments,  "  one  little  group  represented  a  sacri- 
fice before  the  statue  of  a  god,  in  an  aedicula.  Some 
rudely  scratched  Latin  lines  on  this  surface  led  to  the  in- 
ference that  this  chamber,  after  becoming  subterranean 
and  otherwise  uninhabitable,  had  served  for  a  prison  ;  one 
unfortunate  inmate  having  inscribed  curses  against  those 
who  caused  his  loss  of  liberty  ;  and  another,  more  devout, 
left  record  of  his  vows  to  sacrifice  to  Bacchus  in  case  of 
recovering  that  blessing."  ' 

.  Since  the  death  of  Prior  Besson  the  works  have  been 
abandoned,  and  the  remains  already  discovered  have  been 
for  the  most  part  earthed  up  again.     A  nympheum,  a  well, 

'  Hemans'  Monuments  in  Rome. 


%   A  LESS/0. 


295 


and  several  subterranean  passages,  are  still  visible  on  the 
hillside. 

Just  beyond  S.  Sabina  is  the  Hieronymite  Church  and 
Convent  of  S.  Aiessio,  the  only  monastery  of  Hieronymites 
in  Italy  where  meat  was  allowed  to  be  eaten — in  consid- 
eration of  the  malaria.  The  first  church  erected  here 
was  built  A.D.  305  in  honor  of  S.  Boniface,  martyr,  by 
Aglae,  a  noble  Roman  lady,  whose  servant  (and  lover)  he 
had  been.  It  was  reconstructed  a.d.  401  by  Innocent 
I.  in  honor  of  S.  Alexis,  whose  parental  mansion  was  on 
this  site.  This  saint,  young  and  beautiful,  took  a  vow  of 
virginity,  and  being  forced  by  his  parents  into  marriage, 
fled  on  the  same  evening  from  his  home,  and  was  given  up 
as  lost.  Worn  out  and  utterly  changed  he  returned  many 
years  afterv/ards  to  be  near  those  who  were  dear  to  him, 
and  remained,  unrecognized,  as  a  poor  beggar,  under  the 
stairs  which  led  to  his  father's  house.  Seventeen  years 
passed  away,  when  a  mysterious  voice  suddenly  resounded 
through  the  Rom.an  churches,  crying,  "  Seek  ye  cut  the 
man  of  God,  that  he  may  pray  for  Rome."  The  crowd 
was  stricken  with  amazement — when  the  same  voice  con- 
tinued, "Seek  in  the  house  of  Euphemian."  Then  pope, 
emperor,  and  senators  rushed  together  to  the  Aventine, 
where  they  found  the  despised  beggar  dying  beneath  the 
doorstep,  his  countenance  beaming  with  celestial  light, 
a  crucifix  in  one  hand,  and  a  sealed  paper  in  the  other. 
The  people  vainly  strove  to  drav/  the  paper  from  the  fin- 
gers which  were  closing  in  the  gripe  of  death,  but  when 
Innocent  I.  bade  the  dying  man  in  God's  name  to  give  it 
up,  they  opened,  and  the  pope  read  aloud  to  the  astonished 
multitude  the  secret  of  Alexis  ;  and  his  father  Euphemian 
and  his  widowed  bride  regained  in  death  the  son  and  the 
husband  they  had  lost. 

S.  Aiessio  is  entered  through  a  courtyard. 

"  The  courtyards  in  front  of  S.  Aiessio,  S.  Cecilia,  S.  Gregorio.  and 
other  churches,  are  like  the  vestibula  of  the  ancient  Roman  houses,  on 
the  site  of  which  they  were  probably  built.  This  style  of  building, 
says  Tacitus,  was  generally  introduced  by  Nero.  Beyond  opened  the 
prothyra,  or  inner  entrance,  with  the  cellae  for  the  porter  and  dog,  both 
chained,  on  either  side." 

In  the  portico  of  the  church  is  a  statue  of  Benedict 
XIII.   (Pietro  Orsini,   1724).     The  v/est  door  has  a  rich 


296 


WALKS  IV  JiOME. 


border  01  mosaic.  The  church  iias  been  so  much  modern- 
ized as  to  retain  no  appearance  of  antiquity.  The  fine  vpus- 
akxn'idn'/mm  pavement  is  preserved.  In  the  floor  is  the 
incised  gothic  monument  of  Lupo  di  Olmeto,  general  of  the 
Hieronvmites  (ob.  1433).  Left  of  the  entrance  is  a  shrine 
of  S.  Alessio,  with  his  figure  sleeping  under  the  staircase — 
part  of  the  actual  wooden  stairs  being  inclosed  in  a  glass 
case  over  his  head.  Not  far  from  this  is  the  ancient  well 
of  his  father's  house.  In  a  chapel  which  opens  out  of  a 
passage  leading  to  the  sacristy  is  the  fine  tomb  of  Cardinal 
Guido  di  Balneo,  of  the  time  of  Leo  X.  He  is  represented 
sitting,  with  one  hand  resting  on  the  ground — the  delicate 
execution  of  his  lace  in  marble  is  much  admired.  The 
mosaic  roof  of  this  chapel  was  burst  open  by  a  cannon-ball 
during  the  French  bombardment  of  1S49,  t>ut  the  figure 
was  uninjured.  The  baldacchino  is  remarkable  for  its 
perfect  proportions.  Behind,  in  the  tribune,  are  the  inlaid 
mosaic  pillars  of  a  gothic  tabernacle.  No  one  should  omit 
to  descend  into  the  Crypt  of  S.  Alessio,  which  is  an  early 
church,  supported  on  stunted  pillars,  and  containing  a 
marble  episcopal  chair,  green  with  age.  Here  tradition 
asserts  that  the  pope  used  to  meet  the  early  conclaves  of 
the  Church  in  ti-nes  of  persecution.  The  pillar  under  the 
altar  is  shown  as  that  to  which  S.  Sebastian  was  bound 
■when  he  was  shot  with  arrows. 

The  convent  is  now  appropriated  as  a  blind  asylum. 
The  cloister  blooms  with  orange  and  lemori  trees.  At  one 
time  the  building  was  purchased  by  the  ex-king  Ferdinand 
of  Spain,  who  intended  raming  it  into  a  -villa  for  himself. 

A  short  distance  beyond  S.  Alessio  is  a  sort  of  little 
square,  adorned  with  trophied  memorials  of  the  Knights  of 
Malta,  and  occupying  the  site  of  the  laurel  grove  (Armi- 
lastrum)  which  contained  the  tomb  of  Tatius.  Here  is  the 
entrance  of  the  Priorato  garden,  v.'here  is  tiie  famous  Viezo 
of  S.  Peters  through  the  Keyhole,  admired  by  crowds  of 
people  on  Ash-Wednesday,  when  the  "  stazione  "  is  held  at 
the  neighboring  churches.  Entering  the  garden  (which 
belongs  to  the  Knights,  and  to  which  visitors  are  now  only 
admitted  on  Wednesdays  and  Saturdays)  we  find  ourselves 
in  a  beautiful  avenue  of  old  bay  trees  framing  the  distant 
S.  Peter's.  A  terrace  overhanging  the  Tiber  has  an  enchant- 
inj  \-icw  over  the  river  and  town.     In  the  garden  is  an  old 


CAVE    OF  CACL'S.  297 

pepper-tree,  and  in  a  little  court  a  picturesque  palm-tree 
and  well.  From  hence  we  can  enter  the  church,  some- 
times called  »S'.  Basilio,  sometimes  6".  Maria  Aventina,  an 
ancient  building  modernized  by  Cardinal  Rezzonico  in 
1765,  from  the  very  indifferent  designs  of  Piranesi,  to 
whose  memory  a  statue  has  been  erected  here.  The 
church  contains  an  interesting  collection  of  tombs,  most 
of  them  belonging  to  the  Knights  of  Malta  ;  that  of  Bishop 
Spinelli  is  an  ancient  marble  sarcophagus,  with  a  relief  of 
Minerva  and  the  Muses.  That  of  Bartolorameo  Caraffa — 
a  knight  in  armor — chamberlain  to  Innocent  VII.,  is  by 
the  rare  fifteenth-centun-  sculptor  Paolo  Romano.  A  richly- 
sculptured  ancient  altar  contains  relics  of  saints  found 
beneath  the  pavement  of  the  church.  In  an  upper  hall, 
heads  from  the  full-length  portraits  at  Malta  of  the 
seventy-four  Grand  Masters  have  recently  been  arranged. 

The  Priorato  garden,  so  beautiful  and  attractive  in  itself, 
has  an  additional  interest  as  that  in  which  the  famous 
Hildebrand  (Gregory  VII.,  1073-S0)  was  brought  up  as  a 
boy,  under  the  care  of  his  uncle,  who  was  abbot  of  the 
adjoining  monastery.  A  massive  cornice  in  these  grounds 
is  one  of  the  few  architectural  fragments  of  ancient  Rome 
existing  on  the  Aventine.  It  may,  perhaps,  have  belonged 
to  the  smaller  temple  of  Diana  in  which  Caius  Gracchus 
took  refuge,  and  in  escaping  from  which,  down  the  steep 
hillside,  he  sprained  his  ankle,  and  so  was  taken  by  his 
pursuers.  Some  buried  houses  were  discovered  and  some 
precious  vases  brought  to  light  when  Urban  VIII.  built 
the  stately  buttress  walls  which  now  support  the  hillside 
beyond  the  Priorato. 

The  cliff  below  these  convents  is  the  supposed  site  of 
the  cave  of  the  giant  Cacus,  described  by  Virgil. 

"  At  specus  et  Caci  detecta  apparuit  ingens 
Regia,  et  umbrosae  penitus  patuore  caveraae  ; 
Non  secus  ac  si  qua  penitus  vi  terra  dehiscens 
Infemas  reseret  sedes,  et  regna  recludat 
Pallida,  dis  invisa  ;  superque  immane  barathrum 
Cematur,  trepidentque  immisso  lumine  manes." 

Aendd,  lib.  viii.  241. 

Hercules  brought  the  oxen  of  Geryon  to  pasture  in  the 
valley  between  the  Aventine  and  Palatine.  Cacus,  issuing 
from  his  cave  while  their  owner  was  asleep,  carried  off  four 


298  WALKS  JN  ROME. 

ot  the  bulls,  dragging  tliem  up  the  steep  side  of  the  hill  by 
their  tails,  that  Hercules  might  be  deceived  by  their  foot- 
prints being  reversed.  Then  he  concealed  them  in  his 
cavern,  and  barred  the  entrance  v/ith  a  rock.  Hercules 
sought  the  stolen  oxen  everywhere,  and  when  he  could  not 
find  them,  he  was  going  away  with  the  remainder.  But 
as  he  drove  them  along  the  valley  near  the  Tiber  one  of 
his  oxen  lowed,  and  when  the  stolen  oxen  in  the  cave  heard 
that,  they  answered  ;  and  Hercules,  after  rushing  three 
times  round  the  Aventine  boiling  v/ith  fury,  shattered  the 
stone  which  guarded  the  entrance  of  the  cave  with  a  mass 
of  rock,  and,  though  the  giant  vomited  forth  smoke  and 
flames  against  him,  he  strangled  him  in  his  arms.  Thus 
runs  the  legend,  which  is  explained  by  Ampere. 

"  Cacus  habile  une  caveme  de  I'Aventin,  montagne  en  tout  temps 
mal  famee,  montagne  anciennement  herissee  de  rochers  et  couverte  de 
forets,  dont  la  forct  Naevia,  longtcmps  elle-meme  un  repaire  de  ban- 
dits, etait  une  dependance  et  fut  un  reste  qui  subsista  dans  les  temps 
historiques.  Ce  Cacus  etait  sans  doute  un  brigand  ctlcbre,  dangercux 
pour  les  patres  du  voisinage  dont  il  volait  les  troupeaux  quand  ils 
allaient  paitre  dans  les  pies  situc's  au  bcrd  du  Tibre  ct  boire  I'cau  du 
fleuve.  Les  hauts  faits  de  Cacus  lui  avaient  donnc  cetle  ct'lebrite  qui 
parmi  les  paysans  romains,  s'attache  encore  a  ces  pareils,  et  surtout  Ic 
stratagcme  employe  par  lui  probablement  plus  d'une  fois  pour  de- 
router  les  bouviers  des  environs,  en  emmenant  les  animaux  qu'il  dt'ro- 
bait,  de  manieie  i  cacher  la  direction  de  leurs  pas.  La  caveme  du 
bandit  avait  ete  decouverte  et  forcee  par  quelque  patre  courageux,  qui 
y  avait  penetre  vaiilamment,  malgre  la  terreur  que  ce  lieu  souteirain 
et  formidable  inspirait,  y  avait  surpris  le  voleur  et  I'avait  etrangle. 

"  Tel  etait,  je  crois,  le  recit  primitif  ou  il  n  etait  pas  plus  question 
d'Hercule  que  de  Vulcain,  et  dans  lequel  Cacus  n'etait  pas  mis  a  mort 
par  un  demi-dicu,  mais  par  un  certain  Recaranus,  patre  vigoureux  et 
d'une  grande  taille.  A  ces  recits  du  bergers,  qui  allaient  toujours 
exagerant  les  horreurs  de  I'antre  de  Cacus  et  la  resistance  desesperee 
de  celui-ci,  vinrent  se  melerpeu  apeudes  circonstances  merveilleuses." 
— Hist.  Rom.  i.  170. 

We  must  retrace  our  steps,  as  far  as  the  summit  of  the 
hill  toward  the  Palatine,  and  then  turn  to  the  right  in  order 
to  reach  the  ugly,  obscure-looking  Chui'ch  of  S-  Frisca, 
founded  by  Pope  Eutychianus  a.d.  2S0,  on  the  tradi- 
tional site  of  the  house  of  Aquila  and  Priscilla,  with  whom 
S.  Peter  lodged  when  he  was  at  Rome,  but  entirely  mod- 
ernized by  Cardinal  Giustiniani  from  designs  by  Carlo 
Lombardi,  who  incased  its  fine  granite  columns  in  miser- 
able stucco  pilasters.     Over  the  high  altar  is  a  picture  by 


S.    PRISCA, 


299 


Passigiia-no  of  the  baptism  of  the  saint,  which  is  said  to 
have  taken  place  in  the  ancient  and  very  picturesque  crypt 
beneath  the  church,  where  an  inverted  Corinthian  capital, — 
a  relic  of  the  temple  of  Diana  which  once  occupied  this 
site, — is  shown  as  the  font  in  which  S.  Prisca  was  baptized 
by  S.  Peter. 

Opening  from  the  right  aisle  was  a  kind  of  terraced  loggia, 
now  fallen  into  ruin,  with  a  peculiar  and  beautiful  view. 
In  the  adjoining  vineyard  are  three  arches  of  an  aqueduct. 

"  The  altar-piece  of  the  church  represents  the  baptism  of  S.  Prisca^ 
whose  remains  being  afterward  placed  in  the  church,  it  has  since  borne 
her  name.  According  to  the  legend,  she  was  a  Roman  virgin  of  illus- 
trious birth,  who,  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  was  exposed  in  the  amphi- 
theater. A  fierce  lion  was  let  loose  upon  her,  but  her  youth  and 
innocence  disarmed  the  fury  of  the  savage  beast,  which,  instead  of 
tearing  her  to  pieces,  humbly  licked  her  feet ; — to  the  great  consola- 
tion of  Christians,  and  the  confusion  of  idolaters.  Being  led  back  to 
prison,  she  was  there  beheaded.  .Sometimes  she  is  represented  with 
a  lion,  sometimes  with  an  eagle,  because  it  is  related  that  an  eagle 
watched  by  her  body  till  it  was  laid  in  the  grave  ;  for  thus,  says  the 
story,  was  virgin  innocence  honored  by  kingly  bird  as  well  as  by 
kingly  beast." — I'.Irs.  Jameson. 

"  Aquila  and  Priscilla  are  known  through  the  New  Testament. 
'  Greet  Priscilla  and  Aquila,  my  helpers  in  Christ  Jesus  :  who  have 
for  my  life  laid  down  their  own  necks,  unto  whom  not  only  I  give 
thanks,  but  also  all  the  churches  of  the  Gentiles.  Likewise  greet  the 
church  that  is  in  their  house.'  So  writes  Paul,  in  the  sixteenth  chap- 
ter of  his  epistle  to  the  Romans  ;  and  this  greeting  is  already  enough 
to  give  us  exalted  ideas  of  the  devotion  of  this  couple  to  the  faith. 
But  our  respect  for  them  is  further  increased  when  we  recollect  what 
Luke  lells  us  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  :  that  Apollos — one  of  the 
most  learned  and  eloquent  among  the  first  heralds  of  Christianity,  and 
the  probable  author  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews — sat  on  the  disci- 
ciples'  bench  in  the  house  of  Aquila  and  Priscilla,  and  from  them,  but 
especially  from  the  mother  of  the  house,  received  deeper  instruction  in 
the  way  of  salvation  :  '  they  expounded  to  him  the  way  of  God  more 
perfectly,'  says  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles. 

"  We  know  further  of  Aquila  and  Priscilla  that  they  were  working- 
people — that  in  their  house  on  the  Aventine  they  followed  the  trade 
of  tent-making,  the  same  by  which  the  Apostle  Paul  also  earned  his 
bread.  When  the  Emperor  Claudius  drove  the  Jews  out  of  Rome, 
they  too  had  to  leave  the  city,  for  Aquila  was  a  Jew,  born  in  Pontus. 
They  then  removed  to  Corinth,  where  Paul  became  their  guest,  and 
where,  as  in  Rome,  they  held  assemblies  at  their  house.  They  after- 
ward established  their  dwelling  at  Ephesus,  and  remained  there  till 
they  obtained  leave  to  return  to  Rome  and  their  house  on  the  Aventine, 

"  If  the  tradition — for  which  a  Latin  inscription  in  the  very  ancient 
church  is  responsible — if  the  tradition  be  right,  the  house  of  Aquila 
and  Priscilla  was  in  its  turn  built  on  the  remains  of  a  temple  of  Diana. 


300 


JVALjVS  in  ROME. 


and  that  again  upon  the  site  of  an  altar  to  Hercules,  which  the  Arca- 
dian king,  Evander,  had  built,  hundreds  of  years  before  the  time  of 
Romulus.  What  a  train  of  memories,  which  carries  us,  though  with 
uncertain  steps,  back  into  the  very  night  of  antiquity.  And  as  the 
sun  sinks  and  the  wall  of  S.  Prisca  casts  a  lengthening  shadow,  let  us 
linger  a  moment,  and  dream  in  silence  and  solitude  of  what  the  stories 
and  memories  may  be  with  which  coming  ages  shall  lengthen  out  the 
chain  of  those  which  the  past  has  already  linked  to  this  deserted  and 
melancholy  spot." — Rydberg's  Roman  Days. 

Opposite  the  door  of  this  church  is  the  entrance  of  the 
Vigna  del  Gesuili,  a  wild  and  beautiful  vineyard  occupying 
the  greater  part  of  this  deserted  hill,  and  extending  as  far 
as  the  Porta  S.  Paolo  and  the  pyramid  of  Caius  Cestius. 
Several  farmhouses  are  scattered  among  the  vines  and 
fruit  trees.  There  are  beautiful  views  towards  the  Alban 
mountains,  and  to  the  Pseudo-Aventine  with  its  fortress- 
like convents.  The  ground  is  littered  with  fragments  of 
marbles  and  alabaster,  which  lie  unheeded  among  the  veg- 
etables, relics  of  unknown  edifices  which  once  existed 
here.  Just  where  the  path  in  the  vineyard  descends  a 
slight  declivity  toward  S.  Paolo,  are  the  finest  existing 
remains  of  the  Walls  of  Scrvius  Tullius,^  formed  of  large 
quadrilateral  blocks  of  tufa,  laid  alternately  long  and  cross- 
ways,  as  in  the  Etruscan  buildings.  The  spot  is  beautiful, 
and  overgrown  by  a  luxuriance  of  wild  mignonnette  and 
other  flowers  in  the  late  spring. 

Descending  to  the  valley  beneath  S.  Prisca,  and  cross- 
ing the  lane  which  leads  fiom  the  Via  Appia  to  the  Porta 
S.  Paolo,  we  reach,  on  the  side  of  the  Pseudo-Aventine, 
the  Church  of  S.  Sabba,  which  is  supposed  to  mark  the 
site  of  the  Porta  Raudusculana  of  the  walls  of  Servius 
Tullius.  Its  position  is  very  striking,  and  its  portico,  built 
A.D.  1 200,  is  picturesque  and  curious. 

This  church  is  of  unknown  origin,  but  is  known  to  have 
existed  in  the  time  of  S.  Gregory  the  Great,  and  to  have 
been  one  of  the  fourteen  privileged  abbacies  of  Rome.  Its 
patron  saint  was  S.  Sabbas,  an  abbot  of  Cappadocia,  who 
died  at  Jerusalem  a.d.  532. 

"  The  record  of  the  artist  Jacobus  di  Cosmati,  dated  the  third  year 
of  Innocent  III.  (1205),  on  the  lintel  of  the  mosaic-inlaid  doorway, 
justifies  us  in  classing  this  church  among  monuments  of  the  thirteenth 
century.       From    its  origin  a  Greek    monastery,    it  was  assigned  by 

'  Some  antiquaries  attribute  them  to  the  wall  of  the  Aventine,  built  by  Ancus 
Martius.    The  arch,  of  course,  is  an  addition. 


S.   SABBA. 


301 


Lucius  II.,  in  I141,  to  the  Benedictines  of  the  Cluny  rule.  An 
epigraph  near  the  sacristy  mentions  a  rebuilding  either  of  the  cloisters 
or  church,  in  1325,  by  an  abbot  Joannes  ;  and  in  1465  the  roof  vAxs 
renewed  in  woodwork  by  a  cardinal,  the  nephew  of  Pius  II. 

"  In  1512  the  Cistercians  of  Clairvaux  were  located  here  by  Julius  II. ; 
and  some  years  later  these  buildings  were  given  to  the  Germanic-Hun- 
garian College.  Amid  gardens  and  vineyards,  approached  by  a 
solitary  lane  between  hedgerows,  this  now  deserted  sanctuary  has  a 
certain,  affecting  character  in  its  forlornness.  Save  on  Thursdays,  when 
the  German  students  are  brought  hither  by  their  Jesuit  professors  to 
enliven  the  solitude  by  their  sports  and  converse,  we  might  never  suc- 
ceed in  finding  entrance  to  this  quiet  retreat  of  the  monks  of  old. 

"Within  the  arched  porch,  through  which  we  pass  into  an  outer 
court,  we  read  an  insciiption  telling  that  here  stood  the  house  and 
oratory  (called  celia  -aova)  of  S.  Sylvia,  mother  of  S.  Gregory  the  Great, 
whence  the  pious  matron  used  daily  to  send  a  porridge  of  legumes  lo 
her  son,  while  he  inhabited  his  monastery  on  the  Clivus  Scauri,  or 
northern  ascent  of  the  Coelian.  Within  that  court  formerly  stood  the 
cloistral  buildings,  of  which  little  now  remains.  The  fafade  is  re- 
markable for  its  atrium  in  two  stories  ;  the  upper  with  a  pillared  arcade, 
probably  of  the  fifteenth  century  ;  the  lower  formerly  supported  by 
six  porphyry  columns,  removed  by  Pius  VI.  to  adorn  the  Vatican 
library,  where  they  still  stand.  The  porphyry  statuettes  of  two  em- 
perors embracing,  supposed  either  an  emblem  of  the  concord  between 
the  East  and  West,  or  the  intended  portraits  of  the  co-reigning  Con- 
stantine  II.  and  Constans — a  curious  example  of  sculpture  in  its  deep 
decline,  and  probably  imported  by  Greek  monks  from  Constantinople 
— project  from  two  of  those  ancient  columns."  ' — Hemans'  Mediccval 
Art. 

The  interior  of  S.  Sabba  is  in  the  basilica  form.  It 
retains  some  fragments  of  inlaid  pavements,  some  handsome 
inlaid  marble  panels  on  either  side  of  the  high  altar,  and 
an  ancient  sarcophagus.  The  tribune  has  rude  paintings 
of  the  fourteenth  century — the  Saviour  between  S.  Andrew 
and  S.  Sabbas  the  Abbot  ;  and  below,  the  Crucifixion,  the 
Madonna,  and  the  twelve  Apostles.  Beneath  the  tribune  is 
a  crypt,  and  over  its  altar  a  beautifully  ornamented  disk 
with  a  Greek  cross  in  the  center. 

Behind  S.  Sabba  is  another  delightful  vineyard,  but  it  is 
difficult  to  gain  admittance.  Here  Flaminius  Vacca  de- 
scribes the  discovery  of  a  mysterious  chamber  without  door 
or  window,  whose  pavement  was  of  agate  and  cornelian, 
and  whose  walls  were  plated  with  gilt  copper  ;  but  of  this 
nothing  remains.^ 

To  reach  the  remaining  church  of  the  Aventine,  we  have 

'  Similar  figures  exist  near  one  of  the  corners  of  the  Ducal  Palace  at  Venice. 
^  Hetnans'  Story  0/ Moniiiitcnts  in  Kane.  ii.  izS. 


303 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


to  turn  to  the  Via  Appia,  and  then  follow  the  lane  which 
leads  up  the  hillside  from  the  Baths  of  Caracalla  to  the 
Church  of  S.  Balbina,  whose  picturesque  red  brick  tower 
forms  so  conspicuous  a  feature,  as  seen  against  the  long  soft 
lines  of  the  flat  Campagna,  in  so  many  Roman  views.  It 
was  erected  in  memory  of  S.  Balbina,  a  virgin  martyr  (buried 
in  S.  Maria  in  Domenica),  who  suffered  under  Hadrian, 
A.D.  132.  It  contains  the  remains  of  an  altar  erected  by 
Cardinal  Barbo,  in  the  old  basilica  of  S.  Peter's,  a  splendid 
ancient  throne  of  marble  inlaid  with  mosaics,  and  a  fine 
tomb,  by  Giovanni  Cosmati,  of  the  papal  chamberlain,  Ste- 
fano  Sordi,  supporting  a  recumbent  figure,  and  adorned 
with  mosaics. 

Adjoining  this  church  Monsignor  de  Merode,  in  the 
time  of  Pius  IX.,  established  a  house  of  correction  for 
youthful  offenders,  to  avert  the  moral  result  of  exposing 
them  to  communication  v/ith  other  prisoners. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE    VIA     APPIA. 

The  Porta  Capena — Baths  of  Caracalla — Vigna  Guidi — SS.  Nereo  ed 
Achilleo — SS.  Sisto  e  Domenico — S.  Cesareo  (S.  Giovanni  in  Oleo 
— S.  Giovanni  in  Porta  Latina) — Columbarium  of  the  Froedmen 
of  Octavia — Tomb  of  the  Scipios — Columbarium  of  the  Vigna 
Codini — Arch  of  Drusus — Porta  S.  Sebastiana — Tombs  of  Geta 
and  Priscilla — Church  of  Domine  Quo  Vadis  (Vigna  Marancia) — 
Catacombs  of  S.  Calixtus,  of  S.  Pretextatus,  of  the  Jews,  and  SS. 
Nereo  ed  Achilleo — (Temple  of  Bacchus,  i.  c,  S.  Urbano — Grotto 
of  Egeria — Temple  of  Uivus  Rediculus) — Basilica  and  Catacombs 
of  S.  Sebastiano — Circus  of  Alaxentius — Temple  of  Romulus,  son 
of  Maxentius — Tomb  of  Cecilia  Metella — Castle  of  the  Caetani — 
Tombs  of  the  Via  Appia — S.  Maria  Nuova — Roma  Vecchia — 
Casale  Rotondo — Tor  di  Selce,  etc. 

THE  Via  Appia,  called  Regina  Viarum  by  Statius,  was 
begun  B.C.  312,  by  the  Censor  Appius  Claudius,  the 
Blind,  "  the  most  illustrious  of  the  great  Sabine  and  Pa- 
trician race,  of  whom  he  was  the  most  remarkable  repre- 
sentative." It  was  paved  throughout,  and  during  the  first 
part  of  its  course  served  as  a  kind  of  patrician  cemetery, 
being  bordered  by  a  magnificent  avenue  of  family  tombs. 
It  began  at  the  Porta  Capena,  itself  crossed  by  the  Ap- 
pian  aqueduct,  which  was  due  to  the  same  great  bene- 
factor— 

"  Substitit  ad  veteres  arcus  madidamque  Capenam," 

and  v/as  carried  by  Claudius  across  the  Pontine  Marshes 
as  far  as  Capua,  but  afterward  extended  to  Brundusium. 

The  site  of  the  Porta  Capena,  so  important  as  marking 
the  commencement  of  the  Appian  VVay,  was  long  a  dis- 
puted subject.  The  Roman  antiquaries  maintained  that 
it  was  outside  the  present  walls,  basing  their  opinion  on 
the  statement  of  S.  Gregory,  that  the  river  Almo  was  in  that 
Regio,  and  considering  the  Almo  identical  with  a  small 
stream  which  is  crossed  in  the  hollow  about  half  a  mile  be- 

30.3 


304  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

yond  the  Porta  S.  Sebastiano,  and  which  passes  through 
the  Valle  Caffarelle,  and  falls  into  the  Tiber  near  S.  Paolo. 
This  stream,  however,  which  rises  at  the  foot  of  the  Alban 
Hills  below  the  lake,  divides  into  two  parts  about  six  miles 
from  Rome,  and  its  smaller  division,  after  flowing  close  to 
the  Porta  San  Giovanni,  recedes  again  into  the  country, 
enters  Rome  near  the  Porta  Metronia,  a  little  behind  the 
Church  of  S.  Sisto,  and  passing  through  the  Ciicus  Maxi- 
mus,  falls  into  the  Tiber  at  the  Pulchrum  Littus,  below  the 
temple  of  Vesta.  Close  to  the  point  where  this,  the  ^mallei 
branch  of  the  Almo,  crosses  the  Via  San  Sebastiano,  Mr. 
J.  H.  Parker,  in  1868-69,  discovered  some  remains,  on  the 
original  line  of  walls,  w-hich  he  identified  beyond  doubt  as 
those  of  the  Porta  Capcna,  whose  position  had  been 
already  proved  by  Ampere  and  other  authorities. 

Close  to  the  Porta  Capena  stood  a  large  group  of  his- 
torical buildings,  of  which  no  trace  remains.  On  the  right 
of  the  gate  was  the  temple  of  Mars  : 

"  Lux  eadem  Marti  festa  est  ;  quem  ]  rospicit  extra 
Appositum  Tectae  Porta  Capena  viae." 

07'u/,  Fast.  vi.  igi. 

It  is  probably  in  allusion  to  this  temple  that  Propertius 
says  : 

"  Armaque  quum  tulero  portae  votiva  Capenae, 
Subscribam,  salvo  grata  puella  viro." 

Prep.  iv.  Eleg.  3. 

Martial  alludes  to  a  little  temple  of  Hercules  near  this  ; 

"  Capena  grandi  porta  qua  pluit  gutta, 

Phrygiaeque  matris  Almo  qua  lavat  ferruni, 
Horatiorum  qua  viret  sacer  campus, 
Et  qua  pusilli  fervet  Ilerculis  fanum  " 

Mait.  iii.  Ep.  47. 

Near  the  gate  also  stood  the  tomb  cf  the  murdered  sister 
of  the  Horatii,'  with  the  temples  of  Honor  and  Virtue, 
vowed  by  Marcellus  and  dedicated  by  his  son,'^  and  a 
fountain  dedicated  to  Mercury  : 

"  Est  aqua  Mercurii  portae  vicina  Capenae  ; 
Si  juvat  expertis  credere,  numen  habet. 
Hue  venit  incinctus  tunicas  mercator,  et  urna 

'  Livy,  i.  10.  '  Livy,  xxvii.  25;  xxijt.  u. 


FOUNTAnV  OF  EGERIA.  305 

Purus  suffita,  quam  ferat,  haurit  aquam. 
Uda  fit  hinc  laurus  :   lauro  sparguntur  ab  lula 
Omnia,  quae  dominos  sunt  liabitura  novos." 

Ovid,  Fast.  V.  673. 

It  was  at  the  Porta  Capena  that  the  survivor  of  the 
Horatii  met  his  sister. 

"  Horatius  went  home  at  the  head  of  the  army,  bearing  his  triple 
spoils.  But  as  they  were  drawing  near  to  the  Capenian  gate,  his  sister 
came  out  to  meet  him.  Now  she  had  been  betrothed  in  marriage  to 
one  of  the  Curiatii,  and  his  cloak,  which  she  had  wrought  with  her 
own  hands,  was  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  her  brother  ;  and  she  knew 
it,  and  cried  aloud,  and  wept  for  him  she  had  loved.  At  the  sight  of 
her  tears  Horatius  was  so  wroth  that  he  drew  his  sword,  and  stabbed 
his  sister  to  the  heart  ;  and  lie  said,  '  So  perish  the  Roman  maiden 
who  shall  weep  for  her  country's  enemy  ! '  " — Arnold'' s  Hist,  of  Ro»ie, 
i.  16. 

Among  the  many  other  historical  scenes  with  which  the 
Porta  Capena  is  connected,  we  may  remember  that  it  was 
here  that  Cicero  was  received  in  triumph  by  the  senate  and 
people  of  Rome,  upon  his  return  from  banishment,  B.C.  57. 


Two  roads  lead  to  the  Via  S.  Sebastiano— one  the  Via 
S.  Gregorio,  which  comes  from  the  Coliseum  beneath  the 
Arch  of  Constantine  ;  the  other,  the  street  which  comes 
from  the  Ghetto,  through  the  Circus  Maximus,  between 
the  Palatine  and  Aventine. 

The  first  gate  on  the  left,  after  the  junction  of  these 
roads,  is  that  of  the  vineyard  of  the  monks  of  S.  Gregorio, 
in  which  the  site  of  the  Porta  Capena  was  found.  The 
remains  discovered  were  reburied,  owing  to  the  indifference 
of  the  late  government ;  but  the  vineyard  is  worth  entering 
on  account  of  the  picturesque  view  it  possesses  of  the 
Palace  of  the  Caesars. 

On  the  right,  a  lane  leads  up  the  Pseudo-Aventine  to 
the  Church  of  S.  Balbina,  described  in  Chap.  VIII. 

On  the  left,  where  the  Via  Appia  crosses  the  brook  of 
the  Almo,  now  called  Maranna,  the  Via  di  San  Sisto 
Vecchio  leads  to  the  back  of  the  Coelian  behind  S.  Stefano 
Rotondo.  Here  also,  in  the  grounds  of  the  Villa  Celimon- 
tana,  is  the  spring  which  modern  r'-chaeology  has  deter- 
mined to  be  the  true  Fountain  of  Egeria^  where  Numa 
Pompilius  is  described  as  having  his  mysterious  meetings 
with  the  nymph  Egeria.      The  locality  of  this  '^ountain  was 


3o6 


WALKS  IX  ROME. 


verified  when  that  of  the  Porta  Capena  was  ascertained, 
as  It  was  certain  that  it  was  in  the  immediate  neighborhood 
of  that  gate,  from  a  passage  in  the  3d  Satire  of  Juvenal, 
which  describes  that  v/hen  he  v»'as  waiting  at  the  Porta 
Capena  with  Umbritius  while  the  wagon  was  loading  for 
his  departure  to  Cumae,  they  rambled  into  the  valley  of 
Egeria,  and  Umbritius  said,  after  speaking  of  his  motives  for 
leaving  Rome  :  "  I  could  add  other  reasons  to  these,  but 
my  beasts  summon  me  to  move  on,  and  the  sun  is  setting. 
I  must  be  going,  for  the  muleteer  has  long  been  summon- 
ing me  by  the  cracking  of  his  whip." 

To  this  valley  the  oppressed  race  of  the  Jews  was  con- 
fined by  Domitian,  their  furniture  consisting  of  a  basket 
and  a  wisp  of  hay  : 

"  Nunc  sacri  fontis  nemus  et  delubra  locantur 
Judaeis,  quorum  cophinus  foenumque  supellex." 

Jin'oial,  Sat.  iii.  13. 

On  the  right,  are  the  Baths  of  Caracalla  (admission  1  fr. 
under  the  present  regime),  the  largest  mass  of  ruins  in 
Rome,  except  the  Coliseum  ;  consisting  for  the  most  part 
of  huge  walls  of  red  and  orange-colored  brickwork,  fram- 
ing vast  strips  of  blue  sky.  Tne  ruins,  formerly  most 
beautiful,  from  the  immense  variety  of  shrubs  and  flowers 
which  adorned  them,  have  been  utterly  denuded  since  the 
change  of  government,  and  are  now  little  worth  visiting. 
These  baths,  which  could  accommodate  1,600  bathers  at 
once,  were  begun  a.d.  212,  by  Caracalla,  continued  by 
Heliogabalus,  and  finished  under  Alexander  Severus. 
They  covered  a  space  so  enormous  that  their  size  made 
Ammianus  Marcellinus  say  that  the  Roman  baths  were 
like  provinces — and  they  were  supplied  with  water  by  the 
Antonine  Aqueduct,  which  was  brought  hither  for  that 
especial  purpose  from  the  Claudian,  over  the  Arch  of 
Drusus. 

Antiquaries  have  amused  themselves  l^y  identifying  dif- 
ferent chambers,  to  which,  with  considerable  uncertainty, 
the  names  of  Calidarium,  Laconicum,  Tepidarium,  Frigi- 
darium,  &c.,  have  been  affixed. 

The  habits  of  luxury  and  inertia  which  were  introduced 
witli  the  magnificent  baths  of  tlie  emperors  were  among 
the  principal  causes  of  the  decline  and  fnll  r.{   Rome,  and 


BATHS  OF  CARACALLA. 


Zo-j 


the  vices  which  were  encouraged  in  the  baths  found  their 
reaction  in  the  impression  of  the  early  Christians  that  un- 
cleanliness  was  a  virtue,  an  impression  wliich  is  retained 
by  several  of  the  Monastic  Orders  to  the  present  day. 
Thousands  of  the  Roman  youth  frittered  away  their  hours 
in  these  magnihcent  hails,  which  were  provided  with  every- 
thing which  could  gratify  the  senses.  Poets  were  went  to 
recite  their  verses  to  those  who  were  reclining  in  the  baths. 

"  In  medio  qui 

Scripta  foro  recitent,  sunt  multi — quique   lavanteb  : 
Suave  locus  voci  resonat  conclusus." 

Horace,  Sat.  i.  4. 

These  Thermae  of  Caracalla,  which  were  one  mile  in  circumference, 
and  open  at  stated  hours  for  the  indiscriminate  service  of  the  senators 
and  the  people,  contained  above  sixteen  hundred  seats  of  marble. 
The  walls  of  the  lofty  apartments  were  covered  with  curious  mosaics 
that  imitated  the  art  of  the  pencil  in  elegance  of  design  and  in  the 
variety  of  their  colors.  The  Egyptian  granite  was  beautifully  in- 
crusted  with  the  precious  green  marble  of  Numidia.  '1  he  perpetual 
stream  of  hot  water  was  poured  into  the  ca]3acioiis  basins  through  so 
many  wide  mouths  of  bright  and  massy  silver  ;  and  the  meanest  Roman 
could  purchase,  with  a  small  copper  coin,  the  daily  enjoyment  of  a 
scene  of  pomp  and  luxury  which  might  excite  the  envy  of  the  kings  of 
Asia.  From  these  stately  palaces  issued  forth  a  swamr  of  dirty  and 
ragged  plebeians,  without  shoes  and  v>'ithoi!t  mantle  ;  who  loitered 
away  whole  days  in  the  street  or  forum,  to  hear  nev\s  and  to  hold  dis- 
putes ;  who  dissipated,  in  extravagant  gaming,  the  miserable  pittance 
of  their  wives  and  children  ;  and  spent  the  hours  of  the  night  in  the 
indulgence  of  gross  and  vulgar  sensuality." — Gibbon. 

In  the  first  great  hall  was  found,  in  1824,  the  immense 
mosaic  pavement  of  the  pugilists,  now  in  the  Lateian 
museum.  Endless  works  of  art  have  been  discovered 
liere  from  time  to  time,  among  thein  the  best  of  the  Far- 
nese  collection  of  statues — the  Bull,  the  Hercules,  and  the 
Flora — which  were  dug  up  in  1534,  when  Paul  III.  carried 
off  all  the  still  remaining  marble  decorations  of  the  baths 
to  use  for  the  Farnese  Palace.  The  last  of  the  pillars  to 
be  removed  from  hence  is  that  which  supports  the  statue 
of  Justice  in  the  Piazza  S.  Trinita  at  Florence. 

A  winding  stair  leads  to  the  top  of  the  walls,  which 
were  once  well  worth  ascending,  as  well  for  the  idea  which 
you  there  receive  of  the  vast  size  of  the  ruins,  as  for  the 
lovely  views  of  the  Campagna,  which  were  obtained  be- 
tween the  bushes  of  lentiscus  and  phillyrea  with  which  till 


3o8  IVALKS  IN  ROME. 

lately  they  were  fringed.  It  was  se:.tecl  on  these  walls, 
now  so  bear  and  hideous,  that  Shelley  wrote  his  "  Prome- 
theus Unbound." 

"  This  poem  was  chiefly  written  upon  the  mountainous  niins  of  the 
baths  of  Caracalla,  among  the  flowery  gladesand  thickets  of  odorifer- 
ous blossoming  trees  which  are  extended  in  ever-windiug  labyrinths 
upon  its  immense  platforms  and  dizzy  arches  suspended  in  the  air. 
The  briglit  blue  sky  of  Rome,  and  the  effect  of  the  vigorous  awaken- 
ing spring  in  the  divinest  climate,  and  the  new  life  with  which  it 
drenches  the  spirits  even  to  intoxication,  were  the  inspiration  of  the 
drama." — Preface  to  the  Proinethcus. 

"  Maintenant  les  murailles  sont  nues,  sauf  quelques  fragments  de 
chapiteaux  oublies  par  la  destruction  ;  mais  dies  conservent  ce  que 
seules  des  mains  de  geant  pourraient  leur  oter,  leur  masse  ecrasantc, 
la  grandeur  de  leurs  aspects,  la  sublimite  de  leurs  ruines.  On  ne  re- 
grette  rien  quand  on  contemple  ces  enormes  et  pittoresques  debris, 
baignes  a  midi  par  une  ardente  lumiere  ou  se  remplissant  d'ombres  a 
la  tombee  de  la  nuit,  s'elan9ant  a  une  immense  hauteur  vers  un  cicl 
eblouissant,  ou  se  dressant,  momes  et  melancoliques,  sous  un  ciel 
grisatre, — ou  bien,  lorsque,  montant  sur  la  plate-forme  inegale, 
crevassee,  couverte  d'arbustes  et  tapissee  de  gazon,  on  voit,  comme 
du  haut  d'une  colline,  d'un  cote  se  derouler  la  campagne  romaine  et 
le  merveilleux  horizon  de  montagnes  qui  la  termine,  de  I'autre,  ap- 
parailre,  ainsi  qu'une  montagne  de  plus,  le  dome  de  Saint-Pierre,  la 
seule  des  ceuvres  de  I'homme  qui  ait  quelque  chose  de  la  grandeur  des 
cEuvres  de  Dieu." — Ampere,   Einp.  ii.  2S6. 

The  name  of  the  lane  which  leads  to  the  baths  (  Via  all' 
Antoniana)  recalls  the  fact  that,  "  with  a  vanity  which 
seems  like  mockery,  Caracalla  dared  to  bear  the  name  of 
Antoninus,"  which  was  always  dear  to  the  Roman  people. 

Passing  under  the  wall  of  the  government  garden  for 
raising  shrubs  for  the  public  walks,  a  door  on  the  left  of  the 
Via  Appia,  with  a  sculptured  marble  frieze  above  it,  is  that 
of  Guidi,  the  antiquity  vender,  who  has  a  small  museum 
here  of  splendid  fragments  of  marble  and  alabaster  for  sale. 
Opposite  is  the  Vigna  of  Signor  Guidi,  who  has  unearthed 
a  splendid  mosaic  pavement  of  Tritons  riding  on  dolphins, 
and  who  has  here  also  a  collection  of  antique  fragments  to 
be  disposed  of. 

On  the  right  is  6'6'.  Nereo  ed  Achilleo,  a  most  interesting 
little  church.  The  tradition  runs  that  S.  Peter,  going  to 
execution,  let  drop  here  one  of  the  bandages  of  his  wounds, 
and  that  the  spot  was  marked  by  the  early  Christians  with 
sax  oratory,  which  bore  the  name  of  Fasciola.  Nereus  and 
Achilles,  eunuchs  in  the  service  of  Flavius  Clemens  and 


SS.    NERB.O  ED  ACHILLEO. 


309 


Flavia  Domitilla  (members  of  the  imperial  family  exiled  to 
Pontia  under  Diocletian),  having  suffered  martyrdom  at 
Terracina,  their  bodies  were  transported  here  in  524  by 
John  I.,  wlien  the  oratory  was  enlarged  into  a  church, 
which  was  restored  under  Leo  III.,  in  795.  The  church 
was  rebuilt  in  the  sixteenth  century,  by  Cardinal  Baronius, 
who  took  his  title  from  hence.  In  his  work  he  desired 
that  the  ancient  basilica  character  should  be  carefully  car- 
ried out,  and  all  the  ancient  ornaments  of  the  church  were 
preserved  and  reerected.  His  anxiety  that  his  successors 
should  not  meddle  with  or  injure  these  objects  of  antiquity 
is  shown  by  the  inscription  on  a  marble  slab  in  the  tribune  : 

"  Presbyter  Card.  Successor  quisquis  fueris,  rogo  te,  per  gloriam 
Dei,  et  per  merita  horum  martyrum,  nihil  demito,  niliil  minuito,  nee 
mutato  ;  restitutam  antiquitatem  pie  servato  ;  sic  Deus  martyrum  suo- 
rum  precibus  semper  adjuvet  !  " 

The  chancel  is  raised  and  surrounded  by  an  inlaid 
marble  screen.  Instead  of  ambones  there  are  two  plain 
marble  reading-desks  for  the  epistle  and  gospel.  The  altar 
is  inlaid,  and  has  "  transennae,'"  or  a  marble  grating, 
through  which  the  tomb  of  the  saints  Nereus  and  Achilles 
may  be  seen,  and  through  which  the  faithful  might  pass 
their  handkerchiefs  to  touch  it.  Behind,  in  the  semi-circu- 
lar choir,  is  an  ancient  episcopal  throne,  supported  by 
lions,  and  ending  in  a  gothic  gable.  Upon  it  part  of  the 
twenty-eighth  homily  of  S.  Gregory  was  engraved  by  Ba- 
ronius, under  the  impression  that  it  w^as  delivered  thence, 
— though  it  was  really  first  read  in  the  catacomb,  whence 
the  bodies  of  the  saints  were  not  yet  removed.  All  these 
decorations  are  of  the  restoration  under  Leo  TIL,  in  the 
eighth  century.  Of  the  same  period  are  the  mosaics  on 
the  arch- of  the  tribune  (partly  painted  over  in  later  times), 
representing,  in  the  center,  the  Transfiguration  (the  earliest 
instance  of  the  subject  being  treated  in  art),  with  the  An- 
nunciation on  one  side,  and  the  Madonna  and  Child  at- 
tended by  angels,  on  the  other. 

It  is  worth  while  remarking  that  when  the  relics  of 
Flavia  Domitilla  (who  was  niece  of  Vespasian)  and  of 
Nereus  and  Achilles  were  brought  hither  from  the  cata- 
comb on  the  Via  Ardeatina,  which  bears  the  name  of  the 
latter,  thev  were  first  escorted  in  triumph  to  the  Capitol, 


3IO 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


and  made  to  pass  under  the  imperial  arches  which  bore  as 
inscriptions  :  "  The  senate  arid  the  Roman  people  to  S. 
Flavia  Domitilla,  for  having  brought  more  honor  to  Rome 
by  her  death  than  her  illustrious  relations  by  their  works." 
..."  To  S.  Flavia  Domitilla,  and  to  the  Saints  Nereus 
and  Achilles,  the  excellent  citizens  who  gained  peace  for 
the  Christian  republic  at  the  price  of  their  blood.  ' 

Opposite,  on  the  left,  is  a  courtyard  leading  to  the 
Church  of  S.  Sisto  (once  known  as  Titulus  Tigridae),  with 
its  celebrated  convent,  long  deserted  on  account  of  ma- 
laria. 

It  was  here  that  S.  Dominic  first  resided  in  Rome,  and  col- 
lected one  hundred  monks  under  his  rule,  before  he  was 
removed  to  S.  Sabina  by  Honorius  III.  After  he  went  to 
the  Aventine,  it  was  decided  to  utilize  this  convent  by  col- 
lecting here  the  various  Dominican  nuns,  who  had  been 
living  hitherto  under  very  lax  discipline,  and  allowed  to 
leave  their  convents,  and  reside  in  their  own  families. 
The  nuns  of  S.  Maria  in  Trastevere  resisted  the  order, 
and  only  consented  to  remove  on  condition  of  bringing 
with  them  a  Madonna  picture  attributed  to  S.  Luke,  hop- 
ing that  the  Trasteverini  would  refuse  to  part  with  their 
most  cherished  treasure.  S.  Dominic  obviated  the  diffi- 
culty by  going  to  fetch  the  picture  himself  at  night,  at- 
tended by  tv/o  cardinals,  and  a  bare  footed,  torch-bearing 
multitude. 

"  On  Ash-Wednesday,  1218,  the  abbess  and  some  of  her  nuns  went 
to  take  pcsses'-ion  of  their  new  monastery,  and  being  in  the  chapter- 
house with  S.  Dominic  and  Caidinal  Stefano  di  Fossa  Nuova,  sud- 
denly there  came  in  one  tearing  his  hair,  and  making  great  outcries, 
for  the  young  Lord  Napoleon  Orsini,  nepliew  of  the  cardinal,  had 
been  thrown  from  his  horse  and  killed  en  the  spot.  The  cardinal  fell 
speechless  into  the  arms  of  Dominic,  and  the  women  and  others  who 
were  present  were  filled  with  grief  and  horror.  They  brought  the 
body  of  the  youth  into  the  chapter-house,  and  laid  it  before  the  altar  ; 
and  Dominic,  having  prayed,  turned  to  it,  saying,  '  O  adoiescens  Na- 
poleo,  in  nomine  Domini  noslri  Jesu  Christi  tibi  dico  surge,'  and 
thereupon  he  arose  sound  and  whole,  to  the  unspeakable  wonder  of  all 
present." — Jameson's  Monastic  Orders. 

After  being  convinced  by  this  miracle  of  the  divine  mis- 
sion of  S.  Dominic,  forty  nuns  settled  at  S.  Sisto,  promis- 
iing  never  more  to  cross  its  threshold.' 

»  Hemans'  Mcdio'val  Sacred  Art. 


5.    S/STO. 


3»J 


There  is  very  little  remaining  of  the  ancient  S.  Sisto, 
except  the  campanile.  But  the  vaulted  Chapter- House, 
now  dedicated  to  S.  Dominic,  is  well  worth  visiting.  It 
has  recently  been  covered  with  frescoes  by  the  Padre 
Besson — himself  a  Dominican  monk — who  received  his 
commission  from  Father  Muliooly,  Prior  of  S.  Clemente, 
the  Irish  Dominican  convent,  to  which  S.  Sisto  is  now  an- 
nexed. The  three  principal  frescoes  represent  three  mira- 
cles of  S.  Dominic — in  each  case  of  raising  from  the  dead. 
One  represents  the  resuscitation  of  a  mason  of  the  new 
monastery,  who  had  fallen  from  a  scaffold  ;  another,  that 
of  a  child  in  a  wild  and  beautiful  Italian  landscape  ;  the 
third,  the  restoration  of  Napoleone  Orsini  on  this  spot — 
the  mesmeric  upspringing  of  the  lifeless  youth  being  most 
powerfully  represented.  The  whole  chapel  is  highly  pict- 
uresque, and  effective  in  color.  Of  two  inscriptions,  one 
commemorates  the  raising  of  Orsini ;  the  other,  a  prophecy 
of  S.  Dom.inic,  as  to  the  evil  end  of  two  monks  who  de- 
serted their  convent. 

Just  beyond  S.  Sisto,  where  the  Via  della  Ferratella 
branches  off  on  the  left  to  the  Lateran,  stands  a  small 
aediculum,  or  Shritie  of  the  Lares,  with  brick  niches  for 
statues. 

Further,  on  the  right,  standing  back  from  a  kind  of  pi- 
azza, adorned  with  an  ancient  granite  column,  is  the  Church 
of  S.  Cesareo,  which  already  existed  in  the  time  of  8. 
Gregory  the  Great,  but  was  modernized  under  Clement 
VII.  (1523-34).  Its  interior  retains  many  of  its  ancient 
features.  The  pulpit  is  one  of  the  most  exquisite  speci- 
mens of  church  decoration  in  Rome,  and  is  covered  with 
the  most  delicate  sculpture,  interspersed  with  mosaic  ;  the 
emblems  of  the  Evangelists  are  introduced  in  the  carving 
of  the  panels.  The  high  altar  is  richly  incrusted  with 
mosaics,  probably  by  the  Cosmati  family  ;  tiny  owls  form 
part  of  the  decorations  of  the  capitals  of  its  pillars.  Be- 
neath, is  a  "  confession,"  where  two  angels  are  drawing 
curtains  over  the  tomb  of  the  saint.  The  chancel  has  an 
inlaid  marble  screen.  In  the  tribune  is  an  ancient  episco* 
pal  throne,  once  richly  ornamented  with  mosaics. 

In  this  church  S.  Sergius  was  elected  to  the  papal  throne, 
in  687  ;  and  here,  also,  an  Abbot  of  SS.  Vincenzo  ed  Anas- 
tasio  was  elected  in  1145,  as  Eugenius  III.,  and  was  im^ 


312 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


mediately  afterward  forced  by  the  opposing  senate  to  fly 
to  Monticelli,  and  then  to  the  Abbey  of  Farfa,  where  his 
consecration  took  place. 

Part  of  the  Fa/ace  of  the  titular  cardinal  of  S.  Cesareo 
remains  in  the  adjoining  garden,  with  an  interesting  loggia 
of  c.  1 200,  in  its  color  a  splendid  subject  for  an  artist. 

In  this  neighborhood  was  the  Piscina  Fubiica,  which 
gave  a  name  to  the  twelfth  Region  of  the  city.  It  was 
used  for  learning  to  swim,  but  all  trace  of  it  had  disap- 
peared before  the  time  of  Festus,  whose  date  is  uncertain 
but  who  lived  before  the  end  of  the  fourth  century  : 

"  In  thermas  fugio  :  sonas  ad  aurem  ; 
Piscinam  peto  :  non  licet  natare." 

Martial,  iii.  Ep.  44. 

Here  a  lane  turns  on  the  left,  toward  the  ancient  Fo?-ta 
Latina  (through  which  the  Via  Latina  led  to  Capua),  now 
closed. 

In  front  of  the  gate  is  a  little  chapel,  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  called  S.  Giovanni  in  Oleo,  decorated  with  indif- 
ferent frescoes,  on  the  spot  where  S.  John  is  said  to  have 
been  thrown  into  a  cauldron  of  boiling  oil  (under  Domitian), 
from  which  ''  he  came  forth  as  from  a  refreshing  bath. " 
It  is  the  suffering  in  the  burning  oil  which  gave  S.  John 
the  palm  of  a  martyr,  with  which  he  is  often  represented  in 
art.  The  festival  of  "  S.  John  ante  Port.  Lat. "  (May  6) 
is  preserved  in  the  English  Church  Calendar. 

On  the  left,  is  the  Church  of  S.  Giovanni  a  Forta  Latina, 
built  in  1 190  by  Celestine  III. 

In  spite  of  many  modernizations,  the  last  by  Cardinal 
Rasponi  in  1686,  this  building  retains  externally  more  of 
its  ancient  character  than  most  Roman  churches,  in  its  fine 
campanile  and  the  old  brick  walls  of  the  nave  and  apse, 
decorated  with  terra-cotta  friezes.  The  portico  is  entered 
by  a  narrow  arch  resting  on  two  granite  columns.  The 
entrance-door  and  the  altar  have  the  peculiar  mosaic  ribbon 
decoration  of  the  Cosmati,  of  11 90.  The  frescoes  are  all 
modern  ;  in  the  tribune  are  the  deluge  and  the  baptism  of 
Christ, — the  type,  and  antitype.  Of  the  ten  columns,  eight 
are  simple  and  of  granite,  two  are  fluted  and  of  porta-santa, 
showing  that  they  were  not  made  for  the  church,  but  re- 
moved from  some  pagan  building — probably  from  the  tem- 


TOMB   OF    THE   SCJPIOS.  313 

pie  of  Ceres  and  Proserpine.  Near  the  entrance  is  a  very 
picturesque  marble  Weil,  like  those  so  common  at  Venice 
and  Padua,  decorated  with  an  intricate  pattern  of  rich 
carving. 

In  the  opposite  vineyard,  behind  the  chapel  of  the  Oleo, 
very  picturesquely  situated  under  the  Aurelian  Wall,  is  the 
Columbarium  of  the  Freedmen  of  Octavia.  A  columbarium 
was  a  tomb  containing  a  number  of  cinerary  urns  in  niches 
like  pigeon-holes,  whence  the  name.  Many  columbaria 
were  held  in  common  by  a  great  number  of  persons,  and 
the  niches  could  be  obtained  by  purchase  or  inheritance  ; 
in  other  cases,  the  heads  of  the  great  houses  possessed 
whole  columbaria  for  their  families  and  their  slaves.  In 
the  present  instance  the  columbarium  is  more  than  usually 
decorated,  and,  though  much  smaller,  it  is  far  more  worth 
seeing  than  the  columbaria  which  it  is  the  custom  to  visit 
immediately  upon  the  Appian  Way.  One  of  the  cippi, 
above  the  staircase,  is  beautifully  decorated  with  shells  and 
mosaic.  Below,  is  a  chamber,  whose  vault  is  delicately 
painted  with  vines  and  little  Bacchi  gathering  in  the  vint- 
age. Round  the  walls  are  arranged  the  urns,  some  of  them 
in  the  form  of  temples,  and  very  beautifully  designed,  oth- 
ers merely  pots  sunk  into  the  wall,  with  conical  lids,  like 
pipkins  let  into  a  kitchen  range.  A  beautiful  vase  of 
lapis-lazuli  found  here  has  been  transferred  to  the  Vatican. 

Proceeding  along  the  Via  Appia,  on  the  left,  by  a  tall 
cypress  (No.  13),  is  the  entrance  to  the  Tomb  of  the  Scipios, 
a  small  catacomb  in  the  tufa  rock,  discovered  in  1780,  from 
which  the  famous  sarcophagus  of  L.  Scipio  Barbatus,  and 
a  bust  of  the  poet  Ennius,'  were  removed  to  the  Vatican 
by  Pius  VII. 

"  The  Scipios'  tomb  contains  no  ashes  now  ; 
The  very  sepulchers  lie  tenantless 
Of  their  heroic  dwellers." — Childe  Harold. 

The  contadino  at  the  neighboring  farmhouse  provides 
lights,  with  which  one  can  visit  a  labyrinth  of  steep  narrov/ 
passages,  some  of  them  still  retaining  inscribed  sepulchral 

-  This  bust  has  been  supposed  to  represent  the  poet  Ennius,  the  friend  of 
Scipio  Africanus,  because  his  last  request  was  that  he  might  be  buried  by  his 
side.  Even  iathe  time  of  Cicero,  Ennius  was  believed  to  be  buried  in  the  tomb 
of  the  Scipios.  "  Cams  fuit  Africano  superiori  noster  Ennius  ;  itaque  etiam  in 
sepulchre  Scipionum  putatur  is  esse  constitutus  e  marmore."— Cic.  Orat.  Jtr^ 
/>rc/i.  Poet  if 


314 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


slabs.  Among  the  Scipios  whose  tombs  have  been  dis- 
covered here  were  Lucius  Scipio  Barbatus  and  his  son,  the 
conqueror  of  Corsica  ;  Aula  Cornelia,  wife  of  Cneus  Scipio 
Hispanis  ;  a  son  of  Scipio  Africanus  ;  Lucius  Cornelius, 
son  of  Scipio  Asiaticus ;  Cornelius  Scipio  Hispanus  and 
his  son  Lucius  Cornelius.  At  the  farther  end  of  these 
passages,  and  -now,  like  them,  subterranean,  may  be  seen 
the  pediment  and  arched  entrance  of  the  tomb  toward  the 
Via  Latina.  "  It  is  uncertain  whether  Scipio  Africanus 
was  buried  at  Liternum  or  in  the  family  tomb.  In  the  time 
of  Livy  monuments  to  him  were  extant  in  both  places."  ' 
The  Cornelian  gens  always  retained  the  custom  of  burying 
instead  of  burning  their  dead. 

There  is  a  beautiful  view  toward  Rome  from  the  vine- 
yard above  the  tomb. 

A  little  farther  on,  left  (No.  14),  is  the  entrance  of  the 
Vigna  Codiiii  (a  private  garden  with  an  extortionate  cus- 
tode),  containing  four  interesting  Columbaria.  Three  of 
these  are  large  square  vaults,  supported  by  a  central  pillar, 
which,  as  well  as  the  walls,  is  perforated  by  niches  for  urns. 
The  fourth  has  three  vaulted  passages.  Some  of  the  more 
important  persons  have  miniature  sarcophagi.  Amongst 
other  inscriptions  a  lady's  maid  and  a  barber  attached  to 
the  imperial  household,  and  even  a  favorite  lap-dog,  are 
commemorated. 

The  Arches  of  Trajan  and  Verus,  which  crossed  the  road 
within  the  walls,  have  been  destroyed,  but  just  within  the 
gate  still  stands  the  Arch  of  Drusiis.  On  its  summit  are  the 
remains  of  the  aqueduct  by  which  Caracalla  carried  water 
to  his  baths.  The  arch  once  supported  an  equestrian  statue 
of  Drusus,  two  trophies,  and  a  seated  female  figure  repre- 
senting German)'. 

The  Arch  of  Drusus  was  decreed  by  the  senate  in  honor 
of  the  second  son  of  the  empress  Livia,  by  her  first  hus- 
band, Tiberius  Nero.  He  was  father  of  Germanicus  and 
the  Emperor  Claudius,  and  brother  of  Tiberius.  He  died 
during  a  campaign  on  the  Rhine,  B.C.  9,  and  was  brought 
back  by  his  step-father  Augustus  to  be  buried  in  his  own 
mausoleum.  His  '^rtues  are  attested  in  a  poem  ascribed 
to  Pedo  Albinovanus. 

"This  arch,  '  Marmoreum  arcum  cum   tropaeo  Appia  Via '  (Suet 
'  Dyer's  Hist.  0/  the  City  o/  Rome. 


CLIVUS  MARTI S. 


3^5 


l)  is,  with  the  exception  of  the  Pantheon,  the  most  perfect  existing 
monument  of  Augustan  architecture.  It  is  heavy,  plain,  and  nairow, 
with  all  the  dignified  but  stern  simplicity  which  belongs  to  the  character 
of  its  age." — Merivale. 

"It  is  hard  for  one  who  loves  the  very  stones  of  Rome  to  p.">ss 
over  all  the  thoughts  which  arise  in  his  mind  as  he  thinks  of  the  great 
Apostle  treading  the  rude  and  massive  pavement  of  the  Appian  Way, 
and  passing  under  that  Arch  of  Druses  at  the  Porta  S.  Sebasliano, 
toiling  up  the  Capitoline  Hill  past  the  Tabularium  of  the  Capitol, 
dwelling  in  his  hired  house  in  the  Via  Lata  or  elsewhere,  imprisoned 
in  those  painted  caves  in  the  Praetorian  Camp,  and  at  last  pouring  out 
his  blood  for  Christ  at  the  Tre  Fontane,  on  the  road  toOstia." — Dean 
Alford's  Study  of  the  N'ew  Testament,  p.  335. 

The  Porta  San  Sebastiaiio  has  two  fine  semi-circular 
towers  of  the  AureUan  Wall,  resting  on  a  basement  of 
marble  blocks,  probably  plundered  from  the  tombs  on  the 
Via  Appia.  Under  the  arch  is  a  gothic  inscription  relating 
to  the  repulse  of  some  unknown  invaders. 

It  was  here  that  the  senate  and  people  of  Rome  received 
in  state  the  last  triumphant  procession  which  has  entered 
the  city  by  the  Via  Appia,  that  of  Marc  Antonio  Colonna, 
after  the  victory  of  Lepanto  in  1571.  As  in  the  proces- 
sions of  the  old  Roman  generals,  the  children  of  the  con- 
quered prince  were  forced  to  adorn  the  triumph  of  the 
victor,  who  rode  into  Rome  attended  by  all  the  Roman 
nobles,  "in  abito  di  grande  formalita,"  '  preceded  by  the 
standard  of  the  fleet. 

From  the  gate,  the  Clivus  Martis  (crossed  by  the  rail- 
way to  Civita  Vecchia)  descends  into  the  valley  of  the 
Almo,  v/here  antiquaries  formerly  placed  the  Porta  Capena. 
On  the  hillside  stood  a  Temple  of  Mars,  vowed  in  the 
Gallic  war,  and  dedicated  by  T.  Quinctius,  the  "  duumvir 
sacris  faciundis,"  in  B.C.  387.  No  remains  exist  of  this 
temple.  It  was  "  approached  from  the  Via  Capena  by  a 
portico,  which  must  have  rivaled  in  length  the  celebrated 
portico  at  Bologna,  extending  to  the  church  of  the  Madonna 
di  S.  Luca."  "  Near  this,  a  temple  was  erected  to  Tem.- 
pestas  in  B.C.  260,  by  L.  Cornelius  Scipio,  to  commemorate 
the  narrow  escape  of  his  fleet  from  shipwreck  off  the  coast 
of  Sardinia.^  Near  this,  also,  the  poet  Terence  owned  a 
small  estate  of  twenty  acres,  presented  to  him  by  his  friend 
Scipio  Emilianus.''     After  crossing  the  brook,  we  pass  be- 

'  Coppi,  Me7norie  Colonnesi^  p.  342. 

»  See  Dyer's  Hist.  0/ the  City  of  Rome.  D.  85.        '  Il)id.  n.  q7.        *  'bid.  c.  X23 


3i6  WALK'S  IN  ROME. 

tween  two  conspicuous  tombs.  That  on  the  left  is  the 
To?nb  of  Geta,  son  of  Septimius  Severus,  the  murdered 
brother  of  Caracalla  ;  that  on  the  right  is  the  l^omb  of  Fris- 
cilia,  wife  of  Abascantius,  a  favorite  freedman  of  Domitian. 

'  Est  locus  ante  urbem,  qua  primum  nascitur  ingens 
Appia,  quaque  Italo  genitus  Almone  Cybele 
Ponit,  et  Idaeos  jam  non  reminiscitur  amnes. 
Hie  te  Sidonio  velatum  moUiter  ostro 
Eximius  conjux  (nee  enim  fumantia  busta 
Clamoremque  rogi  potuit  peiferie),  beato 
Composuit,  Priseilla,  toro. " — Statins,  Sylv.  v.  i.  222. 

Just  beyond  this,  the  Via  Ardcatina  branches  off  on  the 
right,  passing,  after  about  two  miles,  the  picturesque  Vigna 
Afarancia,  a  pleasant  spot,  with  fine  old  pines  and  cy- 
presses. 

Where  the  roads  divide,  is  the  Church  of  Domiiie  Quo 
Vadis,  containing  a  copy  of  the  celebrated  footprint  said 
to  have  been  left  here  by  our  Saviour ;  the  original  being 
removed  to  S.  Sebastiano. 

"  After  the  burning  of  Rome,  Nero  threw  upon  the  Christians  the 
accusation  of  having  Hred  the  city.  This  was  the  origin  of  the  first 
persecution,  in  which  many  perished  by  terrible  and  hitherto  unheard- 
of  deaths.  The  Christian  converts  besought  Peter  not  to  expose  his 
life.  As  he  fled  along  the  Appian  Way,  about  two  miles  from  the 
gates,  he  was  met  by  a  vision  of  our  Saviour  traveling  toward  the 
city.  Struck  with  amazement,  he  exclaimed,  '  Lord,  whither  goest 
thou?'  to  which  the  Saviour,  looking  upon  him  with  a  mild  sadness, 
replied,  '  I  go  to  Rome  to  be  crucihed  a  second  time,'  and  vanished. 
Peter,  taking  this  as  a  sign  that  he  was  to  submit  himself  to  the  suf- 
ferings prepared  for  him,  immediately  turned  back  to  the  city.' 
Michael  Angelo's  famous  statue,  now  in  the  church  of  S.  Maria  sopra 
Minerva,  is  supposed  to  represent  Christ  as  he  appeared  to  S.  Peter  on 
this  occasion.  A  cast  or  copy  of  it  is  in  the  little  church  of  '  Domine, 
quo  vadis? ' 

"  It  is  surprising  that  this  most  beautiful,  picturesque,  and,  to  my 
fancy,  sublime  legend,  has  been  so  seldom  treated  ;  and  never,  as  it 
seems  to  me,  in  a  manner  worthy  of  iis  capabilities  and  high  signifi- 
cance. It  is  seldom  that  a  story  can  be  told  by  two  figures,  and  these 
two  figures  placed  in  such  grand  and  dramatic  contrast  ;  Christ  in  His 
serene  majesty,  and  radiant  with  all  the  joy  of  beatitude,  yet  uith  an 
expression  of  gentle  reproach  ;  the  Apostle  at  His  feet,  arrested  in  his 
flight,  amazed,  and  yet  filled  with  a  trembling  joy  ;  and  for  the  back- 
ground the  wide  Campagna,  or  towering  walls  of  imperial  Rome." — 
Airs,  fameson.'i 

■  This  story  is  told  by  S.  Ambrose. 

■■'  This  story  is  represented  in  one  of  the  ancient  tapestries  in  the  cathedral  of 
Anagni. 


CATACOMBS   OF   S.    CALIXTUS.  317 

Beyond  the  church  is  a  second  "  Bivium,"  or  cross-ways, 
where  a  lane  on  the  left  leads  up  to  the  Valle  Caffarellc. 
Here,  feeling  an  uncertainty  ivJiich  was  the  crossing  Avhcre 
our  Savior  appeared  to  S.  Peter,  the  English  Cardinal 
Pole  erected  a  second  tiny  chapel  of  "  Domine  Quo  Vadis," 
which  remains  to  this  day. 

On  the  left,  is  the  Columbarium  of  the  Frecdmcn  of 
Augustus  and  Zivia,  divided  into  three  chambers,  but  de- 
spoiled of  its  adornments.  Other  columbaria  near  this 
are  assigned  to  the  Volusii,  and  the  Caecilii. 

Over  the  wall  on  the  left  of  the  Via  Appia  now  hangs  in 
profusion  the  rare  yellow-berried  ivy.  Many  curious  plants 
are  to  be  found  on  these  old  Roman  walls.  Their  com- 
monest parasite,  the  Pellitory — "  /icrba  parietina  " — calls 
to  mind  the  nickname  given  to  the  Emperor  Trajan  in  de- 
rision of  his  passion  for  inscribing  his  name  upon  the  walls 
of  Roman  buildings  which  he  had  merely  restored,  as  if 
he  were  their  founder  ; '  a  passion  in  which  the  popes  have 
since  largely  participated. 

We  now  reach  (on  the  right)  the  entrance  of  the  Cata- 
combs of  S.  Calixtus. 

(The  Catacombs  [except  those  at  S.  Sebastiano]  can  only  be  visited 
in  company  of  a  guide.  For  most  of  the  Catacombs  it  is  necessary  to 
obtain  a  perniesso  ;  upon  which  a  day  (generally  Sunday)  is  Fixed, 
which  must  be  adhered  to.  The  Catacombs  of  S.  Calixtus  are  some- 
times superficially  shown  without  a  'i'^ftcvA permesso.  It  may  be  well 
for  the  visitor  to  provide  himself  with  tapers — cerini.) 

All  descriptions  of  dangers  attending  a  visit  to  the  Cata- 
combs, if  accompanied  by  a  guide,  and  provided  with 
"cerini,"  are  quite  imaginary.  Neither  does  the  visitor 
ever  suffer  from  cold  ;  the  temperature  of  the  Catacombs 
is  mild  and  warm  ;  the  vaults  are  almost  always  dry,  and 
the  air  pure. 

"  The  Roman  Catacombs — a  name  consecrated  by  long  usage,  but 
having  no  etymological  meaning,  and  not  a  very  determinate  geo- 
graphical one — are  a  very  vast  labyrinth  of  galleries  excavated  in  the 
bowels  of  the  earth  in  the  hills  around  the  Eternal  City  ;  not  in  the 
hills  on  which  the  city  itself  was  built,  but  those  beyond  the  walls. 
Their  extent  is  enormous  ;  not  as  to  the  amount  of  superficial  soil 
which  they  imderlie,  for  they  rarely,  if  ever,  pass  beyond  the  third  mile- 
stone from  the  city,  but  in  the  actual  length  of  their  galleries  ;  for  these 

1  Amm.  Marcell.  lib.  xxvii.  c. 


3i8 


WALKS  I.y  ROME. 


are  often  excavated  on  various  level-;,  or piani,  three,  four,  or  even 
five — one  above  the  other  ;  and  they  cioss  and  lecross  one  another, 
sometimes  at  short  intervals,  on  each  of  these  levels  ;  so  that,  on  the 
whole,  there  are  certainly  not  less  than  350inikij  of  tiicin  ;  thai  is  to 
say,  if  stretched  out  in  one  contiuuo as  liiie,  tliey  v.-ould  expend  the 
whole  length  of  Italy  itself.  The  galleiies  are  from  two  to  four  feet 
in  width,  and  vary  in  height  according  to  the  nature  of  the  rock  in 
which  they  are  dug.  The  walls  on  botli  sides  are  pierced  vvitii  hori- 
zontal niches,  like  shelves  in  a  bookcase  or  berths  in  a  sleanicr,  and 
every  niche  once  contained  one  or  more  dead  bodies.  At  various  inter- 
vals this  succession  of  shelves  is  interrupted  for  a  moment,  that  room 
may  be  made  for  a  doorway  opening  into  a  small  chamber  ;  and  the 
walls  of  these  chambers  are  generally  pierced  with  graves  in  the  same 
way  as  the  galleries. 

"  These  vast  excavations  once  formed  the  ancient  Christian  ceme- 
teries of  Rome  ;  they  were  begun  in  apostolic  times,  and  continued  to 
be  used  as  burial-places  of  the  faithful  till  the  capture  of  the  city  by 
Alaric  in  the  year  410.  In  the  third  century,  the  Roman  Church 
numbered  twenty-five  or  twenty-six  of  them,  corresponding  to  the 
number  of  her  titles,  or  parishes,  within  the  city  ;  and  beside  these, 
there  are  about  twenty  others,  of  smaller  dimensions,  isolated  monu- 
ments of  special  martyrs,  or  belonging  to  this  or  that  private  family. 
Originally  they  all  belonged  to  private  families  or  individuals,  the 
villas  or  gardens  in  which  they  were  dug  being  tlie  property  of  wealthy 
citizens  who  had  embraced  the  faith  of  Christ,  and  devoted  of  their 
substance  to  His  service.  Hence  their  most  ancient  titles  v.-ere  taken 
merely  from  the  names  of  their  lawful  owners,  many  of  which  still 
survive.  Lucina,  for  example,  who  lived  in  the  days  of  the  Apostles, 
and  others  of  the  same  family,  or  at  least  of  the  same  name,  who  lived 
at  various  periods  in  the  next  tv/o  centuries  ;  Priscilla,  also  a  contem- 
porary of  the  Apostles  ;  Flavia  Domitilla,  niece  of  Vespasian  ;  Com- 
modilla,  whose  property  lay  on  the  Via  Ostiensis  ;  Ciriaca,  on  the  Via 
Tiburtina  ;  Pretextatus.  on  the  Via  Appia  ;  Pontiano,  on  the  Via  Por- 
tuensis  ;  and  the  Jordani,  Maximus  and  Thraso,  all  on  the  Via  Sala- 
ria  Nova.  These  names  are  still  attached  to  the  various  catacombs, 
because  they  were  originally  begun  upon  tlie  land  of  tliose  who  bore 
them.  Other  catacombs  are  known  by  the  names  of  those  who  pre- 
sided over  their  formation,  as  that  of  S.  Calixtiis,  on  the  Via  Appia  ; 
or  S.  Mark,  on  the  Via  Ardeatina  ;  or  of  the  principal  martyrs  who 
were  buried  in  them,  as  SS.  Hermes,  Basilla,  Protus,  and  Hyacinthus, 
on  the  Via  Salaria  Vetus  ;  or,  lastly,  by  some  peculiarity  of  their  posi- 
tion, as  ad  Calacianbas  on  the  \'ia  Appia,  and  ad  diias  Lauras  on  the 
Via  Lal)icana. 

"  It  has  always  been  agreed  among  men  of  learning  who  have  had 
an  opportunity  of  examining  these  excavations,  that  they  were  used 
exclusiv^ely  by  the  Christians  as  ]ilaces  of  burial  and  of  holding  reli- 
gious assemblies.  Modern  research  has  now  placed  it  beyond  a  doubt, 
that  they  were  also  originally  designed  for  this  purpose  and  for  no 
other  :  that  they  were  not  deserted  sand-pits  {areiiariae)  or  quarries, 
adapted  to  Christian  uses,  but  a  development,  with  important  modifi- 
cations, of  a  form  of  .sepulcher  not  altogether  unknown  even  among 


THE    CATACOMBS.  310 

the  heathen  families  of  Rome,  and  in  common  use  among  the  Jews 
both  in  Rome  and  elsewhere. 

"At  first,  the  work  of  making  the  catacombs  was  done  openlv, 
without  let  or  hinderance,  by  the  Christians  ;  the  entrances  to  them 
were  public  on  the  high  road  or  on  the  hillside,  and  the  galleries  and 
chambers  were  freely  decorated  with  paintings  of  a  sacred  character. 
But  early  in  the  third  century,  it  became  necessary  to  witiidraw  them 
as  much  as  possible  from  the  public  eye  ;  new  and  often  difficult  en- 
trances were  now  effected  in  the  recesses  of  deserted  arfnariae,  and 
even  the  liberty  of  Christian  art  was  cramped  and  fettered,  lest  what 
was  holy  should  fall  under  the  profane  gaze  of  the  unbaptized. 

"Each  of  these  burial-places  was  called  in  ancient  times  either 
hypogaeum,  i.  e.  generically,  a  subterranean  place,  or  coemeicrium,  a 
sleepmg-place,  a  new  name  of  Christian  origin  which  the  Pagans  could 
only  repeat,  probably  without  understanding  ;  sometimes  also  niar- 
tyrium,  or  confessio  (its  Latin  equivalent),  to  signify  that  it  was  the 
burial-place  of  martyrs  or  confessors  of  the  faith.  An  ordinary  grave 
was  called  locus  or  loculus,  if  it  contained  a  single  body  ;  or  I'lscmum, 
irisoinwn  or  quadrisomum,  if  it  contained  two,  three,  or  four.  The 
graves  were  dug  by /fj-j-f'/YJ,  and  burial  in  them  \\z.s  czW&A  depositio. 
The  galleries  do  not  seem  to  have  had  any  specific  name  ;  but  the 
chambers  were  called  cid>icitl.u  In  most  of  ihete  chambers,  and  some- 
times also  in  the  galleries  themselves,  one  or  more  tom.bs  are  to  be 
seen  of  a  more  elaborate  kind  ;  a  long  oblong  cJiassc,  like  a  sarcopha- 
gus, either  hollowed  out  in  the  rock  or  built  up  of  masonry,  and  closed 
by  a  heavy  slab  of  marble  lying  horizontally  on  the  top.  The  niche 
over  tombs  of  this  kind  was  of  the  same  length  as  the  grave,  and 
generally  vaulted  in  a  semi-circular  form,  whence  they  were  called 
arcosolia.  Sometimes,  however,  the  niche  retained  the  rectangular 
form,  in  which  case  there  was  no  special  name  for  it,  but  for  distinc- 
tion's sake  we  may  be  allowed  to  call  it  a  table-tomb.  Those  of  the 
arcosolia,  which  were  also  the  tomb  of  martyrs,  were  used  on  the 
anniversaries  of  their  deaths  {natalitia,  or  birthdays)  as  altars  whereon 
the  holy  mysteries  were  celebrated  ;  hence,  whilst  Ecm.e  of  the  cubicula 
were  only  family  vaults,  others  were  chapels,  or  places  of  public 
assembly.  It  is  probable  that  the  holy  mysteries  were  celebrated  also 
in  the  private  vaults,  on  the  anniversaries  of  the  deaths  of  their  occu- 
pants ;  and  each  one  was  sufficiently  large  in  itself  for  use  on  these 
private  occasions  ;  but  in  order  that  as  many  as  possible  might  assist 
at  the  public  celebrations,  two,  three,  or  even  four  of  the  ciibiciila 
were  often  made  close  together,  all  receiving  light  and  air  through  one 
shaft  or  air-hole  {luminarc),  pierced  through  the  superincumbent  soil 
up  to  the  open  air.  In  this  way  as  many  as  a  hundred  persons  might 
be  collected  in  some  parts  of  the  catacombs  to  assist  at  the  same  act  of 
public  worship  ;  while  a  still  larger  number  might  have  been  dispersed 
in  the  ciibiciila  of  neighboring  galleries,  and  received  there  the  bread 
of  life  brought  to  them  by  the  assistant  priests  and  deacons.  Indica- 
tions of  this  arrangement  are  not  only  to  be  found  in  ancient  ecclesias- 
tical writings  ;  they  may  still  be  seen  in  the  very  walls  of  the  catacombs 
themselves  ;  episcopal  chairs,  chairs  for  the  presiding  deacon  or  dea- 
conness,   and   benches  for  the  faithful,    having  formed    part    of   the 


320 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


original  design  when  the  chambers  were  hewn  out  of  the  Hving  rock, 
and  still  remaining  where  they  were  first  made." — Roma  Sotterranea, 
Northcote  and  Ih-oiuulow. 

"  To  our  classic  associations,  Rome  was  still,  under  Trajan  and 
the  Antonines,  the  city  of  the  Caesars,  the  metropolis  of  pagan 
idolatry — in  the  pages  of  her  poets  and  historians  we  still  linger 
among  the  trium.phs  of  the  Capitol,  the  shows  of  the  Coliseum  ;  or  if 
we  read  of  a  Christian  being  dragged  before  the  tribunal,  or  exposed 
to  the  beasts,  we  think  of  him  as  one  of  a  scattered  community,  few 
in  number,  spiritless  in  action,  and  politically  insigniiicant.  But  all 
this  while  there  was  living  beneath  the  visible  an  invisible  Rome — a 
population  unheeded,  unreckoned — thought  of  vaguely,  vaguely  spoken 
of,  and  with  the  familiarity  and  indifference  that  men  feel  who  live  on 
a  volcano — yet  a  population  strong-hearted,  of  quick  impulses,  nerved 
alike  to  suffer  or  to  die,  and  in  number,  resolution,  and  physical  force 
sufficient  to  have  hurled  their  oppressors  from  the  throne  of  the  world, 
had  they  not  deemed  it  their  duty  to  kiss  the  rod,  to  love  their  enemies, 
to  bless  those  that  cursed  them,  and  to  submit,  for  their  Redeemer's 
sake,  to  the  "powers  that  be."  Here,  in  these  "dens  and  caves  cf 
the  earth,"  they  lived;  here  they  died — a  "  spectacle  "  in  their  life- 
time "to  men  and  angels,"  and  in  their  death  a  "triumph"  to  man- 
kind— a  triumph  of  which  the  echoes  still  float  around  the  walls  of 
Rome,  and  over  the  desolate  Campagna,  while  those  that  once  thrilled 
the  Capitol  are  silenced,  and  the  walls  that  returned  them  have  long 
since  crumbled  into  dust." — Lord  Lindsay's  Christian  Art,  i.  4. 

The  name  Catacombs  is  modern,  having  originally  been 
only  applied  to  S.  Sebastiano  "  ad  catacumbas."  The  early 
Christians  called  their  burial-places  by  the  Greek  name 
Cocmeteria,  sleeping-places.  Almost  all  the  catacombs  are 
between  the  first  and  third  mile-stones  from  the  Aurelian 
Wall,  to  which  point  the  city  extended  before  the  wall 
itself  was  built.  This  was  in  obedience  to  the  Roman  law 
which  forbade  burial  within  the  precincts  of  the  city. 

The  fact  that  the  Christians  were  always  anxious  not  to 
burn  their  dead,  but  to  bury  them  in  these  rock-hewn 
sepulchers,  was  probably  owing  to  the  remembrance  that 
Our  Lord  was  Himself  laid  "in  a  wq\^  tomb  hewn  cut  of 
the  rock,"  and  perhaps  also  for  this  reason  the  bodies  were 
wraped  in  fine  linen  cloths,  and  buried  with  ])recious  spices, 
of  which  remains  have  been  found  in  the  tombs. 

The  Catacomb  which  is  known  as  S.  Calixtus  is  com- 
posed of  a  number  of  catacombs,  once  distinct,  but  now 
joined  together.  Such  were  those  of  S.  Lucina  ;  of  Ana- 
tolia, daughter  of  the  consul  Aemilianus  ;  and  of  S.  Soteris, 
"  a  virgin  of  the  family  to  which  S.  Ambrose  belonged  in  a 
later   generation,"   and  who  was   buried    ''in    coemetcrio 


BURIAL-PLACE    01-    THE  POPES. 


321 


suo,"  A.D.  304.  The  passages  of  these  catacombs  were 
gradually  united  with  those  v/hich  originally  belonged  to 
the  cemetery  of  Calixtus. 

The  high  mass  of  ruin  v/hich  meets  our  eyes  on  first 
entering  the  vineyard  of  S.  Calixtus,  i.;  a  remnant  of  the 
tomb  of  the  Caecilii,  of  which  family  a  number  of  epitaphs 
have  been  found.  Beyond  this  is  another  ruin,  supposed 
by  Marangoni  to  have  been  the  basilica  which  S.  Damasus 
provided  for  his  own  burial  and  that  of  his  mother  and 
sister  ;  v/hich  Padre  Marchi  believed  to  be  the  church  of 
S.  Mark  and  S.  Marcellinus  ; — but  which  De  Rossi  identi- 
fies with  the  cella  memoriae,  sometimes  called  of  S.  Sistus, 
sometimes  of  S.  Cecilia  (because  built  immediately  over  the 
graves  of  those  martyrs), by  S.  Fabian  in  the  third  century.' 

Descending  into  the  Catacomb  by  an  ancient  staircase 
restored,  we  reach  (passing  a  sepulchral  cubiculum  on  the 
right)  the  Chapel  of  the  Popes,  a  place  of  burial  and  of 
worship  of  the  third  or  fourth  century  (as  it  was  restored 
after  its  discovery  in  1854,  but)  still  retaining  remains  of 
the  marble  slabs  with  which  it  was  faced  by  Sixtus  III.  in 
the  fifth  century,  and  of  marble  columns,  <i:c.,  with  which 
it  was  adorned  by  S.  Leo  III.  (795-816).  The  walls  are 
lined  with  graves  of  the  earliest  popes,  many  of  them 
martyrs — viz.,  S.  Zephyrinus  (202-211);  S.  Pontianus, 
who  died  in  banishment  in  Sardinia  (231-236)  ;  S.  An- 
teros,  martyred  under  Maximian  in  the  second  month  of 
his  pontificate  (236)  ;  S.  Fabian,  martyred  under  Decius 
(236-250)  ;  S.  Lucius,  martyred  under  Valerian  (253- 
255);  S.  Stephen  I.,  martyred  in  his  episcopal  chair,  under 
Valerian  (255-257)  ;  S.  Sixtus  II.,  martyred  in  the  Cata- 
combs of  S.  Pretextatus  (257-260);  S.  Dionysius  (260- 
271)  ;  S.  Eutychianus,  martyr  (275-283)  ;  and  S.  Caius 
(284-296).  Of  these,  the  grave  stones  of  Anteros,  Fa- 
bian, Lucius,  and  Eutychianus  have  been  discovered,  with 
inscriptions  in  Greek,  which  is  acknowledged  to  have  been 
the  earliest  language  of  the  church, — in  which  S.  Paul  and 
S.  James  wrote,  and  in  which  the  proceedings  of  the  first 
twelve  councils  were  carried  on.'^  Though  no  inscrip- 
tions have  been  found  relating  to  the  other  popes  men- 
tioned, they  are  known  to  have  been  buried  here  from 
the  earliest  authorities. 

^  Roma  Sotterranea,  p.   t3->.  "^  Ibid.,r>.  177. 

14* 


322 


WALKS  IN  HOME. 


Over  the  site  of  the  altar  is  one  of  the  beautifuUv-cut 
inscriptions  of  Pope  S.  Damasus  (3('6-384),  "  whose  labor 
of  love  it  was  to  rediscover  the  tombs  which  had  been 
blocked  up  for  concealment  under  Diocletian,  to  remove 
the  earth,  widen  the  passages,  adorn  the  sepulchral  cham- 
bers with  marble,  and  support  the  friable  tufa  walls  with 
arches  of  brick  and  stone."  ' 

"Hie  congesta  jacet  quaeris  si  tiirba  Piorum, 

Corpora  Sanctorum  retinent  veneranda  Hcpulchra, 
Sublimes  animas  rapuit  sibi  Regia  Coeli : 
Hie  comites  Xysti  portant  qui  ex  hoste  tropaea ; 
Hie  numerus  procerum  scrvat  qui  altaria  Christi ; 
Hie  positus  longa  vixit  qui  in  pace  Sacerdos  ; 
Hie  Confessores  sancti  quos  Graecia  misit  ; 
Hie  juvenes,  puerique,  senes,  castique  nepotes, 
Quis  mage  virgineura  placuit  retinere  pudorem. 
Hie  fateor  Damasus  volui  mea  condere  membra, 
Sed  cineres  timui  sanctos  vexare  Piorcm." 

"  Here,  if  you  would  know,  lie  heaped  together  a  number  of  the  holy, 
These  honored  sepulchers  inclose  the  bodies  of  the  saints, 
Their  lofty  souls  the  palace  of  heaven  has  received. 

Here  lie  the  companions  of  Xystus,  who  bear  away  the  trophies  from 

the  enemy  ; 
Here  a  tribe  of  the  elders  which  guards  the  altars  of  Christ  ; 
Here  is  buried  the  priest  who  livtd  long  in  peace  ;  ^ 
Here  the  holy  confessors  who  came  from  Greece  ; ' 
Here  lie  youths  and  boys,  old  men  and  their  chaste  descendants, 
Who  kept  their  virginity  undefiled. 
Here  I  Damasus  wished  to  have  laid  my  limbs, 
But  feared  to  disturb  the  holy  ashes  of  the  saints."'' 

From  this  chapel  we  enter  the  Cubicidum  of  S.  Cecilia, 
where  the  body  of  the  saint  was  buried  by  her  friend 
Urban  after  her  martyrdom  in  her  own  house  in  the  Tra- 
stevere  (see  Chap.  XVII.),  a.d.  224,  and  where  it  was  dis- 
covered in  820  by  Pope  Paschal  I.  (to  whom  its  resting- 
place  had  been  revealed  in  a  dream),  '*  fresh  and  perfect 
as  when  it  was  first  laid  in  the  tomb,  and  clad  in  rich  gar- 
ments mixed  with  gold,  with  linen  cloths  stained  with 
blood  rolled  up  at  her  feet,  lying  in  a  cypress  coffin."^ 

'  Roma  Soitcrranea,  p    07. 

2  S.  Mclchiadcs,  buried  in  another  part  of  the  catacomb,  who  lived  long  in 
peace  after  the  persecution  h.id  ceased. 

^  Hippolytus.  Adnas,  Marca.  Neo,  Paulina,  and  others. 

*  S.  Damasus  was  buried  in  the  chapel  above  the  entrance 

'  "  A  more  striking  commentary  on  the  divine  promise.  '  The  Lord  keepeth 
all  the  bones  of  his  servants  ;  He  will  not  lose  one  of  them'  iPs.  xxxiii.  24'!  it 
would  be  difficult  to  conceive."— yvowm  Soiierranea. 


TOMB   OF  S.    CECILIA. 


323 


Close  to  the  entrance  of  the  cubiculum,  upon  the  wall, 
is  a  painting  of  Cecilia,  "  a  woman  richly  attired,  and 
adorned  with  bracelets  and  necklaces."  Near  it  is  a  niche 
for  the  lamp  which  burnt  before  the  shrine,  at  the  back  of 
which  is  a  large  head  of  Our  Saviour,  "  of  the  Byzantine 
type,  and  with  rays  of  glory  behind  it  in  the  form  of  a 
Greek  cross.  Side  by  side  with  this,  but  on  the  flat  sur- 
face of  the  wall,  is  a  figure  of  S.  Urban  (the  friend  of 
Cecilia,  who  laid  her  body  here)  in  full  pontifical  robes, 
with  his  name  inscribed."  Higher  on  the  wall  are  figures 
of  three  saints,  "  executed  apparently  in  the  fourth,  or  per- 
haps even  the  fifth  century  " — Polycamus,  an  unknown 
martyr,  with  a  palm  branch  ;  Sebastianus  ;  and  Curinus, 
a  bishop  (Quirinus  bishop  of  Siscia — buried  at  S.  Sebas- 
tian). In  the  pavement  is  a  grave-stone  of  Septimus  Pre- 
textatus  Caecilianus,  "  a  servant  of  God,  who  lived  worthy 
for  three-and-thirty  years  ;  " — considered  important  as 
suggesting  a  connection  between  the  family  of  Cecilia  and 
that  of  S.  Praetextatus,  in  whose  catacomb  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Appian  Way  her  husband  and  brother-in-law 
were  buried,  and  where  her  friend  S.  Urban  was  con- 
cealed. 

These  two  chapels  are  the  only  ones  which  it  is  neces- 
sary to  dwell  upon  here  in  detail.  The  rest  of  the  cata- 
comb is  shown  in  varying  order,  and  explained  in  different 
ways.  Three  points  are  of  historic  interest,  i.  The  roof- 
shaped  tomb  of  Pope  S.  Melchiades,  who  lived  long  in 
peace  and  died  a.d.  313.  2.  The  Cubiculum  of  Pope  S. 
Eusebius,  in  the  middle  of  which  is  placed  an  inscription, 
pagan  on  one  side,  on  the  other  a  restoration  of  the  fifth 
century  of  one  of  the  beautiful  inscriptions  of  Pope  Da- 
masus,  which  is  thus  translated  : 

"  Heraclius  forbade  the  lapsed  to  grieve  for  their  sins.  Eusebius 
taught  those  unhappy  ones  to  weep  for  their  crimes.  The  people  were 
rent  into  parties,  and  with  increasing  fury  began  sedition,  slaughter, 
fighting,  discord,  and  strife.  Straightway  both  (the  pope  and  the 
heretic)  were  banished  by  the  cruelty  of  the  tyrant,  although  the  pope 
was  preserving  the  bonds  of  peace  inviolate.  He  bore  his  exile  with 
joy,  looking  to  the  Lord  as  his  judge,  and  on  the  shore  of  Sicily  gave 
up  the  world  and  his  life." 

At  the  top  and  bottom  of  the  tablet  is  the  following 
title  : 


324 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


"  Damasus  Episcopus  fecit  Eusebio  episcopo  et  martyri," 

and  on  either  side  a  single  file  of  letters  which  hands  down 
to  us  the  name  of  the  sculptor  who  executed  the  Damasine 
inscriptions. 

"  Furius  Dionysius  Filocalus  scripsit  Damasis  pappae  cultor  atque 
amator." 

3.  Near  the  exit,  properly  in  the  catacomb  of  S.  Lucina, 
connected  with  that  of  Calixtus  by  a  labyrinth  of  galleries, 
is  the  tomb  of  Pope  S.  Cornelius  (251-252)  the  only 
Roman  bishop  down  to  the  time  of  S.  Sylvester  (314)  who 
bore  the  name  of  any  noble  Roman  family,  and  whose 
epitaph  (perhaps  in  consequence)  is  in  Latin,  while  those 
of  the  other  popes  are  in  Greek.  The  tomb  has  no  chapel 
of  its  own,  but  is  a  mere  grave  in  a  gallery,  with  a  rectan- 
gular instead  of  a  circular  space  above,  as  in  the  cubicula. 
Near  the  tomb  are  fragments  of  one  of  the  commemorative 
inscriptions  of  S.  Damasus,  which  has  been  ingeniously 
restored  by  De  Rossi  thus  : 

"  Aspice,  descensu  extructo  tenebrisque  fugatis 
Corneli  monumenta  vides  tumulumque  sacratum. 
Hoc  opus  aegroti  Damasi  praestantia  fecit, 
Esset  ut  accessus  melior,  populisque  paratum 
Auxilium  sancti,  et  valeas  si  fundere  puro 
Corde  preces,  Damasus  melior  consurgere  posset, 
Quern  non  lucis  amor,  tenuit  mage  cura  laboris." 

"  Behold  !  a  way  down  has  been  constructed,  and  the  darkness  dis- 
pelled ;  you  see  the  monuments  of  Cornelius,  and  his  sacred  tomb. 
This  work  the  zeal  of  Damasus  has  accomplished,  sick  as  he  is,  in 
order  that  the  approach  might  be  better,  and  the  aid  of  the  saint  might 
be  made  convenient  for  the  people  ;  and  that,  if  you  will  pour  forth 
your  prayers  from  a  pure  heart,  Damasus  may  rise  up  better  in  health, 
though  it  has  not  been  love  of  life,  but  care  for  work,  that  has  kept 
him  (here  below)." ' 

S.  Cornelius  was  banished  under  Gallus  to  Centumcellae 
— now  Civita  Vecchia,  and  was  brought  back  thence  to 
Rome  for  martyrdom  Sept,  14,  a.d.  252.  On  the  same  day 
of  the  month,  in  258,  died  his  friend  and  correspondent 
S.  Cyprian,  archbishop  of  Carthage,''  who  is  consequently 
commemorated  by  the  Church  on  the  same  day  with  S. 
Cornelius.  Therefore  also,  on  the  right  of  the  grave,  are 
two  figures  of  bishops  with  inscriptions  declaring  them  to 

'  Roma  Sottcrranca^  p.  i8o.  '  Alban  Butler,  viii.  204. 


PAINTINGS   OF    THE    CATACOMHS.  -^^z, 

be  S.  Cornelius  and  S.  Cyprian.  Each  holds  the  book  of 
the  gospels  in  his  hands  and  is  clothed  in  pontifical  lobes, 
"  including  the  pallium,  which  had  not  yet  been  confined 
as  a  mark  of  distinction  to  metropolitans.'  Beneath  the 
pictures  stands  a  pillar  which  held  one  of  the  vases  oi  oil 
which  were  always  kept  burning  before  the  shrines  of  the 
martyrs.  Beyond  the  tomb,  at  the  end  of  the  gallery,  is 
another  painting  of  two  bishops,  S.  Sistus  II.,  martyred  in 
the  catacomb  of  Pretextatus,  and  S.  Optatus,  who  was 
buried  near  him. 

In  going  round  this  catacomb,  and  in  most  of  the  others, 
the  visitor  will  be  shown  a  number  of  rude  paintings,  which 
will  be  explained  to  him  in  various  ways,  according  to  the 
tendencies  of  his  guide.  The  paintings  may  be  considered 
to  consist  of  three  classes— symbolical  ;  allegorical  and 
biblical  ;  and  liturgical.  There  is  little  variety  of  subject, 
the  same  are  introduced  over  and  over  again. 

The  symbols  most  frequently  introduced  on  and  over 
the  graves  are  : 

The  Anchor,  expressive  of  hope.      Heb.  vi.  19. 

The  Dove,  symbolical  of  the  Christian  soul  released  from  its  earthly 
tabernacle.     Ps.  Iv.  6. 

The  Sheep,  symbolical  of  the  soul  still  wandering  amid  the  pastures 
and  deserts  of  earthly  life.  P.-;.  cxix.  176.  Isaiah  liii.  6.  Jolin 
X.  14  ;  xxi.  15,  16,  17. 

The  Phoenix,  "'the  palm  bird,"  emblematical  of  eternity  and  the 
resurrection. 

The  Fish — typical  of  our  Saviour — from  the  word  zjOfS  formed  by 
the  initial  letters  of  the  titles  of  Our  Lord — Ir^dovi  Xptdrui 
©eov  Tloi  "SijDtijf)  —  "  ]&s\i?>  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  the  Sav- 
iour." 

The  Ship — representing  the  Church  militant,  sometimes  seen  car- 
ried on  the  back  of  the  fish. 

Bread,  represented  with  fish,  sometimes  carried  in  a  basket  on  its 
back,  sometimes  with  it  on  a  table — in  allusion  to  the  muliiplica- 
tion  of  the  loaves  and  fishes.  In  ancient  times  a  meal  v^as  not 
thought  complete  without  fish,  whenever  it  could  be  had  ; 
"bread  and  fish"  went  together  like  "bread  and  butter"  in 
England.  '•' 

A  Female  Figure  Praying,  an  "Orante" — in  allusion  to  the 
Church. 

A  Fine — also  in  allusion  to  the  Church.      Ps.  Ixxx.  S.      Isaiah  v.  i. 

An  Olive  branch,  as  a  sign  of  peace. 

A  Palm  branch,  as  a  sign' of  victory  and  martyrdom.     Rev.  vii.  9. 

^  Renia  Scit?rranea ,  p,  :82.  ^  See  Stanley's  Christian  Institutions,  50,  51, 


326 


WALK'S  IX  ROME. 


Of  the  Allegorical  and  Biblical  Representations,  The  Good 
Shepherd  requires  an  especial  notice  from  the  importance 
which  is  given  to  it  and  its  frequent  introduction  in  cata- 
comb art,  both  in  sculpture  and  painting. 

"  By  far  the  most  interesting  of  the  early  Christian  paintings  is  that 
of  Our  Saviour  as  the  Good  Shepherd,  which  is  almost  invariably 
painted  on  the  central  space  of  the  dome  or  cupola,  subjects  of  minor 
interest  being  disposed  around  it  in  compartments,  precisely  in  the 
style,  as  regards  both  llie  arrangement  and  execution,  of  the  heathen 
catacombs. 

'■  He  is  represented  as  a  youth  in  a  shepherd's  frock  and  sandals, 
carrying  the  '  lost  sheep  '  on  liis  shoulders,  or  leaning  on  his  staff  (the 
symbol,  according  to  S.  Augustine,  of  the  Christian  hierarchy),  while 
the  sheep  feed  around,  or  look  up  at  him.  Sometimes  he  is  repre- 
sented seated  in  the  midst  of  the  flock,  playing  on  a  shepherd's  pipe — 
in  a  few  instances,  in  the  oldest  catacombs,  he  is  introduced  in  the 
character  of  Orpheus,  surrounded  by  v.  ild  beasts  enrapt  by  the  melody 
of  his  lyre — Orpheus  being  tlien  supposed  to  have  been  a  prophet  or 
precursor  of  the  Messiah.  The  background  usually  exhibits  a  land- 
scape or  meadow,  sometimes  planted  with  olive-trees,  doves  resting  in 
their  branches,  symbolical  of  the  peace  of  the  faithful  ;  in  others,  as 
in  a  fresco  preserved  in  the  Museum  Christianum,  the  palm  of  victory 
is  introduced — but  such  combinations  are  endless.  In  one  or  two  in- 
stances the  surrounding  compartments  are  filled  with  personifications 
of  the  seasons,  apt  emblems  of  human  life,  whether  natural  or 
spiritual. 

"  The  subject  of  the  Good  Shejjherd,  I  am  sorry  to  add,  is  not  of  Ro- 
man but  Greek  origin,  and  v.'as  adapted  from  a  statue  of  Mercury  car- 
rying a  goat,  at  Tanagra,  mentioned  by  Pausanias.  Tlie  Christian  com- 
position approximates  to  its  original  more  nearly  in  the  few  instances 
where  Our  -Saviour  is  represented  carrying  a  goat,  emblematical  of. 
the  scapegoat  of  the  wilderness.  Singularly  enough,  though  of  Greek 
parentage,  and  recommended  to  the  Byzantines  by  Constantine,  who 
erected  a  statue  of  the  Good  Shepherd  in  the  forum  of  Constantinople, 
the  subject  did  not  become  popular  am.ong  thern  ;  they  seem,  at  least,  to 
have  tacitly  abandoned  it  to  Rome." — Lad  Lindsay's  Christian  Art. 

"The  Good  Siiepherd  seems  to  have  been  quite  the  favorite  sub- 
ject. We  cannot  go  through  any  part  of  the  catacombs,  or  turn  over 
any  collection  of  ancient  Christian  monuments,  wit'nout  coming  across 
it  again  and  again.  We  know  from  Tertullian  that  it  was  often 
designed  upon  chalices.  We  find  it  ourselves  painted  in  fresco  upon 
the  roofs  and  walls  of  the  sepulchral  chambers  ;  rudely  scratched  upon 
gravestones,  or  more  carefully  sculptured  on  sarcophagi  ;  traced  in 
gold  upon  glass,  moulded  on  lamps,  engraved  on  rings  ;  and,  in  a 
word,  represented  on  every  species  of  Christian  monument  that  has 
come  down  to  us.  Of  course,  amid  such  a  multitude  of  examples, 
there  is  considerable  variety  of  treatment.  We  cannot,  however,  ap- 
preciate the  suggestion  of  Kiigler.  that  this  frequent  repetition  of  the 
subject  is  probably  to  be  attributed  to  the  capabilities  which  it  possessed 
:n  an  artistic  point  of  view.   P.ather,  it  was  selected  because  it  expressed 


PAINTINGS  OF    THE   CATACOMBS. 


327 


the  whole  sum  snd  substance  of  the  Christian  dispensation.  In  the 
language  even  of  the  Old  Testament,  the  action  of  Di\ine  Providence 
upon  the  world  is  frequently  expressed  by  images  and  allegories  bor- 
rov/ed  from  pastoral  life  ;  God  is  the  Shepherd,  and  men  are  His 
sheep.  But  in  a  still  more  special  way  our  Divine  Redeemer  offers 
Himself  to  our  regards  as  the  Good  Shepherd.  He  came  down  from 
His  eternal  throne  into  this  v.  ilderness  of  the  world  to  seek  the  lost 
sheep  of  the  whole  human  race,  and  having  brought  them  together 
into  one  fold  on  earth,  thence  to  transport  them  into  the  ever-verdant 
pastures  of  Paradise." — Roiua  Sotterranea. 

The  fact  that  the  Good  Shepherd  was  sometimes  repre- 
sented as  bearing  a  kid,  not  a  lamb  ;  a  goat,  not  a  sheep, 
upon  his  shoulder,  called  forth  an  indignant  remonstrance 
from  Tertullian. 

"  He  saves  the  sheep  — the  goats  he  doth  not  save  ; 
So  spoke  the  fierce  Tertullian. 

But  she  sigh'd — 
The  infant  Church  !  of  love  she  felt  the  tide 
Stream  on  !ier  from  her  Lord's  yet  recent  grave. 
And  then  she  smil'd  and  in  the  Catacombs 
With  eye  suffused,  but  heart  inspired  true, 
She  her  Good  Shepherd's  hasty  image  drew, 
And  on  His  shoulders  not  a  lamb,  but  kid." 

Matthezi)  Arnold. 

Other  biblical  subjects  are  : — from  the  Old  Testament 
(those  of  Noah,  Moses,  Daniel  and  Jonah,  being  the  only 
ones  at  all  common). 

1.  The  Fall.  Adam  and  Eve  on  either  side  of  a  Tree  of  Knowl- 
edge, round  which  the  serpent  is  coiled.  Sometimes,  instead 
of  this,  "  Our  Saviour  (as  the  representative  of  the  Deity)  stands 
between  them,  condemning  them,  and  offering  a  lamb  to  Eve 
and  a  sheaf  of  corn  to  Adam,  to  signify  the  doom  of  themselves 
and  their  posterity  to  delve  and  to  spin  through  all  future 
ages." 

i.  The  Offering  of  Cain  and  Abel.  They  present  a  lamb  and  sheaf 
of  corn  to  a  seated  figure  of  the  Almighty. 

3.  Noah  in  the  Ark,  represented  as  a  box — a  dove,  bearing  an  olive- 

branch,  flies  towards  him.  Interpreted  to  express  the  doctrine 
that  '^'  the  faithful  having  obtained  remission  of  their  sins 
through  baptism,  have  received  from  the  Holy  Spirit  the  gift 
of  divine  peace,  and  are  saved  in  the  mystical  ark  of  the 
church  from  the  destruction  which  awaits  the  world."  '     (Acts 

ii.  47.) 

4.  Sacrifice  of  Isaac. 

5.  Passage  of  the  Red  Sea. 

6.  Moses  receiving  the  Law. 

'   Roma  Sotterranea,  p.  242. 


32J 


IVALA'S  IX  ROME. 


7.  Moses  striking  water  from  tiie  rock — (very  common). 

8.  Moses  pointing  to  the  pots  of  manna. 

9.  Elijah  going  up  to  lieaven  m  the  chariot  of  lire. 

10.  The  Three  Children  in  the  fiery  furnace  ; — very  common  as  sym- 

bolical of  martyrdom. 

11.  Daniel  in  the  lions'  den  ; — generally  a  naked   figure  with  hands 

extended,  and  a  lion  on  either  side  ;  most  common — as  an  en- 
couragement to  Christian  sufferers. 

12.  Jonah  swallowed  up  by  the  whale,  represented  as  a  strange  kind 

of  sea-horse. 

13.  Jonah  disgorged  by  the  whale. 

14.  Jonah  under  the  gourd  ;  or,  according  to  the  Vulgate,  under  the 

ivy. 

15.  Jonah  lamenting  for  the  death  of  the  gourd. 

These  four  subjects  from  the  story  of  Jonah  are  constantly  re- 
peated, perhaps  as  encouragement  to  the  Christians  suffering 
from  the  wickedness  of  Rome — the  modern  Nineveh,  which 
they  were  to  warn  and  pray  for. 

Subj'ects  from  the  Nciv  Testajnent  are  : 

1.  The  Nativity — the  o.x  and  the  ass  kneeling. 

2.  The  Adoration  of  the  Magi — repeatedly  placed  in  juxtaposition 

with  the  story  of  the  Three  Children. 

3.  Our  Saviour  turning  water  into  wine. 

4.  Our  Saviour  conversing  with  tlie  woman  of  Samaria. 

5.  Our  .Saviour  healing  the  paralytic   man — who  takes  up  his  bed. 

This  is  very  common. 

6.  Our  Saviour  healing  the  woman  with  the  issue  of  lilood. 

7.  Our  Saviour  multiplying  the  loaves  and  fishes, 

8.  Our  Saviour  healing  the  daughter  of  the  woman  of  Canaan. 

9.  Our  Saviour  healing  tlie  blind  man. 

10.  The  raising  of  Lazarus,  who  appears  at  a  door  in  his  grave- 
clothes,  while  Christ  with  a  wand  stands  before  it.  This  is 
the  New  Testament  subject  oftenest  introduced.  It  is  con- 
stantly placed  in  juxtaposition  with  a  picture  of  Moses  strik- 
ing the  rock.  "  These  two  subjects  may  be  intended  to  rep- 
resent the  beginning  and  end  of  the  Christian  course,  '  the 
fountain  of  water  springing  up  to  life  everlasting.'  God's 
grace  and  the  gift  of  faith  being  typified  by  the  water  flowing 
from  the  rock,  'which  was  Christ,'  and  life  everlasting  by 
the  victory  over  death  and  the  second  life  vouchsafed  to 
Lazarus."* 

11.  Our  Saviour's  triumphal  entry  into  Jerusalem. 

12.  Our  Saviour  giving  the  keys  to  Peter — very  rare. 

13.  Our  Saviour  predicting  the  denial  of  Peter. 

14.  The  Denial  of  I^eter. 

15.  Our  Saviour  before  Pilate. 

16.  S.  Peter  taken  to  prison. 

These  last  six  subjects  are  only  represented  on  tombs.'' 

'  Roma  SatterraneAy  p.  .^47.  ^  Lord  Lindsay's  ChrhtUin  Art,  i.  46. 


CATACOMB    OF   S.    PKETEXTA  VUS. 


329 


The  class  of  paintings  shown  as  Liturgical  are  less  defi- 
nite than  these.  In  the  Catacombs  of  C^alixtus  several  ob- 
scure paintings  are  shown  (in  cubicula  anterior  to  the 
middle  of  the  third  century),  which  are  said  to  have  ref- 
erence to  the  sacrament  of  baptism.  Pictures  of  the  para- 
lytic carrying  his  bed  are  identified  by  some  Roman  Catholic 
authorities  with  the  sacrament  of  Penance  (!)  Bosio  be- 
lieved that  in  the  catacomb  of  S.  Priscilla  he  had  found 
paintings  which  illustrated  the  sacrament  of  ordination. 
Representations  undoubtedly  exist  which  illustrate  the 
agape  or  love-feast  of  the  primitive  church. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  Via  Appia  from  S.  Calixtus 
(generally  entered  from  the  road  leading  to  S.  Urbano)  is 
the  Catacomb  of  S.  Pretextatus^  interesting  as  being  the 
known  burial-place  of  several  martyrs.  A  large  crypt  was 
discovered  here  in  1857,  built  with  solid  masonry  and 
lined  with  Greek  marble. 

"  The  workmanship  points  lo  early  date,  and  specimens  of  pagan 
architecture  in  the  s.-ime  neighborhood  enable  us  to  fix  the  middle  of 
the  latter  half  of  the  second  century  (a.d.  175)  as  a  very  probable  date 
for  its  erection.  The  Acts  of  the  Saints  explain  to  us  why  it  was  built 
with  bricks,  and  not  hewn  out  of  the  rock — viz.,  because  the  Christian 
who  made  it  (S.  Marmenia)  had  caused  it  to  he  excavated  immediately 
below  her  own  house  ;  and  now  that  we  see  it,  we  understand  the  pre- 
cise meaning  of  the  words  used  by  the  itmeraries  describing  il — viz.,  '  a 
large  cavern,  most  firmly  built.'  The  vault  of  the  chapel  is  most 
elaborately  painted,  in  a  style  by  no  means  inferior  to  the  best  classical 
productions  of  the  age.  It  is  divided  into  four  bands  of  wreaths,  one 
of  roses,  another  of  corn-sheaves,  a  third  of  vine-leaves  and  grapes  (and 
in  all  these,  birds  are  introduced  visiting  their  young  in  nests),  and  the 
last,  or  highest,  of  leaves  of  laurel  or  the  bay-tree.  Of  course  these 
severally  represent  the  seasons  of  spring,  summer,  autumn,  and  winter. 
The  last  is  a  well-known  figure  or  symbol  of  death  ;  and  probably  the 
laurel,  as  the  token  of  victory,  was  intended  to  represent  the  new  and 
Christian  idea  of  the  everlasting  reward  of  a  blessed  immortality. 
Below  these  bands  is  another  border,  more  indistinct,  in  which  reapers 
are  gathering  in  the  corn  ;  and  at  the  back  of  the  arch  is  a  rural  scene, 
of  which  the  central  figure  is  the  Good  Shepherd  carrying  a  sheep  upon 
his  shoulders.  This,  however,  has  been  destroyed  by  graves  pierced 
through  the  wall  and  the  rock  behind  it,  from  the  eager  desire  to  bury 
the  dead  of  a  later  generation  as  near  as  possible  to  the  tombs  of  the 
martyrs  As  De  Rossi  proceeded  to  examine  these  graves  in  detail, 
he  could  hardly  believe  his  eyes  when  he  read  around  the  edge  of  one 
of  them  these  words  and  fragments  of  words  : — Mi  Refrigeri  Janua- 
rius  Agatopos  FelicisstJU  martyres — '  Januarius,  Agapetus,  'Felicissi- 
mus,  martyrs,  refresh  the  soul  of  .  .  ."  The  words  had  been  scratched 
upon  th€  mortar  while  it  was  yet  fresh,  fifteen  centuries  ago,  a"i  the 


>30 


IV A  LA'S   I.V  ROME. 


prayer  ot  some  bereaved  relative  for  the  soul  of  him  whom  they  were 
burying  here,  and  nov/  they  revealed  to  ih.e  antiquarian  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  the  secret  he  was  in  quest  of — viz..  I  lie  place  of  burial 
of  the  saints  whose  aid  is  here  invoked  ;  for  the  numerous  examples  to 
be  seen  in  other  cemeteries  warrant  us  in  concluding  that  the  bodies  of 
the  saints,  to  whose  intercession  the  soul  of  the  deceased  is  here  rec- 
ommended, were  at  the  time  of  his  burial  lying  at  no  great  distance." 
— Roma  Sotlerranca. 

The  S.  Januarius  buried  here  was  the  eldest  of  the  seven 
sons  of  S.  Felicitas,  martyred  July  lo,  a.d.  162.  S.  Aga- 
petus  and  S.  Felicissimus  were  deacons  of  Pope  Sixtus  II., 
vvho  were  martyred  together  with  him  and  S.  Pretaxtatus' 
in  this  very  catacomb,  because  Sixtus  II.  "had  set  at 
naught  tlie  commands  of  the  Emperor  Valerian."  ^ 

A  mutilated  inscription  of  S.  Damasus,  in  the  Catcomb 
of  Calixtus,  near  the  tomb  of  Cornelius,  thus  records  the 
death  of  Pope  Sixtus  : 

"  Tempore  quo  gladius  secuil  pia  viscera  Matris 
Hie  positus  rector  coeiestia  jussa  docebam  ; 
Adveniunt  subito,  rapiunt  qui  forte  sedentem  ; 
Militibus  missis,  populi  tunc  coUa  dedere. 
Mox  sibi  cognovit  senior  quis  tollere  vellet 
Palman  seque  suumque  caput  prior  obtulit  ipse, 
Impaiiens  feritas  posset  nc  lacdere  qucmquam. 
Ostendit  Christus  reddit  qui  praemia  vitae 
Pastoris  meritum,  numerum  gregis  ipse  tuetur." 

"At  the  time  when  the  sword  pierced  the  heart  of  our  Mother 
(Church),  I,  its  ruler,  buried  here,  was  teaching  the  things  of  heaven. 
Suddenly  they  came,  they  seized  me  seated  as  I  was  , — the  soldiers 
being  sent  in,  the  people  gave  their  necks  (lo  the  slaughter).  Soon  llie 
old  man  saw  who  was  willing  to  bear  away  the  palm  from  himself, 
and  was  the  first  to  offer  himself  and  his  own  head,  fearing  lest  the 
blow  should  fall  on  any  one  else.  Christ,  who  awards  the  rewards  of 
life,  recognizes  the  merit  of  the  pastor,  He  himself  ij  preserving  the 
number  of  his  flock." 

An  adjoining  crypt,  considered  to  date  from  a.d.  130,  is 
believed  to  be  the  burial-place  of  S.  Quirinus. 

Above  this  catacomb  are  ruins  of  two  basilicas,  erected 
in  honor  of  8.  Zeno  ;  and  of  Tiburtius,  Valerian,  and 
Maximus,  companions  of  S.  Cecilia  in  martyrdom. 

Behind  the  Catacomb  of  S.  Calixtus,  on  the  right  of  the 
Via  Ardeatina,  is  the  Catacomb  of  SS.  Nereo  ed  Achilleo. 
Close  to  its  entrance  is  the  farm  of  Tor  Afarancia,  where 
are  some  ruins,  believed  to  be  remains  of  the  villa  of  Flavia 

'  Alban  Butler,  viii.  148.  «  Lii.  Pent. 


CATACOMB   OF  SS.    NEKEO  ED  ACHILLEO. 


331 


Domitilla.  This  celebrated  member  of  the  early  Christian 
Church  was  daughter  of  the  Flavia  Domitilla  v»ho  v.as 
sister  of  the  Emperor  Uomitian, — and  wife  of  Titus  Fla- 
vius  Clemens,  son  of  the  Flavius  Sabinus  who  was  brother 
of  the  Emperor  Vespasian.  Her  two  sons  were,  Vespasian 
Junior  and  Domitian  Juiiior,  who  were  intended  to  suc- 
ceed to  the  throne,  and  to  whom  Quintilian  was  appointed 
as  tutor  by  the  emperor.  Dion  Cassius  narrates  that 
*'  Domitian  put  to  death  several  persons,  and  amongst 
them  Flavius  Clemens  the  consul,  although  he  was  his 
nephew,  and  although  he  had  Flavia  Domitilla  for  his  wife, 
who  was  also  related  to  the  emperor.  They  were  both 
accused  of  atheism,  on  which  charge  many  others  also  had 
been  condemned,  going  after  the  manners  and  custcm.s  of 
the  Jews  ;  and  some  of  them  v  ere  put  to  death,  and 
others  had  their  goods  confiscated  ;  but  Dcmitilla  was 
only  banished  to  Pandataria.  "  '  This  Flavia  Dcmitilla  is 
frequently  confused  with  her  niece  of  the  s?me  nsme,^ 
whose  banishment  is  mentioned  by  Eusebius,  when  he  says  : 
"  The  teaching  of  our  faith  1  nd  by  this  time  shone  so  far 
and  wide,  that  even  pagan  historians  did  not  refuse  to  in- 
sert in  their  narratives  some  account  cf  the  persecution  cr.d 
the  martyrdoms  that  were  suffered  in  it.  Seme,  too,  have 
marked  the  time  accurately,  mentioning,  amongst  many 
others,  in  the  fifteenth  year  cf  Domitian  (a.d.  97),  Flavia 
Domitilla,  the  daughter  cf  a  sister  of  Flavius  Clemens, 
one  of  the  Roman  consuls  of  those  days,  -who,  for  her 
testimony  for  Christ,  v/as  punished  by  exile  to  the  island 
of  Pontia."  It  was  this  younger  Domitilla  who  was  ac- 
companied in  her  exile  by  her  two  Christian  servants, 
Nereus  and  Achilles  ;  whose  banishment  is  spoken  of  by 
S.  Jerome  as  "  a  life-long  martyrdom,"  whose  cell  was  after- 
wards visited  by  S.  Paula,^  and  who,  according  to  the  Acts 
of  SS.  Nereus  and  Achilles,  was  brought  back  to  the 
mainland  to  be  burnt  alive  at  Terracina,  because  she  re- 
fused to  sacrifice  to  idols.  The  relics  cf  Domitilla,  with 
those  of  her  servants,  were  preserved  in  the  cataccmb 
under  the  villa  v/hich  had  belonged  to  her  christian  aunt. 
Receiving  as  evidence  the  story  of  S.  Domitilla,  this 
catacomb  must    be  looked  upon  as   the   oldest  Christian 

»  Now  Santa  Maria,  an  island  near  Caeta.  *  Alban  Butler,  v.  ?05. 

*  Alban  Butler,  v.  205 


332  IV A  LAS  AV  ROME. 

cemetery  in  existence.  Its  galleries  were  widened  and 
:trengthened  by  John  I.  (523-52()).  A  chamber  near  the 
entrance  is  pointed  out  as  the  burial  place  of  S.  Petronilla. 

"  The  sepulchre  of  SS.  Nereus  and  Achilles  was  in  all  probability 
in  that  chapel  to  which  we  descend  by  so  magnificent  a  staircase,  and 
which  is  illuminated  by  so  fine  a  luiuinare  j  for  that  this  is  the  central 
point  of  attraction  in  the  cemetery  is  clear,  both  from  the  staircase 
and  the  luminare  just  mentioned,  as  also  from  the  greater  width  of  the 
adjacent  galleries  and  other  similar  tokens."  Here  then  S.  Gregory 
the  Great  delivered  his  twenty-eighth  homily  (which  Baronius  erro- 
neously supposes  to  have  been  delivered  in  the  Church  of  SS.  Nereo 
ed  Achilleo,  to  which  the  bodies  of  the  saints  were  not  yet  removed), 
in  which  he  says:  "  These  saints,  before  whose  tomb  we  are  assem- 
bled despised  the  world  and  trampled  it  under  their  feet,  when  peace, 
plenty,  riches,  and  health  gave  its  charms." 

"...  There  is  a  higher  and  more  ancient //««£>  in  which 
coins  and  medals  of  the  first  two  centuries,  and  inscriptions  of  great 
value  have  been  recently  discovered.  Some  of  these  inscriptions  may 
still  be  seen  in  one  of  the  chambers  near  the  bottom  of  the  staircase  ; 
they  are  both  Latin  and  Greek  ;  sometimes  both  languages  are  mixed  ; 
and  in  one  or  two  instances  Latin  words  are  written  in  Greek  charac- 
ters. Many  of  these  monuments  are  of  the  deepest  importance  both 
in  an  antiquarian  and  religious  point  of  view;  in  archaeology,  as  show- 
ing the  practice  of  private  Christians  in  the  first  ages  to  make  the 
subterranean  chambers  at  their  own  expense  and  for  their  own  use, 
e.  g. — '  M.  Aurelius  Restutus  made  this  subterranean  for  himself,  and 
those  of  his  family  v.ho  believed  in  the  Lord,' — where  both  the  triple 
names  and  the  limitation  introduced  at  the  end  (which  shows  that 
many  of  his  family  were  still  pagan)  are  unc[uestionably  proofs  of  very 
high  antiquity." — Northcotii's  Roman  Catacombs,  p.  103,  etc. 

Among  the  most  remarkable  paintings  in  thi  catacomb 
are,  Orpheus  with  his  lyre,  surrounded  by  birds  and  beasts 
who  are  charmed  with  his  music  ;  Elijah  ascending  to 
heaven  in  a  chariot  drawn  by  four  horses  ;  and  the  por- 
trait of  our  Lord. 

"  The  head  and  bust  of  our  Lord  form  a  medallion,  occupying  the 
center  of  the  roof  in  the  same  atbictdum  where  Orpheus  is  repre- 
sented. This  painting,  in  consequence  of  the  description  given  of  it 
by  KUgler  (who  misnamed  the  catacomb  S.  Calixtus),  is  often  eagerly 
bought  after  by  strangers  visiting  the  catacombs.  It  is  only  just,  how- 
ever^ to  add,  that  they  are  generally  disappointed.  Kiigler  supposed 
it  to  be  the  oldest  portrait  of  our  blessed  Saviour  in  existence,  but  we 
doubt  if  there  is  sufficient  authority  for  such  a  statement.  He  de- 
scribes it  in  these  words  :  '  The  face  is  oval,  with  a  straight  nose, 
Rrchcd  eyebrows,  a  smooth  and  rather  high  forehead,  the  expression 
gerio;ts  and  mild  ;  the  hair,  parted  on  the  forehead,  flows  in  long 
curls  down  the  shoulders  ;  the  beard  is  not  t'lick,  but  short  ard  di- 
vided ;   ti:€  age  between  thirty  and  forty.'     But  this  description  is  t  )") 


TEMPLE   OF  BACCHUS. 


Ill 


minute  and  ])recise,  too  artistic,  for  the  original,  as  it  is  now  to  be 
seen.  A  lively  imagination  may,  perhaps,  supply  the  details  described 
by  our  author,  but  the  eye  certainly  fails  to  distinguish  them." — 
Jiotna  Sotteranea,  p.  253. 

Approached  by  a  separate  entrance  on  the  slope  of  the 
hill-side  is  a  sepulchral  chamber,  which  De  Rossi  con- 
sidered to  have  been  the  Burial-place  0/  S.  Doiuitilla. 

"  It  is  certainly  one  of  tlie  most  ancient  and  remarkable  Christian 
monuments  yet  discovered.  Its  position,  close  to  the  highway  ;  its 
front  of  fine  brickwork,  with  a  cornice  of  terra-cotta,  with  the  usual 
space  for  an  inscription  (which  has  now,  alas,  perished)  ;  the  spacious- 
ness of  its  gallery,  with  its  four  or  five  separate  niches  prepared  for  as 
many  sarcophagi  ;  the  fine  stucco  on  the  wall  ;  the  eminently  classical 
character  of  its  decorations  ;  all  these  things  make  it  perfectly  clear 
that  it  was  the  monument  of  a  Christian  family  of  distinction,  exca- 
vated at  great  cost,  and  without  the  slightest  attempt  at  concealment. 
In  passing  from  the  vestibule  into  the  catacomb,  we  recognize  the 
transition  from  the  use  of  the  sarcophagus  to  that  of  the  common 
loculus  ;  for  the  first  two  or  three  graves  on  either  side,  though  really 
mere  shelves  in  the  wail,  are  so  disguised  by  painting  on  the  outside 
as  to  present  to  passers-by  the  complete  outward  appearance  of  a  sar- 
cophagus. Some  few  of  these  graves  are  marked  with  the  names  of 
the  dead,  written  in  black  on  the  largest  tiles,  and  the  inscriptions  on 
the  other  graves  are  all  of  the  simplest  and  oldest  form.  Lastly,  the 
whole  of  the  vaulted  roof  is  covered  with  the  most  exquisitely  graceful 
designs,  of  branches  of  the  vine  (with  birds  and  winged  genii  among 
them)  trailing  with  all  the  freedom  of  nature  over  the  whole  walls,  not 
fearing  any  interruption  by  graves,  nor  confined  by  any  of  those  lines 
of  geometrical  symmetry  which  characterize  similar  productions  in  the 
next  century.  Traces  also  of  landscapes  may  be  seen  here  and  there, 
which  are  of  rare  occurrence  in  the  catacombs,  though  they  may  be 
seen  in  the  chambers  assigned  by  De  Rossi  to  SS.  Nereus  and  Achilles. 
The  good  Shepherd,  an  agape,  or  the  heavenly  feast,  a  man  fishing, 
and  Daniel  in  the  lion's  den,  are  the  chief  historical  or  allegorical  rep- 
resentations of  Christian  mysteries  which  are  painted  here.  Unfor- 
tunately they  have  been  almost  destroyed  by  persons  attempting  to 
detach  them  from  the  wall." — Roma  Sotterranea,  p.  70. 


A  road  to  the  left  now  leads  to  the  Via  Appia  Nuova, 
passing  abotit  a  quarter  of  a  mile  hence,  a  turn  on  the  left 
to  the  ruin  generally  known  as  the  Temple  of  Bacchus,  from 
an  altar  dedicated  to  Bacchus  which  was  found  there,  but 
considered  by  modern  antiquaries  as  a  temple  of  Ceres  and 
Proserpine.  This  building  has  been  comparatively  saved 
from  the  destruction  which  has  befallen  its  neighbors  by 
having  been  consecrated  as  a  church  in  a.d.  820  by  Pojie 
Paschal  I.,  in  honor  of  his  sainted  predecessor  Urban  I., 


334 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


A.D.  226  (whose  pontificate  was  chiefly  passed  in  refuge  in 
the  neighboring  Catacomb  of  S.  Calixtus),  because  of  a 
belief  that  he  was  wont  to  resort  hither. 

A  chapel  at  a  great  depth  below  the  church  is  shown  as 
that  in  which  S.  Urban  baptized  and  celebrated  mass.  A 
curious  fresco  here  represents  the  Virgin  between  S.  Urban 
and  S.  John. 

Around  the  upper  part  of  the  interior  are  a  much  injured 
series  of  frescoes,  comprising  the  life  of  Christ  from  the 
Annunciation  to  the  descent  into  Hades,  and  the  life  of 
S.  Cecilia  and  her  husband  Valerian,  ending  in  the  burial 
of  S.  Cecilia  by  Pope  Urban  in  the  Catacombs  of  Calixtus, 
and  the  story  of  the  martyred  Urban  I.  In  the  picture 
of  the  Crucifixion,  the  thieves  have  their  names,  '"  Calpur- 
nius  and  Longinus."  The  frescoes  were  altered  in  the 
seventeenth  century,  to  suit  the  views  of  the  Roman 
Church,  keys  being  placed  in  the  hand  of  Peter,  &c.  Sets 
of  drawings  taken  before  and  after  the  alterations  are  pre- 
served in  the  Barberini  Library,  and  curiously  show  the 
difference. 

A  winding  path  leads  from  S.  Urbano  into  the  valley. 
Here,  beside  the  Almo  rivulet,  is  a  ruined  Nymphaeum 
containing  a  mutilated  statue  of  a  river-god,  which  was 
colled  "the  Grotto  of  Egeria,"  till  a  few  years  ago,  when 
the  discovery  of  the  true  site  of  the  Porta  Capena  fixed 
that  of  the  grotto  within  the  walls.  The  fine  grove  of  old 
ilex-trees  on  the  hillside,  was  at  the  same  time  pointed 
out  as  the  sacred  grove  of  Egeria. 

"  Egeria  !  sweet  creation  of  some  heart 

Which  found  no  mortal  resting  place  so  fair 

As  thine  ideal  breast  ;  whate'er  thou  art 

Or  wert, — A  young  Aurora  of  the  air, 

The  nympholepsy  of  some  fond  despair  ; 

Or,  it  might  be,  a  beauty  of  the  earth, 

Who  found  a  more  than  common  votary  there 

Too  much  adoring  ;  whatsoe'er  thy  birth, 

Thou  wert  a  beautiful  thought,  and  softly  bodied  forth, 

"  The  mosses  of  thy  fountain  still  are  sprinkled 
With  thine  Elysian  water-drops  ;  the  face 
Of  thy  cave-guarded  spring,  with  years  unwrinkled, 
Reflects  the  meek-eyed  genius  of  the  place. 
Whose  green,  wild  margin  now  no  more  erase 
Art's  works  ;  nor  must  the  delicate  waters  sleep, 
Prisoned  in  marble,  bubbling  from  tr:c  base 


VALLE   CAFFARELLE. 


335 


Of  the  cleft  statue,  with  a  gentle  leap 

The  rill  runs  o'er,  and  round,  fern,  flowers,  and  ivy,  creep, 

"  Fantastically  tangled  ;  the  green  hills 

Are  clothed  with  early  blossoms,  through  the  grass 
The  quick-eyed  lizard  rustles,  and  the  bills 
Of  summer-birds  sing  welcome  as  ye  pass  ; 
Flowers  fresh  in  hue,  and  many  in  their  class. 
Implore  the  pausing  step,  and  with  their  dyes 
Dance  in  the  soft  breeze  in  a  fairy  mass  ; 
The  sweetness  of  the  violet's  deep  blue  eyes, 
Kiss'd  by  the  breath  of  heaven,  seems  colored  by  its  skies." 

Byron,  Childe  Harold. 

It  is  now  known  that  this  Nymphaeum  and  the  valley  in 
which  it  stands  belonged  to  the  suburban  villa  called 
Triopio,  of  Herodes  Atticus,  whose  romantic  story  is 
handed  down  to  us  through  two  Greek  inscriptions  in  the 
possession  of  the  Borghese  family,  and  is  further  illustrated 
by  the  writings  of  Philostratus  and  Pausanias. 

A  wealthy  Greek  named  Ipparchus  offended  his  government  and 
lost  all  his  wealth  by  confiscation,  but  the  family  fortunes  were  re 
deemed,  through  the  discovery  by  his  son  Atticus  of  a  vast  treasure, 
concealed  in  a  small  piece  of  ground  which  remained  to  them,  close  to 
the  rock  of  the  Acropolis.  Dreading  the  avarice  of  his  fellow-citizens, 
Atticus  sent  at  once  to  Nerva,  the  then  emperor,  telling  him  of  the 
discovery,  and  requesting  his  orders  as  to  what  he  was  to  do  with  the 
treasure.  Nerva  replied,  that  he  was  welcome  to  keep  it  and  use  it  as 
he  pleased.  Not  yet  satisfied  or'  feeling  sufficiently  sure  of  the  pro- 
tection of  the  emperor,  Atticus  again  applied  to  him,  saying  that  the 
treasure  was  far  too  vast  for  the  use  of  a  person  in  a  private  station  of 
life,  and  asking  how  he  was  to  use  it.  The  emperor  again  replied 
that  the  treasure  was  his  own  and  due  to  h.is  own  good  fortune,  and 
that  "what  he  could  not  use  he  might  abuse."  Atticus  then  entered 
securely  into  the  possession  of  his  wealth,  which  he  bequeathed  to  his 
son  Herodes,  who  used  his  fortune  magnificently  in  his  bountiful  chari- 
ties, in  the  encouragement  of  literature  and  art  throughout  both  Greece 
and  Italy,  and  (best  appreciated  of  all  by  the  Greeks)  in  the  splendor 
of  the  public  gam;s  which  he  gave. 

Early  in  the  reign  of  Antoninus  Pius,  Herodes  Atticus  removed  to 
Rome,  where  he  was  appointed  professor  of  rhetoric  to  Marcus  Aurelius 
and  Lucius  Verus,  the  two  adopted  sons  of  the  emperor,  and  where  he 
attained  the  consulship  in  A.D.  143.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he  fell  in 
love  with  Annia  Regilla,  a  beautiful  and  wealthy  heiress,  and  in  spite 
of  the  violent  opposition  of  her  brother,  Annius  Attilius  Braduas,  who, 
belonging  to  the  Julian  family,  and  claiming  an  imaginary  descent 
from  Venus  ar.d  Anchises,  looked  upon  the  marriage  as  a  mesalliance, 
he  succeeded  in  obtaining  her  hand.  Part  of  the  wealth  which  Annia 
Regilla  brought  to  her  husband  was  the  Valle  Caffarelle  and  its 
nymphaeum. 

For  some  years  Herodes  Atticus  and  A.nna  Regilla  enjoyed  the  per* 


33^ 


IV J  LA'S  hV  ROME. 


fection  of  married  happiness  in  this  beautiful  valley  ;  but  shortly  be!ore 
the  expected  birth  of  her  fifth  child,  she  died  very  suddenly,  leaving 
her  husband  almost  frantic  with  grief  and  refusing  every  consolation. 
He  was  roused,  however,  from  liis  lirst  anguish  by  his  brother-in-law, 
Annins  Braduas,  who  had  never  laid  aside  his  resentment  at  the  mar- 
riage, and  who  now  accused  him  of  having  poisoned  his  wife.  Herode? 
demanded  a  public  trial,  and  was  aquilted.  Philostratus  records  that 
the  intense  grief  he  showed  and  the  deptii  of  the  mourning  he  wore, 
were  taken  as  signs  of  his  innocence.  Further  to  clear  himself  from 
imputation,  Herodes  offered  all  the  jewels  of  Annia  Regilla  upon  the 
altar  of  the  Eleusinian  deities,  Ceres  and  I'roserpine,  at  the  same  time 
calling  down  the  vengeance  of  the  outraged  gods  if  he  were  guilty  of 
sacrilege. 

The  beloved  Regilla  was  buried  in  a  tomb  surrounded  by  "a  sepul- 
chral field  "  within  the  precincts  of  the  villa,  dedicated  to  Minerva  and 
Nemesis  (and  as  recorded  in  one  of  the  Greek  inscriptions)  it  was  made 
an  act  of  the  higliest  sacrilege  for  any  but  her  own  descendants  to  be 
laid  within  those  sacred  limits.  A  statue  was  also  erected  to  Regilla 
in  the  Triopian  temple  of  Ceres  and  Proserpine,  which  is  now  supposed 
to  be  the  same  with  that  usually  called  the  temple  of  Bacchus.  Not 
only  did  Herodes  hang  his  house  with  black  in  his  affliction,  but  all 
gayly  colored  marbles  were  stripped  from  the  walls,  and  replaced  with 
the  dark  gray  marble  known  as  "  bardiglio," — and  his  depth  of  woe 
made  him  so  conspicuous,  that  a  satirical  person  seeing  his  cook  pre- 
pare white  beans  for  dinner,  wondered  that  he  could  dare  to  do  so,  in 
a  house  so  entirely  black. ' 

The  inscriptions  in  which  tliis  story  is  related  (one  of 
them  containing  thirty-nine  'Greek  verses)  are  engraved 
on  slabs  of  Pentelic  marble — and  Philostratus  and  Pau- 
sanias  narrate  that  the  quarries  of  this  marble  were  the 
property  of  Herodes,  and  that  in  his  magnificent  buildings, 
he  almost  exhausted  them. 

The  field  path  from  hence  leads  back  to  the  church  of 
Domine  Quo  Vadis,  passing  on  the  right  a  beautifully- 
finished  tomb  (of  the  time  of  Septimius  Severus)  known  as 
the  Temple  of  Divus  Rediculus,  and  formerly  described  as 
having  been  built  to  commemorate  the  retreat  of  Hannibal, 
who  came  thus  far  in  his  intended  attack  upon  Rome.  The 
temple  erected  in  memory  of  this  event  was  really  on  the 
right  of  the  Via  Appia.  It  was  dedicated  to  Rediculus,  the 
god  of  Return.  The  folly  of  ciceroni  often  cites  this  name 
as  "Ridiculous." 

"  The  neighborhood  of  the  Divus  Rediculus  (which  he  however  places 

'  For  these  and  many  other  particulars,  see  an  interesting  lecture  by  Mr. 
Shakespere  Wood,  on  Tke  Fountain  of  Egeria,  given  before  the  Roman  Archae- 
ological Society. 


S.    SE  BAST  I A  NO. 


3S7 


on  the  rig/it  of  the  Via  Appia)  is  described  by  Pliny  in  connection  with 
a  curious  story  of  imperial  times.  There  was  a  cobbler  vsho  had  his 
stall  in  the  Roman  Forum,  and  who  possessed  a  tame  raven,  which  was 
a  great  favorite  with  the  young  Romans,  to  whom  he  would  bid  good 
day  as  he  sate  perched  upon  the  rostra.  At  length  he  became  quite  a 
public  character,  and  the  indignation  was  so  great  when  his  master 
killed  him  with  his  hammer  in  a  tit  of  rage  at  his  spoiling  some  new 
leather,  that  they  slew  the  cobbler  and  decreed  a  public  funeral  to  the 
bird  ;  who  was  carried  to  the  grave  on  a  bier  adorned  with  honorary 
crowns,  preceded  by  a  piper,  and  supported  by  two  negroes  in  honor 
of  his  color, — and  buried — '  ad  rogum  usque,  qui  constructus  dextra 
Viae  Appiae  ad  secundum  lapidem  in  campo  Rediculo  appellate 
fuit.'  " — Pliny,  iVat.  Hist.  lib.  x.  c.  60. 


Returning  to  the  Via  Appia,  we  reach,  on  the  right,  the 
Basilica  of  S.  Sebastiano,  rebuilt  in  161 1  by  Flaminio 
Ponzio  for  Cardinal  Scipio  Borghese,  on  the  site  of  a 
church  which  had  been  founded  by  Constantine,  where 
once  existed  the  house  and  garden  of  the  matron  Lucina, 
in  which  she  had  buried  the  body  of  Sebastian,  after  his 
(second)  martyrdom  under  Diocletian.  The  basilica  con- 
tains nothing  ancient,  but  the  six  granite  columns  in  the 
portico.  The  altar  covers  the  relics  of  the  saint  (a  Gaul,  a 
native  of  Norbonne,  a  Christian  soldier  under  Diocletian), 
and  the  chapel  of  S.  Sebastian  has  a  statue  of  him  in  his 
youth,  designed  by  Bernini  and  executed  by  Antonio 
Giorgetti. 

"  The  almost  colossal  form  lies  dead,  the  head  resting  on  his  helmet 
and  armor.  It  is  evidently  modeled  from  nature,  and  is  perhaps  the 
finest  thing  ever  designed  by  Bernini.  ...  It  is  probably  from  the 
association  of  arrows  with  his  form  and  story  that  S.  Sebastian  has  been 
regarded  from  the  first  ages  of  Christianity  as  the  protecting  saint 
against  plague  and  pestilence  :  Apollo  was  the  deity  who  mflicted 
plague,  and  therefore  was  invoked  with  prayer  and  sacrifice  against 
it ;  and  to  the  honor  of  Apollo,  in  this  particular  character,  S.  Sebas- 
tian has  succeeded." — Jameson's  Sacred  Art,  p.  414. 

The  original  of  the  footprint  in  the  Domine  Quo  Vadis 
is  said  to  be  preserved  here. 

On  the  left  of  the  entrance  is  the  descent  into  the  cata- 
combs, with  the  inscription  : 

"In  hoc  sacrosancto  loco  qui  dicitur  ad  Catacumbas,  ubi  sepulta 
fuerunt  sanctorum  martyrum  corpora  174,000,  ac  46  summorum  pon- 
tificum  pariterque  martyrum.  In  altare  in  quo  corpus  divi  Sebastian! 
Chnsti  athletae  jacet  celebrans  summus  Pontifex  S.  Gregorius  Magnus 
vidit  angelum  Dei  candidiorem  nive,  sibi  in  tremendo  sacrificio  min'.» 

15 


338  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

strantem  ac  dicentem  :  '  Hie  est  locus  sacratissimus  in  quo  est  divina 
promissio  et  omnium  peccatorum  remissio,  splendor  et  lux  perpetua, 
sine  fine  laelitia,  quam  Christi  martyr  Sebastianus  habere  promeruit.' 
Prout  Severanus  Tom.  P',  pagina  450,  ac  etiam  antiquissimae  lapideae 
testantur  tabulae. 

"  Ideo  in  hoc  insigni  privilegiato  altari,  tarn  missae  cantatae  quam 
privatae,  dum  celebrantur,  animae  quae  sunt  in  purgatorio  pro  quibus 
sacrificium  offertur  plenariam  indulgcntiam,  et  omnium  suorum  pecca- 
torum remissionem  consequuntur  prout  ab  angelo  dictum  fuit  et  summi 
pontifices  confirmarunt." 

These  are  the  catacombs  which  are  most  frequently 
visited  by  strangers,  because  they  can  always  be  seen  on 
application  to  the  monks  attached  to  the  church — though 
they  are  of  greatly  inferior  interest  to  those  of  S.  Calixtus. 

"Though  future  excavations  may  bring  to  light  much  that  is  in- 
teresting in  this  cemetery,  the  small  portion  now  accessible  is,  as  a 
specimen  of  the  catacombs,  utterly  without  value.  Its  only  interest 
consists  in  its  religious  associations  :  here  S.  Bridget  was  wont  to 
kneel,  rapt  in  contemplation  ;  here  S.  Charles  Borromeo  spent  whole 
nights  in  prayer  ;  and  here  the  heart  of  S.  Philip  Neri  was  so  inflamed 
with  divine  love  as  to  cause  his  very  bodily  frame  to  be  changed." — 
Northcote's  Roman  Catacombs . 

"  Philip,  on  thee  the  glowing  ray 

Of  heaven  came  down  upon  thy  prayer, 
To  melt  thy  heart,  and  burn  away 
All  that  of  earthly  dross  was  there. 

"  And  so,  on  Philip  when  we  gaze, 
We  see  the  image  of  his  Lord  ; 
The  saint  dissolves  amid  the  blaze 

Which  circles  round  the  Living  Word. 

"  The  meek,  the  wise,  none  else  is  here, 
Dispensing  light  to  men  below  ; 
His  awful  accents  fill  the  ear, 

Now  keen  as  fire,  now  soft  as  snow." 

J.  H.  Newman,  1850. 

Owing  to  the  desire  in  the  early  Christian  Church  of 
caving  the  graves  of  their  first  confessors  and  martyrs  from 
desecration,  almost  all  the  catacombs  were  gradually 
blocked  up,  and  by  lapse  of  time  their  very  entrances 
were  forgotten.  In  the  fourteenth  century  very  few  were 
still  open.  In  the  fifteenth  century  none  remained  except 
this  of  S.  Sebastian,  which  continued  to  be  frequented  by 
pilgrims,  and  was  called  in  all  ancient  documents  "  coeme- 
terium  ad  catacumbas." 


CATACOMBS   OF  S.  SEBASTIANO. 


339 


At  the  back  of  the  high-altar  is  an  interesting  half-sub- 
terranean building,  attributed  to  Pope  Liberius  (352-355), 
and  afterward  adorned  by  Pope  Damasus,  who  briefly 
tells  its  history  in  one  of  his  inscriptions,  vvbich  may  still 
be  seen  here  : 

"  Hie  habitasse  prius  sanctos  cognoscere  debes, 
Nomina  quisque  Petri  pariter  Paulique  requiris. 
Discipulos  Oriens  raisit,  quod  sponle  fatemur  ; 
Sanguinis  ob  meritum  ChrisLumque  per  astra  sequuli, 
Aetherios  petiere  sinus  et  regna  piorum. 
Roma  suos  potius  meruit  defendere  cives. 
Haec  Damasus  vestras  referat  nova  sidera  laudes." 

"  Here  you  shoaid  know  that  saints  dwelt.  Their  names,  if  you 
ask  them,  were  Peter  and  PauL  The  East  sent  disciples,  which  we 
freely  acknowledge.  For  the  merit  of  their  blood  they  followed  Christ 
to  the  stars,  and  sought  the  heavenly  home  and  the  kingdom  of  the 
blest.  Rome,  however,  deserved  to  defend  her  own  citizens.  May 
Damasus  record  these  things  for  your  praise,  O  new  stars." 

"  The  two  Apostles,  S.  Peter  and  S.  Paul,  were  originally  buried, 
the  one  at  tlie  Vatican,  the  other  on  the  Ostian  Way,  at  the  spot  where 
their  respective  basilicas  now  stand  ;  but,  as  soon  as  the  Oriental 
Christians  had  heard  of  their  dcatli,  they  sent  some  of  their  brethren 
to  remove  their  bodies,  and  bring  them  back  to  tlie  East,  where  they 
considered  that  they  had  a  right  to  claim  them  as  tlicir  fellow- citizens 
and  countrymen.  These  so  far  prospered  in  their  mission  as  to  gain 
a  momentary  possession  of  the  sacred  relics,  vvhicli  they  carried  off, 
along  the  Appian  Way,  as  far  ss  the  spot  where  the  church  of  S. 
Sebastian  was  afterwards  built  Here  they  rested  for  awhile,  to 
make  all  things  ready  for  their  journey,  or,  according  to  another  ac- 
count, were  detained  by  a  thunderstorm  of  extraordinary  violence, 
which  delay,  however  occasioned,  was  sufficient  to  enable  the  Chris- 
tians of  Rome  to  overtake  them  and  recover  their  lost  treasure.  These 
Roman  Christians  then  buried  the  bodies,  v/ith  the  utmost  secrecy,  in 
a  deep  pit,  which  they  dug  on  the  very  spot  where  they  were.  Soon, 
indeed,  they  were  restored  to  their  original  places  of  sepulture,  as  we 
know  from  contemporary  authorities,  and  there  seems  reason  to  be- 
lieve the  old  ecclesiastical  tradition  to  be  correct,  which  states  them  to 
have  only  remained  in  this  temporary  abode  for  a  year  and  seven 
months.  The  body  of  S.  Peter,  however,  was  destined  to  revisit  it  a 
second  time,  and  for  a  longer  period  ;  for  when,  at  the  beginning  of 
the  third  century,  Heliogabalus  made  his  circus  at  the  Vatican,  Calix- 
tus,  who  was  then  pope,  removed  the  relics  of  the  Apostle  to  their 
former  temporary  resting-place,  the  pit  on  the  Appian  Way.  But  in 
A.D.  257,  S.  Stephen,  the  pope,  having  been  discovered  in  this  very 
cemetery  and  having  suffered  martyrdom  there,  the  body  of  S.  Peter 
was  once  more  removed,  and  restored  to  its  original  tomb  in  the  Vati- 
can."— Northcote's  Roman  Catacombs. 

In  the  passages  of  this  catacomb  are  misguiding  inscrip- 


340 


WALKS  IV  ROME. 


tions,  placed  here  in  1409  by  William,  Archbishop  of 
Bourges,  calling  upon  the  faithful  to  venerate  here  the 
tombs  of  S.  Cecilia  and  of  many  of  the  martyred  popes,  who 
are  buried  elsewhere.  The  martyr  S.  Cyrinus  is  known  to 
have  been  buried  here  from  very  early  itineraries,  but  his 
grave  has  not  been  discovered. 

"When  I  was  a  boy,  being  educated  at  Rome,  I  used  every  Sunday, 
in  company  with  other  boys  of  my  own  age  and  tastes,  to  visit  the 
tombs  of  tlie  apostles  and  martyrs,  and  to  go  into  the  crypts  excavated 
there  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  The  walls  on  either  side  as  you  enter 
are  full  of  the  bodies  of  the  dead,  and  the  whole  place  is  so  dark  that 
one  seems  almost  to  see  tiie  fulfillment  of  those  words  of  the  prophet, 
'  Let  them  go  down  alive  into  Hades.'  Here  and  there  a  little  light, 
admitted  from  above,  suffices  to  give  a  momentary  relief  to  the  horror 
of  the  darkness  ;  but  as  you  go  forward,  and  find  yourself  again  im- 
mersed in  the  utter  blackness  of  night,  the  words  of  the  poet  come 
rpontaneously  lo  your  mind  :  '  The  very  silence  fills  the  soul  with 
dread.'" — S.  Jerome  {a.d.  354),  I>i  Ezek.,  ch.  Ix. 

"  A  gaunt  Franciscan  friar,  with  a  wild,  bright  eye,  was  our  only 
guide,  down  into  this  profound  and  dreadful  place.  The  narrow  ways 
and  openings  hither  and  thither,  coupled  with  the  dead  and  hea\y  air, 
soon  blotted  out,  in  all  of  us,  any  recollection  of  the  track  by  which  we 
had  come  ;  and  I  could  not  help  thinking,  '  Good  Heaven,  if,  in  a 
sudden  fit  of  madness  he  should  dash  the  torches  ot  t.  or  if  he  should 
be  seized  with  a  fit,  what  would  become  of  us  !  '  On  we  wandered, 
among  martyrs'  graves  ;  passing  great  subteiraiiean  vaulted  roads,  di- 
verging in  all  directions,  and  choked  up  with  heaps  of  stones,  that 
thieves  and  murderers  may  not  take  refuge  there,  and  form  a  popula- 
tion under  Rome,  even  worse  than  that  which  lives  between  it  and  the 
sun.  Graves,  graves,  graves  ;  graves  of  men,  of  wcmen,  of  little 
children,  who  ran  crying  to  the  persecutors,  '  we  are  Christians  !  we 
are  Christians  !  '  that  they  might  be  murdered  with  their  parents  ; 
graves  with  the  palm  of  martyrdom  roughly  cut  into  their  stone  bound- 
aries, and  little  niches,  made  to  hold  a  vessel  of  the  martyr's  blood  ; 
graves  of  some  who  lived  down  here,  (or  years  together,  ministering 
to  the' rest,  and  preaching  truth,  and  hope,  and  comfort,  from  the  rude 
altars,  that  bear  witness  to  their  fortitude  at  this  hour ;  more  roomy 
graves,  but  far  more  terrible,  where  hundreds,  being  surprised,  were 
hemmed  in  and  walled  up  ;  buried  before  death,  and  killed  by  slow 
starvation. 

"  'The  triumphs  of  the  Faith  are  not  above  ground  in  our  splendid 
churches,'  said  the  friar, looking  round  upon  us,  as  we  stopped  to  rest 
in  one  of  the  low  passages,  with  bones  and  dust  surrounding  us  on 
every  side.  '  They  are  here  !  among  the  martyrs'  graves  !  '  He  was  a 
gentle,  earnest  man,  and  said  it  from  his  heart  ;  but  when  I  thought 
how  Christian  men  have  dealt  with  one  another  ;  how,  perverting  our 
most  merciful  religion,  thay  have  hunted  down  and  tortured  ;  burnt 
and  beheaded,  strangled,  slaughtered,  and  oppressed  each  other  ;  I 
pictured  to  myself  an  agony  surpassing  any  that  this  du>t  had  suffered 


CIRCUS  OF  MAXENTIUS. 


341 


with  the  breath  of  life  yet  lingering  in  it,  and  how  these  great  and  cons- 
tant hearts  would  have  been  shaken — how  they  would  have  quailed  and 
drooped — if  a  fore-knowledge  of  the  (.leeds  that  professing  Christians 
would  commit  in  the  great  name  for  which  they  died,  could  have  rent 
them  with  its  own  unutterable  anguish,  on  the  cruel  wheel,  and  bitter 
cross,  and  in  the  fearful  fire." — Dickens. 

"  Countless  martyrs,  they  say,  rest  in  these  ancient  sepulchres.  In 
these  dark  depths  the  ancient  Church  took  refuge  from  persecution  ; 
there  she  laid  her  martyrs,  and  there,  over  their  tombs,  she  chaunted 
hymns  of  triumph,  and  held  communion  with  Him  for  whom  they  died. 
In  that  church  I  spent  hours.  I  have  no  wish  to  descend  into  those 
sacred  sepulchres,  and  pry  among  the  graves  the  resurrection  trump 
will  open  soon  enough.  I  like  to  think  of  the  holy  dead,  lying  undis- 
turbed and  quiet  there  ;  of  their  spirits  in  Paradise  ;  of  their  faith 
triumphant  in  the  city  that  massacred  them. 

"No  doubt  they  also  had  their  perplexities,  and  wondered  why  the 
wicked  triumph,  and  sighed  to  God,  '  How  long,  O  Lord, how  long?' " 
—  Schonberg  Cotta  Family. 

"  And  when  he  had  opened  the  fifth  seal,  I  saw  under  the  altar  the 
souls  of  them  that  were  slain  for  the  word  of  God,  and  for  the  testi- 
mony which  they  held  ;  and  they  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  saying,  '  How 
long,  O  Lord,  holy  and  true,  dost  thou  not  judge  and  avenge  our  blood 
on  them  that  dwell  on  the  earth  ?  '  And  white  robes  were  given  unto 
every  one  of  them  ;  and  it  was  said  unto  them,  that  they  should  rest 
yet  for  a  little  season,  until  their  fellow-servants  also  and  their 
brethren,  that  should  be  killed  as  they  were,  should  be  fulfilled." 
— J?ev.  vi.  g-ii. 

In  the  Vigna  Randanini,  almost  opposite  S.  Sebastiano, 
is  the  exceedingly  ctirious  Jmnsh  Catacomb^  which  can  only 
be  visited  by  especial  permission  from  the  proprietor,  at 
whose  sole  expense  it  has  been  excavated.  A  characteristic 
of  this  catacomb  is  the  great  breadth  of  its  passages.  At  one 
point  is  a  well.  One  chapel  is  adorned  with  well-executed 
paintings  of  peacocks  and  other  birds.  The  inscriptions 
found  show  that  this  cemetery  was  exclusively  Jewish. 
They  refer  to  officers  of  the  synagogue,  rulers  {apxovre<i) 
and  scribes  {ypaniAareii)^  etc.  The  inscriptions  are  in 
great  part  in  Greek  letters,  expressing  Latin  words  :  the 
monumental  slabs  are  frequently  adorned  with  the  seven- 
branched  candlestick.  An  interesting  Museum  in  the 
vineyard  is  filled  v/ith  relics  found  in  the  catacomb,  the 
most  important  being  a  grand  marble  sarcophagus  which 
was  in  20c  pieces  when  discovered. 

In  the  valley  beneath  S.  Sebastiano  are  the  ruins  of  the 
Circus  of  Maxentius,  near  those  of  a  villa  of  that  emperor. 
The  circus  was  1,482  feet  long,  244  feet  broad,  and  was 


342 


WALK'S  IX   ROME. 


capable  of  containing  15,000  spectators,  yet  it  is  a  miniature 
compared  with  tlie  Circus  Maximus,  though  very  inierest- 
ing  as  retaining  in  tolerable  preservation  all  the  different 
parts  which  composed  a  circus.  The  circular  ruin  near  it 
was  a  Temple  dedicated  by  Maxentius  to  his  son  Romulus. 

"  Le  jeune  Romulus,  etant  mort,  fut  place  au  rang  des  dieux,  dans 
cet  olympe  qui  s'ecroulait.  Son  ptre  lui  eleva  un  temple  dont  la  partie 
infe'rieure  se  voit  encore,  et  le  cirque  lui-meme  fut  peut-elre  une  d'i- 
pendance  de  ce  temple  funebre,  car  les  courses  de  chars  t'taient  un  dcs 
honneurs  que  I'antiquite  rendait  aux  morts,  et  sent  souvent  pour  cela 
representees  sur  les  tombeaux." — Amplre,  Einp.  ii.  360. 

These  ruins  are  very  picturesque,  backed  by  the  peaks 
of  the  Sabine  range,  which  in  winter  are  generally  covered 
with  snow. 

The  opposite  hill  is  crowned  by  the  To7nb  of  Cecilia 
Metella,  daughter  of  Quintus  Metellus  Creticus,  and  wife 
of  Crassus.  It  is  a  round  tower,  seventy  feet  in  diamxCter. 
The  bulls'  heads  on  the  frieze  gave  it  the  popular  name  of 
Capo  di  Bove.  The  marble  coating  of  the  basement  vv^as 
carried  off  by  Urban  VIII.  to  make  the  fountain  of  Trevi. 
The  battlements  were  added  Avhen  the  tomb  was  turned 
into  a  fortress  by  the  Caetani  in  the  thirteenth  century. 

"  About  two  miles,  or  more,  from  tlie  city  gates,  and  right  upon  the 
roadside,  is  an  immense  round  pile,  sepulchral  in  its  original  purpose, 
like  those  already  mentioned.  It  is  built  of  great  blocks  of  hewn 
stone,  on  a  vast,  square  foundation  of  rough,  agglomerated  material, 
such  as  composes  the  mass  of  all  the  other  ruinous  -tomb?.  But,  what- 
ever might  be  the  cause,  it  is  in  a  far  better  state  of  preservaiior.  than 
they.  On  its  broad  summit  rise  tlie  battlements  of  a  mediaeval  ior- 
tress,  out  of  tJie  midst  of  which  (so  long  since  had  time  begun  to  crum- 
ble the  supplemental  structure,  and  cover  it  with  soil  by  means  of 
wayside  dust)  grow  trees,  bushes,  and  thick  festoons  of  ivy.  This 
tomb  of  a  woman  has  become  the  dungeon-keep  of  a  castle  ;  and  all 
the  care  that  CeciHa  Metella's  husband  could  bestow,  to  secure  endless 
peace  for  her  beloved  relics,  only  sufficed  to  make  that  handful  of 
precious  ashes  the  nucleus  of  battles,  long  ages  after  her  death." — 
Hwuthoriie. 

"  There  is  a  stern  round  tov/er  of  other  days. 
Firm  as  a  fortress,  with  its  fence  of  stone, 
Such  as  an  army's  baffled  strength  delays, 
Standing  with  half  its  battlements  alone, 
And  with  two  thousand  years  of  ivy  grown. 
The  garbnd  of  eternity,  v.herc  wave 
The  green  leaves  over  all  by  time  o'erthrown  ; — 
What  was  this  tower,  of  strength  ?  within  its  ctive 
What  treasure  lay  so  lock'd,  so  hid — a  wom.an's  grave. 


THE    VIA    AFPIA.  34^ 

■'But  who  was  she,  the  lady  of  the  dead, 
Tomb'd  in  a  palace  ?     Was  she  chaste  and  fair  ? 
Worthy  a  king's — or  more — a  Roman's  bed  ? 
What  race  of  chiefs  and  heroes  did  she  bear? 
What  daughter  of  her  beauties  was  the  heir? 
How  lived — how  loved — how  died  she  ?     Was  she  not 
So  honored — and  conspicuously  there, 
Where  meaner  relics  must  not  dare  to  rot, 
Placed  to  commemorate  a  more  than  mortal  lot  ? 

"  Perchance  she  died  in  youth  :  it  may  be,  bow'd 
With  woes  far  heavier  than  the  ponderous  tomb 
That  weigh'd  upon  her  gentle  dust,  a  cloud 
Might  gather  o'er  her  beauty,  and  a  gloom 
In  her  dark  eye,  prophetic  of  the  doom 
Heaven  gives  its  favorites — early  death  ;  yet  shed 
A  sunset  charm  around  her,  and  illume 
With  hectic  light,  the  Hesperus  of  the  dead. 
Of  her  consuming  cheek  the  autumnal  leaf-like  red. 

"  Perchance  she  died  in  age — surviving  all, 

Charms,  kindred,  children — witli  the  silver  gray 
On  her  long  tresses,  which  might  yet  recall, 
It  may  be,  still  a  something  of  the  day 
When  they  were  braided,  and  her  proud  array 
And  lovely  form  were  envied,  praised,  and  eyed 
By  Rome — but  whither  would  Conjecture  stray  ? 
Thus  much  alone  we  know — Metella  died, 
The  wealthiest  Roman's  wife  :  Behold  his  love  or  pride  ' '' 

Childe  Harold. 

Opposite  the  tomb  are  the  ruins  of  a  gothic  church  of 
:he  Caetani. 

"  Le  tombeau  de  Cecilia-Metella  etait  devenu  un  chateau  fort  alors 
aux  mains  des  Caetani,  et  autour  du  chateau  s'etait  forme  un  village 
avec  son  eglise,  dont  on  a  recemment  retrouve  les  restes." — Amphe, 
Voyage  Dantcsque. 

It  is  at  Cecilia  Metella's  tomb  that  the  beauties  of  the 
Via  Appia  really  begin.  A  very  short  distance  further, 
we  emerge  from  the  walls  which  have  hitherto  shut  in  the 
road  on  either  side,  and  enjoy  uninterrupted  views  over 
the  Latin  plain,  strewn  with  its  ruined  castles  and  villages 
— and  the  long  lines  of  aqueducts,  to  the  Sabine  and 
Alban  mountains. 

"  Appia  longarum  teritur  regina  viarum." 

Siatius,  Sylv.  ii.  2,  12. 

'•  The  Via  Appia  is  a  magnificent  promenade,  amongst    ruinous 


344  IV A  LA'S  /.V  HOME. 

tombs,  the  massive  remains  of  ^hich  extend  for  many  miles  over  the 
Roman  Campagna.  The  powerful  families  of  ancient  Rome  loved  to 
build  monuments  to  their  dead  by  the  side  of  the  public  road,  prob- 
ably to  exhibit  at  once  their  affection  for  their  relations  and  their  own 
power  and  affluence.  Most  of  these  monuments  are  now  nothing  but 
heaps  of  ruins,  upon  which  are  placed  the  statues  and  sculptures 
which  have  been  found  in  the  earth  or  among  the  rubbish.  Those 
inscriptions  which  have  been  found  on  the  Via  Appia  bear  witness  to 
the  grief  of  the  living  for  the  dead,  but  never  to  the  hope  of  reunion. 
On  a  great  number  of  sarcophagi  or  the  friezes  of  tombs  may  be  seen 
the  dead  sitting  or  lying  as  if  they  were  alive.  Some  seem  to  be  pray- 
ing. Many  heads  have  great  individuality  of  character.  Sometimes 
a  white  marble  figure,  beautifully  draped,  projects  from  these  heaps 
of  ruins,  but  without  head  or  hands  ;  sometimes  a  hand  is  stretched 
out,  or  a  portion  of  a  figure  rises  from  the  tomb.  It  is  a  street 
through  monuments  of  llie  dead,  across  an  immense  churchyard  ;  for 
the  desolate  Roman  Campagna  may  be  regarded  as  such.  To  the  left 
it  is  scattered  with  the  ruins  of  colossal  aqueducts,  which,  during  the 
time  of  the  emperors,  conveyed  lakes  and  rivers  to  Rome,  and  which 
still,  ruinous  and  destroyed,  delight  the  eye  by  the  beautiful  propor- 
tions of  their  arcades.  To  the  right  is  an  immense  prairie,  without 
any  other  limit  than  that  of  the  ocean,  which,  however,  is  not  seen 
from  it.  The  country  is  desolate,  and  only  here  and  there  are  there 
any  huts  or  trees  to  be  seen." — Fredcrika  Bremer. 

"  For  the  space  of  a  mile  or  two  beyond  the  gate  of  S.  Sebastiano 
this  ancient  and  famous  road  is  as  desolate  and  disagreeable  as  most 
of  the  other  Roman  avenues.  It  extends  over  small,  uncomfortable 
paving-stones,  between  brick  and  plastered  walls,  which  are  very  sol- 
idly constructed,  and  so  high  as  almost  to  exclude  a  view  of  the  sur- 
rounding country.  The  houses  are  of  the  most  uninviting  aspect, 
neither  picturesque  nor  homelike  and  social  ;  they  have  seldom  or 
never  a  door  opening  on  the  wayside,  but  are  accessible  only  from  the 
rear,  and  frown  inhospitably  upon  the  traveler  through  iron-grated 
windows.  Here  and  there  appears  a  dreary  inn,  or  a  wine-shop,  des- 
ignated by  the  withered  bush  beside  the  entrance,  within  which  you 
discover  a  stone-built  and  sepulchral  interior,  where  guests  refresh 
themselves  with  sour  bread  and  goat's-milk  cheese,  washed  down  with 
wine  of  dolorous  acerbity. 

■'  At  frequent  intervals  along  the  roadside,  up  rises  the  ruin  of  an 
ancient  tomb.  As  they  stand  now,  these  structures  are  immensely 
high  and  broken  mounds  of  conglomerated  brick,  stone,  pebbles,  and 
earth,  all  molten  by  time  into  a  mass  as  solid  and  indestructible  as  if 
each  tomb  were  composed  of  a  single  bowlder  of  granite.  When  first 
erected,  they  were  cased  externally,  no  doubt,  with  slabs  of  polished 
marble,  artfully  wrought  bass-reliefs,  and  all  such  suitable  adornments, 
and  were  rendered  majestically  beautiful  by  grand  architectural  de- 
signs. This  antique  splendor  has  long  since  been  stolen  from  the  dead, 
to  decorate  the  palaces  and  churches  of  the  living.  Nothing  remains 
to  the  dishonored  sepulchers,  except  their  massiveness. 

"  Even  the  pyramids  form  hardly  a  stranger  spectacle,  or  a  more 
alien  from  human   '■ympathies,  than  the  tombs  of  the  Appian  Way, 


THE    VIA   APPIA. 


345 


with  their  gigantic  height,  breadth,  and  solidity,  defying  time  and  the 
elements,  and  far  too  mighty  to  be  demolished  by  an  ordinary  earth- 
quake. Here  you  may  see  a  modern  dwelling,  and  a  garden  with  its 
vines  and  olive  trees,  perched  on  the  lofty  dilapidation  of  a  tomb,  which 
forms  a  precipice  of  hfty  feet  in  depth  on  each  of  the  four  sides.  There 
is  a  house  on  that  funeral  mound,  where  generations  of  children  have 
been  born,  and  successive  lives  have  been  spent,  undisturbed  bv  the 
ghost  of  the  stern  Roman  whose  ashes  were  so  preposterously  bur- 
dened. Other  sepulchers  wear  a  crown  of  grass,  shrubbery,  and  forest- 
trees,  which  throw  out  a  broad  sweep  of  branches,  having  had  time, 
twice  over,  to  be  a  thousand  years  of  age.  On  one  of  them  stands  a 
tower,  which,  though  immemorially  more  modem  than  the  tomb,  was 
itself  built  by  immemorial  hands,  and  is  now  rifted  quite  from  top  to 
bottom  by  a  vast  fissure  of  decay  ;  the  tomb-hillock,  its  foundation, 
being  still  as  firm  as  ever,  and  likely  to  endure  until  the  last  trump 
shall  rend  it  wide  asunder  and  summon  forth  its  unknown  dead. 

"Yes,  its  unknown  dead  !  For,  except  in  one  or  two  doubtful  in- 
stances, these  mountainous  sepulchral  edifices  have  not  availed  to  keep 
so  much  as  the  bare  name  of  an  individual  or  a  family  from  oblivion. 
Ambitious  of  everlasting  remembrance  as  they  were,  the  slumberers 
might  just  as  well  have  gone  quietly  to  rest,  each  in  his  pigeon-hole  of 
a  columbarium,  or  under  his  little  green  hillock,  in  a  graveyard,  with- 
out a  headstone  to  mark  the  spot.  It  is  rather  satisfactory  than  other- 
wise to  think  that  all  these  idle  pa-ns  have  turned  out  so  utterly  abor- 
tive."— Ha-dithorne. 

Near  the  fourth  milestone  is  the  tomb  of  Marcus  Ser- 
vilius  Quartus  (with  an  inscription),  restored  by  Canova, 
in  1808.  A  bass-rehef  of  the  death  of  Atys,  killed  by  Adras- 
tus,  a  short  distance  beyond  this,  has  been  suggested  as 
part  of  the  tcmb  of  Seneca,  who  was  put  to  death  near  the 
fourth  milestone  by  order  of  Nero.  An  inscribed  tomb 
beyond  this  is  that  of  Sextus  Pompeius  Justus. 

Near  this,  in  the  campagna  on  the  left,  are  some  small 
remains,  supposed  to  be  those  of  a  Temple  of  Juno. 

Beyond  this  a  number  of  tombs  can  be  identified,  but 
none  of  any  importance.  Such  are  the  tombs  of  Plinius 
Eutychius,  erected  by  Plinius  Zosinms,  a  freedman  of 
Pliny  the  younger  ;  of  Caius  Licinius  ;  the  Doric  tomb  of 
the  tax-gatherer  Claudius  Philippianus,  inscribed  "  Tito  . 
Claudio  .  Secundo  .  Philippiano  .  Coactori .  Flavia  .  Irene  . 
Vxor  Indulgentissimo  ;  "  of  Rabinius,  with  three  busts  in 
relief  ;  of  Hermodorus  ;  of  Elsia  Prima,  priestess  of  Isis  ; 
of  Marcus  C  Cerdonus,  with  the  bass-relief  of  an  elephant 
bearing  a  burning  altar.  The  marble  casing  has  been 
plundered  from  all  the  tombs,  and  little  remains  but  brick- 
work. .    . 


346 


IVALKS  IN  ROME. 


"Brickwork    I    found  thee,  and  marble   I   left  thee,"  their  emperor 

vaunted  ; 
■'  Marble   I   thought  thee,   and  brickwork   1   find   ihee  ! ''  the  tourist 

may  answer.  Clough. 

Beyond  the  fifth  milestone,  two  circular  mounds,  with 
basements  of  peperino,  were  considered  by  Canina  to  be 
the  tombs  of  the  Horatii  and  Curiatii. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  road  is  the  exceedingly  pict- 
uresque mediaeval  fortress  known  as  Torre  Mezza  Strada, 
into  which  are  incorporated  the  remains  of  the  Church  of 
S.  Maria  Nuova,  or  della  Gloria.  Behind  this  extend  a 
vast  assemblage  of  ruins,  which  form  a  splendid  foreground 
to  the  distant  mountain  view,  and  whose  size  has  led  to 
their  receiving  the  popular  epithet  of  Roma  Vecchia.  Here 
was  the  favorite  villa  of  the  Emperor  Commodus,  where  he 
was  residing  when  the  people,  excited  by  a  sudden  impulse 
during  the  games  of  the  Circus,  rose  and  poured  out  of 
Rome  against  him — as  the  inhabitants  of  Paris  to  Versailles 
— and  refused  to  depart,  till,  terrified  into  action  by  the 
entreaties  of  his  concubine  Marcia,  he  tossed  the  head  of 
the  unpopular  Cleander  to  them  out  of  the  window,  and 
had  the  brains  of  that  minister's  child  dashed  out  against 
the  stones.  The  residence  of  the  emperors  at  some  par- 
ticular villa  always  drew  a  number  of  patrician  families  to 
build  in  the  neighborhood.  "  Ubi  Caesar,  ibi  Roma,"  was 
a  maxim  of  Roman  jurisprudence.  This  villa  is  proved  by 
the  discovery  of  a  number  of  pipes  bearing  their  names  to 
have  been  originally  that  of  the  brothers  Condianus  and 
Maximus,  of  the  great  family  of  the  Quintilii,  which  was 
confiscated  by  Commodus. 

"  L'histoire  des  deux  freres  est  interessante  et  romanesque.  Con- 
dianus et  Maximus  Quintilius  etaient  distingucs  par  la  icicnce.les  talents 
mililaires,  la  richesse,  et  surlout  par  une  tendressc  niutuelle  qui  ne 
b'ctait  jamais  dementie.  Servant  toujours  ensemble,  I'un  se  faisait  le 
lieutenant  de  I'autre.  Bien  qu'etrangers  a  loute  conspiration,  leur  vertu 
les  fit  soupfonner  d'etre  peu  favorables  a  Commode  ;  ils  furent  proscrits 
et  moururent  ensemble  comme  ils  avaient  vccu.  L'un  d'eux  avait  un 
fils  nomme  Sextus.  Au  moment  de  la  mort  de  son  i>ere  et  de  son  oncle, 
ce  fils  se  tiouvait  en  Syrie.  Pensant  bien  que  le  meme  sori  I'attcndait, 
il  feignit  de  mourir  pour  sauvcr  sa  vie.  Sex'us,  apres  avoir  bu  du  sang 
de  lievre,  monta  a  cheval,  se  laissa  tomber,  vomit  le  sang  qu'il  avail  pris 
el  qui  jiarul  etre  son  propre  sang.  On  mil  dans  sa  biere  le  corps  d'un 
belief  qui  passa  pour  son  cadavre,  et  il  disparut.  Depuis  cc  Icmps,  il 
erra  sous  divers  deguisemcnts  ;  raais  on  sut  qu'il  avait  cchapp(f   ct  on 


THE    VIA    APPIA. 


347 


se  mit  a  sa  recherche.  Beaucoup  furent  lues  paice  qu'ils  lui  ressem- 
blaient,  ou  parce  qu'ils  etaient  soup9onnes  de  lui  avoir  donne  asile.  II 
n'est  pas  bien  sur  qu'il  ait  ete  atteint,  que  sa  tete  se  Irouvat  parmi 
celles  qu'on  apporta  a  Rome  et  qu'on  dit  etre  la  sienne.  Ce  qui  est 
certain,  c'est  qu'apres  la  mort  de  Commode,  un  aventurier,  tente  par 
la  belle  villa  et  par  les  grandes  richesses  des  Quinlilii,  se  donna  pour 
Sextus  et  reclama  son  heritage.  11  parait  ne  pas  avoir  manque  d'adresse 
et  avoir  connu  celui  pour  lequel  il  voulait  qu'on  le  prit.  car  par  scs 
reponses  il  se  tira  trcs-bien  de  toutes  Ics  enquetes.  Feut-etre  s'etait- 
11  lie  avec  Sextus  et  I'avait-il  assassine  ensuile.  Cependant  I'empereur 
Pertinax,  successeur  de  Commode,  I'ayant  fait  venir,  eut  I'idee  de  lui 
parler  grec.  Le  vrai  Sextus  connaissait  farfaitement  cette  langue.  Le 
faux  Sextus,  qui  ne  savait  pas  le  grec,  repondit  tout  de  travers,  et  sa 
fraude  fut  ainsi  decouvcrte." — Amph-e,  Einp.  ii.  253. 

On  the  left  of  the  Via  Appia,  appears  a  huge  monument 
on  a  narrow  base,  called  the  Tomb  of  the  Metelli.  Beyona 
this,  after  the  fifth  milestone,  are  the  tombs  of  Sergius  De- 
metrius, a  wine  merchant ;  of  Lucius  Arrius  ;  of  Septimia 
Gallia  ;  and  of  one  of  the  Caecilii,  in  whose  sepulcher,  ac- 
cording to  Eutropius,  Avas  buried  Pomponius  Atticus,  the 
friend  of  Cicero,  whose  daughter  Pomponia  was  the  first 
wife  of  Agrippa,  and  whose  granddaughter  Vipsania  Agrip- 
pina  was  the  first  wife  of  Tiberius. 

Close  to  the  sixth  milestone  is  the  mass  of  masonry 
sometimes  called  "  Casale  Rotondo,"  or  ''  Cotta's  Tomb," 
from  that  name  being  found  there  inscribed  on  a  stone, 
but  generally  attributed  to  Messala  Corvinus,  the  poet  and 
friend  of  Horace,  and  believed  to  have  been  raised  to  him 
by  his  son  Valerius  Maximus  Cotta,  mentioned  in  Ovid. 

"  Te  autem  in  turba  non  ausim,  Cotta,  silsre, 
Pieridum  lumen,  praesidiumque  fori." 

Episi.  xvi. 

This  tomb  was  even  larger  than  that  of  Cecilia  Metella, 
and  was  turned  into  a  fortress  by  the  Orsini  in  the  fifteenth 
century. 

Beyond  this  are  tombs  identified  as  those  of  P.  Quintius, 
tribune  of  the  sixteenth  legion  ;  Marcus  Julius,  steward  cf 
Claudius  ;  Publius  Decumius  Philomusus  (with  appropri- 
ate bass-reliefs  of  two  mice  nibbling  a  cake)  ;  and  of 
Cedritius  Flaccianius. 

Passing  on  the  left  the  Tor  di  Selce,  erected  upon  a 
huge  unknov.n  tomb,  are  the  tombs  of  Titia  Eucharis  and 
of  Atilius  EvoduSj  jeweler    (margaritarius),  on    the    \ia 


348  WALK'S  JN  ROME. 

Sacra,  with  the  inscription,  "  Hospes  resiste — aspice  ubi 
continenlur  ossa  hominis  boni  misericordis  amanlis  paupe- 
ris."  Near  the  eighth  milestone  are  ruins  attributed  to 
the  temples  of  Silvanus  and  of  Hercules, — of  which  the 
latter  is  mentioned  in  Martial's  Epigrams,  beyond  which 
were  the  villas  of  Bassus  and  of  Persius.  The  last  tomb 
identified  is  that  of  Quintus  Verranius.  Near  the  ninth 
milestone  is  a  tomb  supposed  to  be  that  of  Gallienus  (Imp. 
268),  who  lived  close  by  in  a  villa,  amid  the  ruins  of 
which  the  *'  Discobolus  "  was  discovered. 

From  the  stream  called  Pontecello,  near  the  tenth  mile- 
stone, the  road  gradually  ascends  to  Albano,  passing  sev- 
eral large  but  unnamed  tombs.  At  the  Osteria  delle 
Frattocchie  it  joins  the  Via  Appia  Nuova.  Close  to  the 
gate  of  Albano  it  passes  on  the  left  the  tall  tomb  attributed 
to  Pompey  the  Great,  in  accordance  with  the  statement 
of  Plutarch,  and  in  spite  of  the  epigram  of  Varro  Atacinus, 
which  says  : — 

"  Marmoreo  Licinus  tumulo  jacet  ;  at  Cato  parvo  ; 
Pompeius  nuUo  :  quis  putet  esse  Deos. " 

Among  the  many  processions  which  have  passed  along 
this  road,  perhaps  the  most  remarkable  have  been  that 
bearing  back  to  Rome  the  dead  body  of  Sulla,  who  died  at 
Puteoli,  "  in  a  gilt  litter,  with  royal  ornaments,  trumpets 
before  him,  and  horsemen  behind  ;  "  '  and  the  funeral  of 
Augustus,  who,  dying  at  Nola  (a.d.  14),  was  brought  to 
Bovillae,  and  remained  there  a  month  in  the  sanctuary  of 
the  Julian  family,  after  which  the  knights  brought  the 
body  in  solemn  procession  to  his  palace  on  the  Palatine. 

But  throughout  a  walk  along  the  Appian  Way,  the  one 
great  Christian  interest  of  this  world-famous  road  will,  to 
the  Christian  visitor,  overpower  all  others. 

"And  so  we  went  toward  Rome. 

"  And  from  thence,  when  the  brethren  heard  of  us,  they  came  to 
meet  us  as  far  as  Appii-Forum,  and  the  Three  Taverns  ;  whom  when 
Paul  saw,  lie  thanked  God,  and  took  courage. 

"And  when  we  came  to  Rome,  the  centurion  delivered  the  prison- 
ers to  the  captain  of  the  guard  :  but  Paul  was  suffered  to  dwell  by 
himself,  with  a  soldier  that  kept  him." — Acts  xxviii.  14-16. 

'' It  is  not  without  its  manifold  uses  to  remember  that,  amid  the 
dim  and  wavering  traditions  of  later  times,  one  figure  at  least  stands 

'  Amp&re,  Hist.  Jiom.  iv.  4fin. 


THE    VIA    APPIA.  34^ 

out  clear  and  distinct  and  undoubted,  and  this  figure  is  the  Apostle 
Paul.  He,  whatever  we  may  think  concerning  any  other  apostle  or 
apostolic  man  in  connection  with  Rome,  he,  Ijeyond  a  shadow  of 
doubt,  appears  in  the  New  Testament  as  her  great  teacher.  JiJo  crit- 
icism or  skepticism  of  modern  times  has  ever  questioned  the  perfect 
authenticity  of  that  last  chapter  of  the  Acts,  which  gives  the  account 
of  his  journey,  stage  by  stage,  till  he  set  foot  within  the  walls  of 
the  city.  However  much  we  may  be  compelled  to  distrust  any  par- 
ticular traditions  concerning  special  localities  of  his  life  and  death, 
we  cannot  doubt  for  a  moment  that  his  eye  rested  on  the  same  gener- 
al view  of  sky  and  plain  and  mountain  ;  that  his  feet  trod  the  pave- 
ment of  the  same  Appian  road  ;  that  his  way  lay  through  the  same 
long  avenue  of  ancient  tombs  on  which  we  new  look  and  wonder  ; 
that  he  entered  (and  there  we  have  our  last  authentic  glimpse  of  his 
progress)  through  the  arch  of  Drusus,  and  then  is  lost  to  our  view  in 
the  great  Babylon  of   Rome." — A.  P.  Slauleys  Sirvions. 

"  When  S.  Paul  was  approaching  Rome,  all  the  bases  of  the  mount- 
ains were  (as  indeed  they  are,  partially,  now)  clustered  round  with  the 
villas  and  gardens  of  wealthy  citizens.  The  Appian  Way  climbs  and 
then  descends  along  its  southern  slope.  After  passing  Lanuvium  it 
crossed  a  crater-like  valley  on  immense  substructions,  which  still  re- 
main. Here  is  Aricia,  an  easy  stage  from  Rome.  The  town  was  above 
the  road,  and  on  the  hillside  swarms  of  beggars  beset  travelers  as  they 
passed.  On  the  summit  of  the  next  rise,  1  aul  cf  Tarsus  would  obtain 
his  first  view  of  Rome.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  prospect  was,  in 
many  respects,  very  different  from  the  view  which  is  now  obtained 
from  the  same  spot.  It  is  true  that  the  natural  features  of  the  scene 
are  unaltered.  The  long  wall  of  blue  Sabine  mountains,  with  Soracte 
in  the  distance,  closed  in  the  Campagna,  which  stretched  far  across  to 
the  sea  and  round  the  base  of  the  Alban  hills.  But  ancient  Rome  was 
not,  like  modern  Rome,  impressive  from  its  solitude,  standing  alone, 
with  its  one  conspicuous  cupola,  in  the  midst  cf  a  desolate  though 
beautiful  waste.  S.  Paul  would  see  a  vast  city,  covering  the  Campagna 
and  almost  continuously  connected  by  its  suburbs  with  the  villas  on 
the  hill  where  he  stood,  and  with  the  bright  towns  which  clustered  on 
the  sides  of  the  mountains  opposite.  Over  all  the  inttrmediate  space 
were  the  houses  and  gardens,  through  which  aqueducts  and  roads 
might  be  traced  in  converging  lines  toward  the  confused  mass  of 
edifices  which  formed  the  city  of  Rome.  Here  no  conspicuous  build- 
ing, elevated  above  the  rest,  attracted  the  eye  cr  the  imagination. 
Ancient  Rome  had  neither  cupola  nor  campanile,  ttill  less  had  it  any 
of  those  spires  which  give  life  to  all  the  capitals  cf  northern  Christen- 
dom. It  was  a  wide-spread  aggregate  of  buildings,  which,  though 
separated  by  narrow  streets  and  open  spaces,  ffpeared,  when  seen 
from  near  Aricia,  blended  into  one  indiscriminate  mass  :  for  distance 
concealed  the  contrasts  which  divided  the  crowded  habitations  of  the 
poor  and  the  dark  haunts  of  filth  and  misery — from  the  theaters  and 
colonnades,  the  baths,  the  temples,  and  palaces  with  gilded  roofs, 
flashing  back  the  sun. 

"  The  road  descended  into  the  plain  at  F>ovilIac,  six  miles  from 
Aricia  :  and  thence  it  proceeded  in  a  straight  line,  with  the  scpulchers 


35 o  WALK'S   IN  ROME. 

of  illustrious  families  on  eilher  Iiand.  One  of  these  was  the  burial- 
place  of  the  Julian  gens,  with  which  the  centurion  who  had  charge  of 
the  prisoners  was  in  some  way  connected.  As  they  proceeded  over 
the  old  pavement,  among  gardens  and  modern  houses,  and  approached 
nearer  the  busy  metropolis — the  "conflux  issuing  forth  on  entering 
in  "  in  various  costumes  and  on  various  errands — vehicles,  horsemen, 
and  foot-passengers,  soldiers  and  laborers,  Romans  and  foreigners, 
— became  more  crov/ded  and  confusing.  The  houses  grew  closer. 
They  were  already  in  Rome.  It  was  impossible  to  define  the  com- 
mencement of  the  city.  Its  populous  portions  extended  far  beyond 
the  limits  marked  out  by  Servius.  The  ancient  wall,  with  its  once 
sacred  pomoerium,  vv-as  rather  an  object  for  antiquarian  interest,  like 
the  walls  of  York  or  Chester,  tlian  any  protection  against  the  enemies, 
who  were  kept  far  aloof  by  the  legions  on  the  frontier. 

"  Yet  the  I'orta  Capena  is  a  spot  which  we  can  hardly  leave  without 
lingering  for  a  moment.  Under  this  arch — which  was  perpetually 
dripping  with  the  water  of  the  aqueduct  that  went  over  it — had  passed 
all  those  who,  since  a  remote  period  of  the  republic,  had  traveled  by 
the  Appian  Way, — victorious  generals  with  their  legions,  returning 
from  foreign  ser\ice, — emperors  and  courtiers,  vagrant  representatives 
of  every  form  of  heathenism,  Creeks  and  Asiatics,  jews  and  Christians. 
From  this  point  entering  within  the  city,  Julius  and  his  prisoners 
moved  on,  with  the  Aventine  on  their  left,  close  round  the  base  of  the 
Coelian,  and  through  the  hollow  ground  which  lay  between  this  hill 
and  the  Palatine  ;  thence  over  the  low  ridge  called  \'elia,  where  after- 
ward was  built  the  Arch  of  Titus,  to  commemorate  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem  ;  and  then  descending,  by  the  Via  Sacra,  into  that  space 
which  was  the  center  of  imperial  power  and  imperial  magnificence, 
and  associated  also  with  the  most  glorious  recollections  of  the  republic. 
The  I'^orum  was  to  Rome  what  the  Acropolis  was  to  Athens — the  heart 
of  all  the  characteristic  interest  of  the  place.  Here  v.'as  the  Milliarium 
Aureiim,  to  which  the  roads  of  all  the  provinces  converged.  All 
around  were  the  stately  buildings  which  v/ere  raised  in  the  closing 
years  of  the  republic,  and  by  the  early  emperors.  In  front  was  the 
Capitoline  Hill,  illustrious  long  before  the  invasion  of  the  Gauls. 
Close  on  the  left,  covering  that  hill,  whose  name  is  associated  in  every 
modern  European  language  with  the  notion  of  imperial  splendor,  were 
the  vast  ranges  of  the  palace — the  "  house  of  Caesar  "  (Philipp.  iv.  22). 
Here  were  the  household  troops  quartered  in  z praetoiiuin  attached  to 
the  palace.  And  here  (unless,  indeed,  it  was  in  the  great  Praetorium 
camp  outside  the  city  wall)  Julius  gave  up  his  prisoner  to  Burrus, 
the  Praetorian  Prefect,  whose  official  duty  it  was  to  keep  in  custody 
all  accused  persons  who  were  to  be  tried  before  the  Emperor." — Cony' 
bcare  and  liowson. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  QUIRINAL  AND  VIMINAL. 

Palazzo  Barberini — Palazzo  Albani — S.  Carlo  a  Quattro  Fontane— 
S.  Andrea  a  Monte  Cavallo — Quirinal  Palace — Palazzo  della  Con- 
sulta — Palazzo  Rospigliosi — Colonna  Gardens  and  Temple  of  the 
Sun — S.  Silvestro  a  Monte  Cavallo — S.  Caterina  di  Siena — SS. 
Domenico  e  Sisto — S.  Agata  dei  Goti— S.  Maria  in  Monte — S. 
Lorenzo  Pane  e  Perna — S.  Pudentiana — S.  Paolo  Prime  Eremita — 
S.  Dionibio — S.  Vitale. 

IT  is  difificult  to  determine  the  exact  limits  of  what  in 
ancient  times  were  regarded  as  the  Quirinal  and  Virai- 
nal  hills.  They,  like  the  Esquiline  and  Coelian,  are  "in 
fact  merely  spurs  or  tongues  of  hill,  projecting  inward 
from  a  common  base,  the  broad  table-land,  which  slopes 
on  the  other  side  almost  imperceptibly  into  the  Cam- 
pagna."  '  That  which  is  described  in  this  chapter  as- be- 
longing to  these  two  hills,  is  chiefly  the  district  to  the 
right  of  the  Via  Quattro  Fontane  and  its  continuations — 
which  extend  in  a  straight  line  to  S.  Maria  Maggiore. 

The  Quirinal,  like  all  the  other  hills,  except  the  Palatine 
and  the  Coelian,  belonged  to  the  Sabines  in  the  earlier 
period  of  Roman  history,  and  is  full  of  records  of  their 
occupation.  They  had  a  capitol  here  which  is  believed  to 
have  been  long  anterior  to  that  on  the  Capitoline,  and 
which  was  crowned  by  a  teip.ple  of  Jupiter,  Juno,  and  Mi- 
nerva. This  Sabine  capitol  occupied  the  site  of  the  pres- 
ent Palazzo  Rospigliosi. 

The  name  Quirinal  is  derived  from  the  Sabine  word 
Quins,  signifying  a  lance,  which  gave  the  Sabines  their 
name  of  Quirites,  or  lance-bearers,  and  to  their  god  the 
name  Quirinus.^  After  his  death  Romulus  received  this 
title,  and  an  important  temple  was  raised  to  him  on  the 
Quirinal  by  Nuina,'  under  this  name,  thus  identifying  hin; 

'  Merivale,  Romans  tinder  the  Empirey  ch.  xi. 
"Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  i.  14T.  '  Dionysms,  ii.  63. 

351 


332 


IVALKS  JN  ROME. 


with  Janus  Quirinus,  the  national  god.  This  temple  was 
surrounded  by  a  sacred  grove  mentioned  by  Ovid.'  It 
was  rebuilt  by  the  consul  L.  Papirius  Cursor,  to  commemo- 
rate his  triumph  after  the  third  Samnite  war,  B.C.  293, 
when  he  adorned  it  with  a  sun-dial  {solarium  Iwrohgiitm), 
the  first  set  up  in  Rome,  which,  however,  not  being  con- 
structed for  the  right  latitude,  did  not  show  the  time  cor- 
rectly. This  defect  was  not  remedied  till  nearly  a  century 
afterward,  when  Q.  Marcius  Philippus  set  up  a  correct 
dial.'^  In  front  of  this  temple  grev/  two  celebrated  myrtle- 
trees,  one  called  Patricia,  the  other  Plcbeia,  which  shared 
the  fortunes  of  their  respective  orders,  as  the  orange-tree 
at  S.  Sabina  now  does  that  of  the  Dominicans.  Thus,  up 
to  the  fifth  century,  Patricia  flourished  gloriously,  and 
Plebeia  pined  ;  but  from  the  time  when  the  Plebeians  com- 
pletely gained  the  upper  hand,  Patricia  withered  away."* 
The  temple  was  rebuilt  by  .\ugustus,  and  Dion  Cassius 
states  that  the  number  of  pillars  by  which  it  was  sur- 
rounded accorded  with  that  of  the  years  of  his  life.' 
Adjoining  the  temple  was  a  portico  : 

"  Vicini  pete  porticum  Quirini : 
Turbam  non  habet  otiosioreni 
Pompeius." 

Martial,  .\i.  Ep.  i. 

"  Officium  eras 


Primo  sole  mihi  peragendum  in  valle  Quirini." 

Juvenal,  Sat.  ii.  132. 

Hard  by  was  a  temple  of  Fortuna  Publica  : 

"  Qui  dicet,  Quondam  sacrata  est  eolle  Quirini 
Mac  Fortuna  die  Publica  :  verus  erit. " 

Ovid,  Fast.  iv.  375. 

also  an  altar  to  Mamurius,  an  ancient  Sabine  divinity, 
probably  identical  with  Mars,  and  a  temple  of  Salus,  or 
Health,  which  gave  a  name  to  the  Porta  Salutaria,  which 
must  have  stood  nearly  on  the  site  of  the  present  Quattro 
Fontane,  and  near  which,  not  inappropriately,  was  a  temple 
of  Fever,  in  the  Via  S.  Vitale,  where  fever  is  still  prevalent. 
The  site  of  the  temple  of  Quirinus  is  ascertained  to  have 
been  nearly  that  now  occupied  by  S.  Andrea  a  Monte 
Cavallo.     On  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  where  part 

'  Ovid,  Afct.   xiv.  452,  453.  'i  Dyer's  Rome,  p.  95. 

'  Pliny,  Hist.  Nat.   xv.  35,  2,  ♦  Dion  Cass.  liv. 


PA  LA  ZZO   BA  A- BE  A' /XT. 


353 


of  the  royal  palace  now  stands,  was  the  temple  of  Semo- 
Sanctus,  the  reputed  father  of  Sabinus.  Between  these 
two  temples  was  the  House  of  Pomponius  Atticus  (the 
friend  and  correspondent  of  Cicero),  a  situation  which  gave 
an  opportunity  for  the  witticism  of  Cicero  when  he  said 
that  he  would  rather  Caesar  should  dwell  with  Quirinus 
than  with  Salus,  meaning  that  he  would  rather  he  should 
be  at  war  than  be  in  good  health.' 

In  the  same  neighborhood  lived  Martial  the  epigram- 
matist, "on  the  third  floor,  in  a  narrow  street,"  whence  he 
had  a  view  as  far  as  the  portico  of  Agrippa,  near  the  Fla- 
minian  Way.  Below,  probably  on  the  site  now  occupied 
by  the  Piazza  Barberini,  was  a  Circus  of  Flora. 

"  Mater  ades,  florum,  ludis  celebranda  jocosis  : 
Distuleram  partes  mense  priore  tuas. 
Incipis  Aprili  :  transis  in  tempora  Maii. 

Alter  te  fugiens,  quiim  venit  alter,  habet. 
Quum  tua  sint  cedantque  tibi  confinia  mensum, 

Convenit  in  laudes  ille  vel  iste  tuas. 
Circus  in  hunc  exit,  clamataque  palma  theatris  : 
Hoc  quoque  cum  Circi  munere  carmen  eat." 

Ovid,  Fast.  v.  183. 

Among  the  great  families  who  lived  on  the  Quirinal  were 
the  Cornelii,  who  had  a  street  of  their  own,  Vicus  Cornc- 
liorum,  probably  on  the  slopes  behind  the  present  Colonna 
Palace  ;  and  the  Flavii,  who  were  of  Sabine  origin.'  Domi- 
tian  was  born  here  in  the  house  of  the  Flavii,  afterward 
consecrated  by  him  as  a  temple,  in  which  Vespasian,  Titus, 
and  Domitian  himself  were  buried,  and  Julia  the  ugly 
daughter  of  Titus — well  known  from  her  statues  in  the 
Vatican. 

As  some  fragments  remain  of  the  two  buildings  erected 
on  the  Quirinal  during  the  later  empire,  Aurelian's  temple 
of  the  Sun  and  the  baths  of  Constantine,  they  will  be 
noticed  in  the  regular  course. 


On  the  ascent  of  the  hill,  just  above  the  Piazza  del 
Tritone,  is  tlie  noble  Barberini  Palace,  built  by  Urban  VII  [. 
from  designs  of  Carlo  Maderno,  continued  by  Borromini, 
and  finished  by  Bernini  in   1640.     It  is  screened  from  the 

'  "  De  Caesare  vicino  scripseram  ad  te,  quia  cognoram  ex  tuis  literis:  eum 
riivi'aoi' Quirino  malo,  quam  Saluti."     Ad  Att.  \\\.  z^^. 

'  \'espasian  had  a  brother  named  Sabinus  ;  his  son's  name  recalls  that  of  Titus 
Tatius. 


35+ 


WALK'S  I.V  ROME. 


Street  by  a  magnificent  railing  between  columns,  erected 
1845-67,  and  if  this  railing  could  be  continued,  and  the 
block  of  houses  toward  the  piazza  removed,  it  would  be 
by  far  the  most  splendid  private  palace  in  Rome. 

This  immense  building  is  a  memorial  of  the  magnificence 
and  ambition  of  Urban  VIII.  Its  size  is  enormous,  the 
smallest  apartment  in  the  palace  containing  forty  rooms. 
The  Prince  at  present  inhabits  the  right  wing  ;  with  him 
lives  his  elder  brother  the  Duke,  who  abdicated  the  family 
honors  in  his  favor.  In  the  left  wing — occupied  in  the 
beginning  of  this  century  by  the  ex-king  (Charles  VII.)  and 
queen  of  Spain,  and  the  "  Prince  of  Peace  " — is  the  huge 
apartment  of  the  late  Cardinal  Barberini,  now  uninhabited. 
On  this  side  is  the  grand  staircase,  upon  which  is  placed  a 
lion  in  high  relief,  found  on  the  family  property  at  Pales- 
trina.  It  is  before  this  lion  that  Canova  is  said  to  have 
lain  for  hours  upon  the  pavement,  studying  for  his  tomb  of 
Clement  XIII.  in  S.  Peter's.  The  guarda-roba,  badly  kept, 
contains  many  curious  relics  of  family  grandeur  :  among 
them  is  a  sedan-chair  painted  by  Titian. 

"  The  Barberini  were  the  last  papal-nephews  who  aspired  to  inde- 
pendent principalities.  Urban  VIII.,  though  he  enriched  them  enor- 
mously, appears  to  have  been  but  little  satisfied  with  them.  He  used 
to  complain  that  he  had  four  relations  who  were  fit  for  nothing:  first, 
Cardinal  Francis,  who  was  a  saint,  and  worked  no  miracles  ;  secondly, 
Cardinal  Anthony,  who  was  a  monk,  and  had  no  patience  ;  thirdly. 
Cardinal  Anthony  the  younger,  who  was  an  orator  (/.t'.  an  ambassador), 
and  did  not  know  how  to  speak  ;  while  the  fourth  was  a  general,  who 
did  not  know  how  to  draw  the  sword." — Goethe,  Roinische  Brief e. 

The  Z/^r<?/'v  (open  on  Thursdays  from  9  to  2)  contains 
a  most  valuable  collection  of  MSS.,  about  7,000  in  number, 
brought  together  by  Cardinal  Francesco  Barberini,  nephew 
of  Urban  VIII.  They  include  collections  of  letters  of 
Galileo,  Bembo  and  Bellarmine  ;  the  official  reports  to 
Urban  VIII.  relating  to  the  state  of  Catholicism  in  Eng- 
land in  the  time  of  Charles  I. ;  a  copy  of  the  Bible  in 
Samaritan  characters  ;  a  Bible  of  the  fourth  century;  several 
MSS.  copies  of  Dante  ;  a  missal  illuminated  by  Ghirlandajo; 
and  a  book  of  sketches  of  ancient  Roman  edifices,  of  1465, 
by  Giulianodi  Sangallo.  most  interesting  to  the  antiquarian 
and  architect,  as  preserving  the  forms  of  many  public 
buildings  which  have  disappeared  since  that  date.     Among 


PALAZZO  BARBER  I  A' I. 


355 


the  50,000  printed  books  is  a  Hebrew  Bible  of  1788,  one 
of  the  twelve  known  copies  of  the  complete  edition  of 
Soncino  ;  a  Latin  Plato  by  Ficino,  with  marginal  notes  by 
Tasso  and  his  father  Bernardo  ;  a  Dante  of  1477,  with  notes 
by  Bembo,  etc. 

In  the  right  wing  is  a  huge  Hall  (adorned  with  second- 
rate  statues),  with  a  grand  ceiling  by  Pietro  da  Cortotia 
(1596-1669),  representing  "II  Trionfo  della  Gloria,"  the 
Forge  of  Vulcan,  Minerva  annihilating  the  Titans,  and 
other  mythological  subjects — much  admired  by  Lanzi,  and 
considered  by  Kugler  to  be  the  most  important  work  of  the 
artist.  Four  vast  frescoes  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Church  are 
preserved  here,  having  been  removed  from  the  dome  of 
S.  Peter's,  where  they  were  replaced  with  mosaics  by 
Urban  VIII.  Below  are  other  frescoes  by  Pietro  da  Cor- 
tona,  a  portrait  of  Urban  VIII.,  and  some  tapestries  illus- 
trative of  the  events  of  his  reign  and  of  his  own  intense 
self-esteem — thus  the  Virgin  and  Angels  are  represented 
bringing  in  the  ornaments  of  the  papacy  at  his  coronation, 
&c.  But  the  conceit  of  Pope  Urban  reaches  its  climax  in 
a  room  at  the  top  of  the  house,  which  exhibits  a  number 
of  the  Barberini  bees  (the  family  crest)  flocking  against  the 
sun,  and  eclipsing  it — to  typify  the  splendor  of  the  family. 
The  will  of  Pope  Urban  VIII.  is  a  very  curious  document, 
providing  against  the  extinction  of  the  family  in  every  ap- 
parent contingency.  This,  however,  now  seems  likely  to 
take  place  ;  the  heir  is  a  Sciarra.  In  the  room  adjoining 
the  great  hall  are  busts  of  Urban  VIII.  and  his  nephews, 
and  several  other  fine  vv'orks  of  sculpture,  including  a 
drunken  faun,  attributed  to  Michael  Angelo,  and  a  vailed 
statue  by  a  Portuguese  artist.  The  pillars  in  front  of  the 
palace,  and  all  the  surrounding  buildings,  teem  with  the 
bees  of  the  Barberini,  which  may  also  be  seen  on  the  Prop- 
aganda and  many  other  great  Roman  edifices,  and  which 
are  creeping  up  the  robe  of  Urban  VIII.  in  S.  Peter's. 

On  the  right,  on  entering  the  palace,  is  the  small  Col- 
lection of  Pictures  (open  daily  from  12  to  5,  when  the  cus- 
tode  chooses  to  be  there),  indifferently  lodged  for  a  build- 
ing so  magnificent.     We  may  notice  : 

2d  Room  : 

34.  Andrea  Saccki  :  Urban  VIII. 

35.  Titian  ;  A  Cardinal, 


356 


WALKS  IV  ROME. 


4S.  Fraiicia  :  Madonna  and  Child,  S.  John,  and  S.  Jerome. 

54.  So  do  ma  :  Madonna  and  Child. 

58.  Giovanni  Bellini  :  Madonna  r.nd  Child. 

63.  Mfiigs  :  Daughter  of  Raphael  Mengs. 

67.  Mascxccio  :  Portrait  of  himself. 

74.  DomenicJiino  :  Adam  and  Eve. 

3^  J?Oom  : 
73.  PalmaVecchio  :  The  "  hchiava." 

"  This  picture,  with  a  totally  unmeaning  name,  taken  from  the 
manacles  on  the  hands,  \i  attributed  to  Titian,  but  one  of  the  well- 
known  'daughters  of  Palma  Vecchio '  was  evidently  the  model." — 
Kugler. 

76.    Claude  Lorraine  :  Castle  Gandolfo. 

78.  Dronzino  :  Portrait. 

79.  Albert  Durer :  Christ    among    the    Doctors — painted    in    five 

days,  in  1506. 

"  Affreux  docteurs.  laids  comme  leur  science,  et  vieux  comme  leurs 
grimoires. " — Einile  Moniegul. 

81.  Carava;j;gio  :   "  The  Mother  of  Beatrice  Cenci  "  ? 

82.  Kaffaelle :    The   Fornarina    (with   the  painter's   name  on   the 

armlet). 
"  The  history  of  this  person,  to  whom  Raffaelle  was  attached  even 
to  his  death,  is  obscure,  nor  are  we  very  clear  with  regard  to  her  like- 
nesses. In  the  tribune  at  Florence  there  is  a  portrait,  inscribed  with 
the  date  1512,  of  a  very  beautiful  woman  holding  the  fur  trimming  of 
her  mantle  with  her  right  hand,  which  is  said  to  represent  her.  The 
picture  is  decidedly  by  Raffaelle,  but  can  hardly  represent  the  Forna- 
rina ;  at  least  it  has  no  resemblance  to  this  portrait,  which  has  the 
name  of  Raffaelle  on  the  armlet,  and  of  the  authenticity  of  which  (par- 
ticularly with  respect  to  the  subject)  there  can  hardly  be  a  doubt.  In 
this  the  figure  is  seated,  and  is  uncovered  to  the  waist  ;  she  draws  a 
light  drapery  around  her  ;  a  shawl  is  twisted  round  her  head.  The 
execution  is  beautiful  and  delicate,  although  the  lines  are  sufficiently 
defined  ;  the  forms  arc  fine  and  not  without  beauty,  but  at  the  same 
time  not  free  from  an  expression  of  coarseness  and  common  life.  The 
eyes  are  large,  dark,  and  full  of  fire,  and  seem  to  speak  of  brighter 
days.  There  are  repetitions  of  this  picture,  from  the  school  of  Raf- 
faelle, in  Roman  galleries." — Kugler. 

86.  Poussin  :  Death  of  Germanicus. 

88.  Claude  Lorraine  :  Seaport. 

90.  Andrea  del  Sarto  :  Holy  Family. 

93.  Botticelli  :  Annunciation. 

But  the  interest  of  this  collection  centers  entirely  around 
two  portraits — that  (86)  of  Lucrezia,  the  unhappy  wife  of 
Francesco  Cenci,  by  Scipione  Cactani,  and  that  (85)  of 
Beatrice  Cenci,  by  Guido  Rem. 


PALAZZO   BARBERIXI. 


357 


"  The  portrait  of  Beatrice  Cenci  ia  most  interesting  as  a  just  repre- 
sentation of  one  of  the  loveliest  specimens  of  the  v.-oriimanship  of 
nature.  There  \z  a  fixed  and  pale  composure  upon  the  features  ;  she 
seems  sad  and  stricken  down  in  spirit,  yet  the  despair  thus  expressed 
is  lightened  by  the  patience  of  gentleness.  Her  head  is  l:)Ound  with 
folds  of  white  drapery,  from  \\hich  the  yellow  strings  of  her  golden 
hair  escape,  and  fall  about  her  neck.  The  molding  of  her  face  is 
exquisitely  delicate  ;  the  eyebrows  are  distinct  and  arched  ;  the  lips 
have  that  permanent  meaning  of  imagination  and  sensibility  which 
suffering  has  not  repressed,  and  which  it  seems  as  if  death  scarcely 
could  extinguish.  Her  forehead  is  large  and  clear  ;  her  eyes,  which 
we  are  told  were  remarkable  for  their  vivacity,  are  swollen  with  \\eep- 
ing,  and  lusterless  but  beautifully  tender  and  serene.  In  the  whole 
mien  there  is  a  simplicity  and  dignity  which,  united  with  her  ex- 
quisite loveliness  and  deep  sorrow,  is  inexpressibly  pathetic.  Beatrice 
Cenci  appears  to  have  been  one  of  those  persons  in  whom  energy  and 
gentleness  dwell  together  without  destroying  one  another  ;  her  nature 
simple  and  profound.  The  crimes  and  miseries  in  which  she  was  an 
actor  and  sufferer  are  as  the  mask  and  the  mantle  in  which  circum- 
stances clothed  her  for  her  impersonation  on  the  scene  of  the  world." 
— Shelley s  Preface  to  ''The  Cenci." 

"  The  picture  of  Beatrice  Cenci  represents  simply  a  female  head  ; 
a  very  youthful,  girlish,  perfectly  beautiful  face,  enveloped  in  white 
drapery,  from  beneath  which  strays  a  lock  or  two  of  what  seems  a 
rich,  though  hidden  luxuriance  of  auburn  hair.  The  eyes  are  large 
and  brown,  and  meet  those  of  the  spectator  evidently  with  a  strange, 
ineffectual  effort  to  escape.  There  is  a  little  redness  about  the  eyes, 
very  slightly  indicated,  so  that  you  would  question  whether  or  no  the 
girl  had  been  weeping.  The  whole  face  is  very  quiet  ;  there  is  no 
distortion  or  disturbance  of  any  single  feature  ;  nor  is  it  easy  to  see  why 
the  expression  is  not  cheerful,  or  why  a  single  touch  of  the  artist's  pen- 
cil should  not  brighten  it  into  joyousness.  But,  in  fact,  it  is  the  very 
saddest  picture  ever  painted  or  conceived  ;  it  involves  an  unfathomable 
depth  of  sorrow,  the  sense  of  which  comes  to  the  observer  by  a  sort 
of  intuition.  It  is  a  sorrow  that  removes  this  beautiful  girl  out  of  the 
sphere  of  humanity,  and  sets  her  in  a  far-off  region,  the  remoteness 
of  which,  while  yet  her  face  is  so  close  before  us,  makes  us  shiver  as 
at  a  specter.  You  feel  all  the  time  you  look  at  Beatrice,  as  if  she 
were  trying  to  escape  from  your  gaze.  She  knows  that  her  sorrow  is 
so  strange  and  immense  that  she  ought  to  be  solitary'  forever,  both  for 
the  world's  sake  and  her  own  ;  and  this  is  the  reason  we  f;el  such  a 
distance  between  Beatrice  and  ourselves,  even  when  our  eyes  meet 
hers.  It  is  infinitely  heart-breaking  to  meet  her  (.dance,  and  to  know 
that  nothing  can  be  done  to  help  or  comfort  her  ;  neither  does  she  ask 
help  or  comfort,  knowing  the  hopelessness  of  her  case  better  than  v/e 
do.  She  is  a  fallen  angel — fallen  and  yet  sinless  :  and  it  is  only  this 
depth  of  sorrow,  with  its  weight  and  darkness,  that  keeps  her  down 
to  earth,  and  brings  her  within  our  viev,-  even  while  it  sets  her  beyond 
our  reach." — Haiulhorne. 

"  The  portrait  of  Beatrice  Cenci  is  a  picture  almost  impossible  to  be 
forgotten.   Through  the  transcendent  sweetness  and  beauty  of  the  face 


358 


WALKS  IN  HOME. 


there  is  a  something  shining  out  that  haunts  me.  I  see  it  now,  as  I 
sec  this  paper  or  my  pen.  The  head  is  loosely  draped  in  white  ;  the 
light  hair  falling  down  below  the  linen  folds.  She  has  turned  suddenly 
toward  you  ;  and  there  is  an  expression  in  the  eyes — although  they 
are  very  tender  and  gentle — as  if  the  wildness  of  a  momentarj'  terror 
or  distraction  had  been  struggled  with  and  overcome  that  instant ; 
and  nothing  but  a  celestial  hope  and  a  beautiful  sorrow  and  a  deso- 
late earthly  helplessness  remained.  Some  stories  say  that  Guido 
painted  it  the  night  before  her  execution  ;  some  other  stories,  that  he 
painted  it  from  memory,  after  having  seen  her,  on  her  way  to  the 
scaffold.  I  am  willing  to  believe  that,  as  you  see  her  on  his  canvas, 
so  she  turned  toward  him,  in  the  crowd,  from  the  first  sight  of  the 
axe,  and  stamped  upon  his  mind  a  look  which  he  has  stamped  on  mine 
as  though  I  had  stood  beside  him  in  the  concourse.  The  guilty  palace 
of  the  Cenci — blighting  a  whole  quarter  of  the  town,  as  it  stands 
withering  away  by  grains — had  that  face,  to  my  fancy,  in  its  dismal 
porch,  and  at  its  black  blind  windows,  and  flitting  up  and  down  its 
dreary  stairs,  and  growing  out  of  the  darkness  of  its  ghostly  galleries. 
The  history  is  written  in  the  painting  ;  v.ritten,  in  the  dying  girl's 
face,  by  Nature's  own  hand.  And  oh  !  how  in  that  one  touch  she 
puts  to  flight  (instead  of  making  kin)  the  puny  world  that  claims  to 
be  related  to  her,  in  right  of  poor  conventional  forgeries  !  " — Dickens. 

"  Five  days  had  been  passed  by  Beatrice  in  the  secret  prisons  of 
the  Torre  .Savella,  when,  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning,  her  advo- 
cate Farinacci  entered  her  sad  abode.  With  him  appeared  a  young 
man  of  about  twenty-five  years  of  age,  dressed  in  the  fashion  of  a 
writer  in  the  courts  of  justice  of  that  day.  Unheeded  by  Beatrice, 
he  sat  regarding  her  at  a  little  distance  with  fixed  attention.  She  had 
risen  from  her  miserable  pallet,  but,  unlike  the  wretched  inmate  of  a 
dungeon,  she  seemed  a  being  from  a  brighter  sphere.  Her  eyes  were 
of  liquid  softness,  her  forehead  large  and  clear,  her  countenance  of 
angelic  purity,  mysteriously  beautiful.  Around  her  head  a  fold  of 
white  muslin  had  been  carelessly  wrapped,  from  whence  in  rich  luxu- 
riance fell  her  fair  and  waving  hair.  Profound  sorrow  imparted  an  air 
of  touching  sensibility  to  her  lovely  features.  With  all  the  eagerness 
of  hope,  she  begged  Farinacci  to  tell  her  frankly  if  his  visit  foreboded 
good,  and  assured  him  of  her  gratitude  for  the  anxiety  he  evinced  to 
save  her  life  and  that  of  her  family. 

"  Farinacci  conversed  with  her  for  some  time,  while  at  a  distance  sat 
his  companion,  sketching  the  features  of  Beatrice.  Turning  round, 
she  observed  this  with  displeasure  and  surprise  ;  Farinacci  explained 
that  this  seeming  writer  was  the  celebrated  painter,  Guido  Reni,  who 
earnestly  desiring  her  picture,  had  entreated  to  be  introduced  into  the 
prison  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  so  rich  an  acquisition.  At  first 
unwilling,  but  afterward  consenting,  she  turned  and  said,  '  Signor 
Guido,  your  renown  might  make  me  desirous  of  knowing  you,  but  how 
will  you  undervalue  me  in  my  present  situation.  From  the  fatality 
that  surrounds  me,  you  will  judge  me  guilty.  Perhaps  my  face  will 
t?ll  you  I  am  not  wicked  ;  it  will  show  you,  too,  that  I  now  languish 
in  this  prison,  which  I  may  quit  only  to  ascend  the  scaffold.  Youf 
great  name,  and  my  sad  story,  may  make  ray  portrait  interesting,  and,' 


S.    CARLO  A    QUATTRO  FONTANE.  35^. 

she  added,  with  touching  simplicity,  '  the  picture  will  awaken  com- 
passion  if  you  write  on  one  of  its  angles  the  word  '  Innocente.''  The 
great  artist  set  himself  to  work,  and  produced  the  picture  now  in  the 
Palazzo  Barberini,  a  picture  that  rivets  the  attention  of  every  beholder, 
which,  once  seen,  ever  after  hovers  over  the  memory  with  an  interest 
the  most  harrowing  and  mysterious." — From  ''Beatrice  Cenci,  Storia 
del SecoloXVI.,  Raccontata dal D.A.A.,  Firenze."  Whiteside's  Trans- 
lation. 

There  is  a  pretty  old-fashioned  garden  belonging  to  this 
palace,  at  one  corner  of  which— overhanging  an  old  statue 
— stood  the  celebrated  Barberini  Fi?!e,  often  drawn  by- 
artists  from  the  Via  Sterrata  at  the  back  of  the  garden, 
where  statue  and  pine  combined  well  with  the  Church  of 
S.  Caio  ;  but,  alas  !  this  magnificent  tree  was  cut  down  in 
1872. 

At  the  back  of  the  palace-court,  behind  the  arched 
bridge  leading  to  the  garden,  is — let  into  the  wall — an  in- 
scription which  formed  part  of  the  dedication  of  the  arch 
erected  to  Claudius  by  the  senate  and  people,  in  honor  of 
the  conquest  of  Britain.  The  letters  were  inlaid  with 
bronze.  It  was  found  near  the  Palazzo  Sciarra,  where  the 
arch  is  supposed  to  have  stood. 

Ascending  to  the  summit  of  the  hill,  v/e  find  four  ugly 
statues  of  river-gods,  lying  over  the  Quattro  Fontane,  from 
which  the  street  takes  its  name. 

On  the  left  is  the  Palazzo  Albani,  recently  restored  by 
Queen  Christina  of  Spain. 

"  In  one  of  its  rooms  is  a  very  ancient  painting  of  Jupiter  and  Gany- 
mede, in  a  very  uncommon  style,  uniting  considerable  grandeur  of 
conception,  great  force  and  decision,  and  a  deep  tone  and  color  which 
produce  great  effect.     It  is  said  to  be  Grecian." — Eaton  s  Rome. 

The  opposite  church,  S.  Carlo  a  Quattro  Fontane^  is  worth 
observing  from  the  fact  that  the  whole  building,  church  and 
convent,  corresponds  with  one  of  the  four  piers  supporting 
the  cupola  of  S.  Peter's.  Here  was  fornied  the  point  of 
attack  against  the  Quirinal  Palace,  November  16,  184S, 
which  caused  the  flight  of  Pius  IX.,  and  the  downfall  of 
his  government.  From  a  window  of  this  convent  the  shot 
was  fired  which  killed  Monsignor  Palma,  one  of  the  pon- 
tifical secretaries  and  a  writer  on  ecclesiastical  history — who 
had  unfortunately  exposed  himself  at  one  of  the  windows 
opposite.  The  church  contains  two  pictures  by  Mignard 
relating  to  the  history  of  S.  Carlo. 


360  IV A  LA'S  I.V  ROME. 

Turning  (right)  down  Via  del  Quirinale,  one  side  of  the 
street  is  occupied  by  the  immense  portion  of  the  Quirinal 
Palace  formerly  used  for  the  accommodation  of  the  cardinals 
collected  and  imprisoned  during  the  papal  conclaves.  On 
the  left  is  S.  Andrea  a  Monic  Cavallo  (on  the  supposed  site 
of  the  temple  of  Quirinus),  erected,  as  it  is  told  by  an  in- 
scription inside,  by  Camillo  Pamphili,  nepliew  of  Innocent 
X.,  from  designs  of  Bernini.  It  has  a  Corinthian  fagade  and 
a  projecting  semicircular  portico  with  Ionic  columns.  The 
interior  is  oval.  It  is  exceedingly  rich,  being  almost  entirely 
lined  with  red  marble  streaked  with  white  (Sicilian  jasper), 
divided  by  white  marble  pillars  supporting  a  gilt  cupola. 
The  high  altar — supposed  to  cover  the  body  of  S.  Zeno — 
between  really  magnificent  pillars,  is  surmounted  by  a  fine 
picture,  by  Borgog7wne,  of  the  crucifixion  of  S.  Andrew. 
Near  this  is  the  tomb,  by  Festa,  of  Emmanuel  IV.,  king  of 
Sardinia,  who  abdicated  his  throne  in  1802  to  become  a 
Jesuit  monk  in  the  adjoining  convent,  where  he  died  in 
1 81 8.  On  the  right  is  the  chapel  of  Santa  Croce,  with 
three  pictures  of  the  passion  and  death  of  Christ,  by  Bra)i- 
dini ;  and  that  of  S.  Francis  Xavier,  with  three  pictures  by 
Baciccio,  representing  the  saint  preaching — baptizing  an  In- 
dian queen — and  lying  dead  in  the  island  of  Sancian  in 
China.  On  the  left  is  the  chapel  of  the  Virgin,  with  pict- 
ures, by  David,  of  the  three  great  Jesuit  saints — S.  Igna- 
tius Loyola,  S.  Francis  Borgia,  and  S.  Luigi  Gonzaga — 
adoring  the  V^irgin,  and,  by  Gerard  de  la  Niiit,  of  the 
Adoration  of  the  Shepherds  and  of  the  Magi ;  and  lastly 
the  chapel  of  S.  Stanislas  Kostka,  containing  his  shrine  of 
gold  and  lapis-lazuli,  under  an  exceedingly  rich  altar, 
which  is  ado'"ned  with  a  beautiful  picture  by  Carlo  Ma- 
ratia,  representing  the  saint  receiving  the  Infant  Jesus  from 
the  arms  of  his  mother.  At  the  sides  of  the  chapel  are 
two  other  pictures  by  Maratia,  one  of  which  represents  S. 
Stanislas  "  bathing  with  water  his  breast  inflamed  with  di- 
vine love,"  the  other  receiving  the  host  from  the  hands  of  an 
angel.  These  are  the  three  principal  incidents  in  the  story 
of  the  young  S.  Stanislas,  who  belonged  to  a  noble  Polish 
family  and  abandoned  the  world  to  shut  himself  up  here, 
saying  :  "  I  am  not  born  for  the  good  things  of  this  world  ; 
that  which  my  heart  desires  is  the  good  things  of  eter- 
nitv. " 


CONVENT  Of    THE    ORDER    Of  JESUS.  ogj 

"  I  have  long  ago  exhausted  all  my  capacity  of  admiration  for 
splendid  interiors  of  churches  ;  but  methinks  this  little,  little  temple 
(it  is  not  more  than  fifty  or  sixty  feet  across)  has  a  more  perfect  and 
gem-like  beauty  than  any  other.  Its  ^hape  is  oval,  with  an  oval 
dome,  and  above  that  another  little  dome,  both  of  which  are  mag-nili- 
cently  frescoed.  Around  the  base  of  the  larger  dome  is  wreathed  ^, 
flight  of  angels,  and  the  small jr  and  upper  one  is  encircled  by  a  gar- 
land of  cherubs — cherub  and  angel  all  of  pure  white  maibic.  The 
oval  center  of  the  church  is  walled  round  with  precious  and  lustrous 
marble,  of_  a  red-veined  variety,  interspersed  with  columns  and  pilas- 
ters of  white  ;  and  there  are  arches,  opening  through  this  rich  wall, 
forming  chapels,  which  the  architect  seems  to  have  striven  hard  to 
make  even  more  gorgeous  than  the  main  body  of  the  church.  The 
pavement  is  one  star  of  various-tinted  marble." — Hawthorne,  Notes 
on  Haly. 

The  adjoining  Convent  of  the  Noviciate  of  the  Order  of 
Jesus  contains  the  room  in  which  S.  Stanislas  Kosta  died, 
at  the  age  of  eighteen,  with  his  reclining  statue  by  Le  Gros, 
the  body  in  white,  his  dress  (that  of  a  novice)  in  black, 
and  the  couch  upon  which  he  lies,  in  yellow  marble.  Be- 
yond his  statue  is  a  picture  of  a  celestial  vision  which  con- 
soled him  in  his  last  moments.  On  the  day  of  his  death, 
November  13,  the  convent  is  thrown  open,  and  mass  is 
said  without  ceasing  in  this  chamber,  which  is  visited  by 
thousands. 

"  La  petite  chambre  de  S.  Stanislas  Kostka  est  un  de  ces  lieux 
oil  la  priere  nait  spontanement  dans  le  ccEur,  et  s'en  echappe  comme 
par  un  cours  naturel." — Vetdllot,  Parfuvi  de  RomeJ 

In  the  neighboring  corridor  of  the  convent,  the  original 
doors  which  led  to  the  cells  of  S.  Francesco  Borgia  and  S. 
Ignazio  della  Vigna  are  preserved.  In  the  convent  garden 
is  shown  the  fountain  where  "  the  angels  used  to  bathe  the 
breast  of  S.  Stanislas  burning  with  the  love  of  Christ." 

Passing  the  Benedictine  convent,  with  a  courtyard  con- 
taining an  old  sarcophagus  as  a  fountain,  and  a  humble 
church  decorated  with  rude  frescoes  of  S.  Benedict  and  S. 
Scholastica,  we  reach  a  small  and  popular  church,  rich  in 
marbles,  belonging  to  the  Perpetua  Adoratrice  del  Divin 
Sacra?fiento  del  A/tare,  founded  by  sister  Maddalenaof  the 
Incarnation,  who  died  1829,  and  is  buried  on  the  right  of 

'  "  Deus,  qui  inter  caetera  sapientiae  tuae  miracula  etiam  in  tenera  aetata  ma- 
turae  sanctitatis  g^ratiam  contulisti  ;  da,  quaesumus,  ut  beati  Stanislai  e.xetnplo, 
tempus,  instanter  operando,  redimentes.  in  aeternam  ingredi  requiem  festine- 
m-as"— Coiled  of  S.  S.  Kostka,  Roman  Vesper-Book. 

16 


362 


WALKS  IX  ROME. 


the  entrance.     Here  the  low  monotonous  chant  of  the  per- 
petual adoration  may  be  constantly  heard. 

The  Piazza  of  the  Monte  Cavallo  has  in  its  center  the  red 
granite  obelisk  (ninety-five  feet  high  with  its  base)  erected 
here  by  Antinori  in  1781,  for  Pius  VI.  It  was  originally 
brought  from  Egypt  by  Claudius,  a.d.  57,  together  with  the 
obelisk  now  in  front  of  S.  Maria  Maggiore,  and  they  were 
both  first  placed  at  the  entrance  of  the  mausoleum  of 
Augustus.  At  its  base  are  the  colossal  statues  found  in  the 
baths  of  Constantine,  of  the  Dioscuri  Castor  and  Pollux 
reining  in  their  horses.  These  statues,  which,  according 
to  an  old  tradition,  were  a  present  to  Nero  from  Tiridates, 
give  a  name  to  the  district.  Their  bases  bear  the  names 
of  Phidias  and  Praxiteles,  and  though  their  claim  to  be  the 
work  of  such  distinguished  sculptors  is  doubtful,  they  are 
certainly  of  Greek  origin.  The  original  position  of  the 
figures — the  men  facing  the  horses  and  holding  them  in  as 
they  rear,  has  been  learned  from  coins,  and  reproduced  in 
statues  on  the  top  of  the  Museum  at  Berlin,  where  they 
have  the  nicknames  of  Gehemmter  Fortschritt,  and  Befor- 
derter  Riickschritt, — Progress  checked  and  Retrogression 
encouraged. 

"  At  the  time  when  the  Mirabilia  Romae  were  published — that  is> 
about  the  thirteenth  century — these  statues  were  believed  to  represent 
the  young  philosophers  Praxiteles  and  Phidias,  who  came  to  Rome 
during  the  reign  of  Tiberius,  and  promised  to  tell  him  his  most  secret 
words  and  actions  provided  he  would  honor  them  with  a  monument. 
Having  performed  their  promise,  they  obtained  these  statues,  which 
represent  them  naked,  because  all  human  science  was  naked  and  open 
to  their  eyes.  From  this  fable,  wild  and  absurd  as  it  is,  we  may  never- 
theless draw  the  inference  that  the  statues  had  been  handed  down  from 
time  immemorial  as  the  works  of  Phidias  and  Praxiteles,  though  those 
artists  had  in  the  lapse  of  ages  been  metamorphosed  into  philosophers. 
May  we  not  also  assume  the  existence  of  a  tradition  that  the  statues 
were  brought  to  Rome  in  the  reign  of  Tiberius?  In  the  middle  ages 
the  group  appears  to  have  been  accompanied  by  a  statue  of  Medusa, 
silling  at  their  feet,  and  having  before  her  a  shell.  According  to  the 
text  of  the  Alirabilia,  as  given  by  Montfaucon  in  his  Diarium  Italicum, 
this  figure  represented  the  Church.  The  snakes  which  surrounded 
her  typified  the  volumes  of  Scripture,  which  nobody  could  api)ro:ich 
unless  he  had  first  been  washed — that  is,  baptized — in  the  water  of 
the  shell.  Hut  the  Prague  M.S.  of  the  Mirabilia  interprets  the  female 
figure  to  represent  Science,  and  the  serpents  to  typify  the  disputed 
questions  with  which  she  is  concerned." — Dyer's  Hist,  of  the  City  oj 
Rome. 

"  ], 'imitation  du  grand  style  de  Phidias  est  visible  dans  plusieurs 


QUIRIXAL    PALACE.  363 

sculptures  qu'il  a  inspirces,  et  surtout  dans  les  colosses  de  Castor  et 
Pollux,  domptant  des  chevaux,  qui  ont  fait  donner  a  une  partie  du 
mont  Quirinal  le  nom  de  Monte  Cavallo. 

''  II  ne  faut  faire  aucune  attention  aux  inscriptions  qui  attribuent  un 
des  deux  colosses  a  Phidias  et  I'autre  a  Praxitele,  Praxitcle  dont  le 
style  n'a  rien  a  faire  ici ;  son  nom  a  ete  inscrit  sur  la  base  de  I'une  des 
deux  statues,  comme  Phedre  le  reprochait  deja  a  des  faussaires  du 
temps  d'Auguste,  qui  croyaient  augmenter  le  merite  d'un  nouvcl 
ouvrage  en  y  mettant  le  nom  de  Praxitele.  Quelle  que  soit  Tepoq-ie 
oil  les  colosses  de  Monte  Cavallo  ont  ete  executes,  malgre  quelques 
differences,  on  doit  affirmer  que  les  deux  originaux  etaient  de  la  meme 
ecole,  de  I'ecole  de  Phidias." — Ampere,  Hist.  Roniaine,  iii.  252. 

"  Chacun  des  deux  heros  dompte  d'une  seule  main  un  cheval 
fougueux  qui  se  cabre.  Ces  formes  colossales,  cette  lutte  de  I'homme 
avec  les  animaux,  donnent,  comme  tous  les  ouvrages  des  anciens,  une 
admirable  idee  de  la  puissance  physique  de  la  nature  humaine."— 
Mad.  de  Stael. 

"  Ye  too,  marvelous  Twain,  that  erect  on  the  Monte  Cavallo 

Stand  by  your  rearing  steeds  in  the  grace  of  your  motionless  move- 
ment, 
Stand  with  your  upstretched  arms  and  tranquil  regardant  faces, 
Stand  as  instinct  with  life  in  the  might  of  immutable  manhood, — 
O  ye  mighty  and  strange,  ye  ancient  divine  ones  of  Hellas." 

C lough. 

"  Before  me  were  the  two  Monte  Cavallo  statues,  towering  gigantic- 
ally above  the  pygmies  of  the  present  day,  and  looking  like  Titans  in 
the  act  of  threatening  heaven.  Over  my  head  the  stars  were  just 
beginning  to  look  out,  and  might  have  been  taken  for  guardian  angels 
keeping  watch  over  the  temples  below.  Behind,  and  on  my  left,  were 
palaces  ;  on  my  right,  gardens,  and  hills  beyond,  with  the  orange  tints 
of  sunset  over  them  still  glowing  in  the  distance.  Within  a  stone's 
throw  of  me,  in  the  midst  of  objects  thus  glorious  in  themselves,  and 
thus  in  harmony  with  each  other,  was  stuck  an  unplaned  post,  on  which 
glimmered  a  paper  lantern.     Such  is  Rome." — Guesses  at  Truth. 

Close  by  is  a  fountain  playing  into  a  fine  basin  of  Egyp- 
tian granite,  brought  hither  by  Pius  VII.  from  the  Forum, 
where  it  had  long  been  used  for  watering  cattle. 

On  the  left  is  the  Palace  of  the  Consi/Ita,  built  in  1730 
by  Clement  XII.  (Corsini),  from  designs  of  Fuga.  Before 
its  gates  some  of  the  Guardia  Nobile  were  always  to  be 
seen  sunning  themselves  in  a  uniform  so  resplendent  that 
it  was  scarcely  to  be  believed  that  the  pay  of  this  "  noble 
guard  "  of  the  Pope  amounted  only  to  ^5  6s.  3^.  a  month  ! 

On  the  right  is  the  immense  Palace  of  the  Quiri?ial,  nov/ 
the  Poval  Palace,  which  also  extends  along  one  whole  side 
of  the  street  we  have  been  pursuing. 


304  IVALh'S  /.V  ROME. 

"  Tliat  palace-building,  ruin-destroying  Pope,  Paul  IV.,  began  to 
erect  the  enormous  palace  on  the  Quirinal  Hill  ;  and  the  prolongation 
of  his  labors,  by  a  long  series  of  successive  pontiffs  has  made  it  one 
of  the  largest  and  ugliest  buildings  extant." — Ealoiis  Rome. 

The  chief,  indeed  almost  the  only,  interest  of  this  palace  arises  from 
its  having  been  the  favorite  residence  of  Pius  Vf  I.  (Chiaramonte).  It 
was  here  that  he  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  French.  General  Radet 
forced  his  way  into  the  pope's  room  on  the  night  of  June  6,  1800,  and, 
while  excusing  himself  for  being  the  messenger,  hastily  intimated  to 
the  pontiff,  in  the  name  of  the  emperor,  that  he  must  at  once  abdicate 
his  temporal  sovereignty.  Pius  absolutely  refused,  upon  which  he  was 
forced  to  descend  the  staircase,  and  found  a  coach  waiting  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  palace.  Here  the  pope  paused,  his  face  streaming  with 
tears,  and,  standing  in  the  starht  piazza,  solemnly  extended  his  arms  in 
benediction  over  his  sleeping  people.  Then  he  entered  the  carriage, 
followed  by  Cardinal  Pacca,  and  was  hurried  away  to  exile.  .  .  . 
"  Whirled  away  through  the  heat  and  dust  of  an  Italian  summer's  day, 
without  an  attendant,  without  linen,  without  his  spectacles,  fevered 
and  wearied,  he  never  for  a  moment  lost  his  serenity.  Cardinal  Pacca 
tells  us  that  when  they  had  just  started  on  this  most  dismal  of  journeys, 
the  pope  asked  him  if  he  had  any  money.  The  secretary  of  state 
replied  that  he  had  had  no  opportunity  of  providing  himself.  '  We 
then  drew  forth  our  purses,'  continued  the  cardinal,  'and  notwith- 
standing the  state  of  affliction  we  were  in  at  being  thus  torn  away  from 
Rome,  and  all  that  was  dear  to  us,  we  could  hardly  compose  our  coun- 
tenances on  finding  the  contents  of  each  purse  to  consist — of  the 
pope's,  of  a  papetto  {\od.),  and  of  mine,  of  three  grossi  {l\d^  We 
had  precisely  thirty-five  baiocchi  between  us.'  The  pope,  extending 
his  hand,  showed  his  papetto  to  General  Radet,  saying,  at  the  same 
time,  '  Look  here — this  is  all  I  possess.'  "  '  .  .  .  Six  years  after  Na- 
poleon was  sent  to  S.  Helena,  and  Pius  VII.  returned  in  triumph  to 
Rome. 

It  was  from  this  same  palace  that  Pius  IX. — who  never 
afterward  inhabited  it — made  his  escape  to  Caeta  during 
the  revohition  of  1848,  when  the  siege  of  the  Quirinal  by 
the  insurgents  had  succeeded  in  extorting  the  appointment 
of  a  democratic  ministry. 

"  On  the  afternoon  of  November  24  the  Due  d'Harcourt  had 
arrived  at  the  Quirinal  in  his  coach  as  ambassador  of  France,  and 
craved  an  audience  of  the  sovereign.  The  guards  wondered  that  he 
stayed  so  long  ;  but  they  knew  not  that  he  sat  reading  the  newspapers 
in  the  papal  study,  while  the  pope  had  retired  to  his  bedroom  to  change 
his  dress.  Here  his  major-domo,  Filippani,  had  laid  out  the  black 
cassock  and  dress  of  an  ordinary  priest.  The  pontiff  took  off  his  purple 
stole  and  white  pontifical  robe,  and  came  forth  in  the  simple  garb  he 
had  worn  in  his  quiet  youth.  The  Due  d'Harcourt  threw  himself  on 
his  knees  exclaiming,  '  Go  forth,  holy  Father  ;  divine  wisdom  inspires 

'  Cardinal  Wiseman's  Life  0/ Pius  VII. 


QUIRIXAL   PALACE.  365 

this  counsel,  divine  power  will  lead  it  to  a  happy  end.'  By  secret  pas- 
sages and  narrow  staircases  Pius  IX.  and  his  trusty  servant  passed 
unseen  to  a  little  door,  used  only  occasionally  for  the  Swiss  Guards, 
and  by  which  they  were  to  leave  the  palace.  They  reached  it,  and 
bethought  them  that  the  key  had  been  fo.rgotten  !  Filippani  hastened 
back  to  the  papal  apartment  to  fetch  it  ;  and  returning  unquestioned 
to  the  wicket,  found  the  pontiff  on  his  knees,  and  quite  absorbed  in 
prayer.  The  wards  were  rusty,  and  the  key  turned  with  difficulty  ; 
but  the  door  was  opened  at  last,  and  the  holy  fugitive  and  his  servant 
quickly  entered  a  poor  hackney  coach  that  was  waiting  for  them  out- 
side. Here  again  they  ran  risk  of  being  discovered  through  the 
thoughtless  adherence  to  old  etiquette  of  the  other  servant,  who  stood 
by  the  coach,  and  who,  having  let  down  the  steps,  knelt,  as  usual, 
before  he  shut  the  door. 

*'  The  pope  wore  a  dark  great  coat  over  his  priest's  cassock,  alow- 
crowned  round  hat,  and  a  broad  brown  woolen  neckcloth  outside  his 
straight  Roman  collar.  Filippani  had  on  his  usual  loose  cloak  ;  but 
under  this  he  carried  the  three-cornered  hat  of  the  pope,  a  bundle  of 
the  most  private  and  secret  papers,  the  papal  seals,  the  breviary,  the 
cross-embroidered  slippers,  a  small  quantity  of  linen,  and  a  little  box 
full  of  gold  medals  stamped  with  a  likeness  of  his  holiness.  From 
the  inside  of  the  carriage  he  directed  the  coachman  to  follow  many 
winding  and  diverging  streets,  in  the  hope  of  misleading  the  spies, 
who  were  known  to  swarm  at  every  corner.  Beside  the  church  of  SS. 
Pietro  e  Marcellino,  in  the  deserted  quarter  beyond  the  Coliseum, 
they  found  the  Bavarian  minister.  Count  Spaur,  waiting  in  his  own 
private  carriage,  and  imagining  every  danger  which  could  have  de- 
tained them  so  long.  The  sovereign  pressed  the  hand  of  his  faithful 
Filippani,  and  entered  the  count's  carriage.  Silently  they  drove  on 
through  the  old  gate  of  Rome, — Count  Spaur  having  there  shown 
the  passport  of  the  Bavarian  minister  going  to  Naples  on  affairs  of 
state. 

"  Meanwhile  the  Due  d'Harcourt  grew  tired  of  reading  the  news- 
papers in  the  pope's  study  ;  and  when  he  thought  that  his  holiness 
must  be  far  beyond  the  walls  of  Rome,  he  left  the  palace,  and  taking 
post-horses,  hastened  with  all  speed  to  overtake  the  fugitive  on  the 
road  to  Civita  Vecchia,  whither  he  believed  him  to  be  flying.  As  he 
left  the  study  in  the  Quirinal,  a  prelate  entered  with  a  large  bundle 
of  ecclesiastical  papers,  on  which,  he  said,  he  had  to  confer  with  the 
pope  ;  then  his  chamberlain  went  in  to  read  to  him  his  breviary  and 
the  office  of  the  day.  The  rooms  were  lighted  up.  and  the  supper 
taken  in  as  usual  ;  and  at  length  it  was  stated  that  his  holiness,  feel- 
ing somewhat  unwell,  had  retired  to  rest  :  and  his  attendants,  and  the 
guard  of  honor,  were  dismissed  for  the  night.  It  is  true  that  a  certain 
prelate,  who  chanced  to  see  the  little  door  by  which  the  fugitive  had 
escaped  into  the  street  left  open,  began  to  cry  out,  '  The  pope  has 
escaped  1  the  pope  has  escaped  ! '  But  Prince  Gabrielli  was  beside 
him  ;  and,  clapping  his  hand  upon  the  mouth  of  the  alarmist,  si- 
lenced him  in  time,  by  whispering,  '  Be  quiet,  Monsignore  ;  be  quiet, 
or  we  shall  be  cut  to  pieces  ! ' 

'•Near La  Riccia,  the  fugitives  found  Countess  Spaur  (who  had 


366 


IV A  LA'S  IN  ROME. 


arranged  the  whole  plan  of  the  escape)  waiting  with  a  coach  and  sis 
horses — in  which  they  pursued  their  journey  to  Caeta,  reaching  the 
Neapolitan  frontier  between  live  and  six  in  the  morning.  The  pope 
throughout  carried  with  him  the  sacrament  in  the  pyx  which  Pius  the 
Seventh  carried  when  he  was  taken  prisoner  to  France,  and  which,  as 
if  with  prescience  of  what  would  happen,  had  been  lately  sent  to  him 
as  a  memorial  by  the  Bishop  of  Avignon." — Bcstc. 

On  the  death  of  Pius  VII.  in  the  Quirinal  Palace,  the 
cardinals  met  here  for  the  election  of  his  successor,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  law  prescribing  that  a  conclave  shall 
meet  in  the  palace  where  the  Pope  dies.  Without  war- 
ranty of  any  kind,  however,  the  conclaves  which  resulted 
in  the  elections  of  Leo  XII.,  Pius  VIII.,  Gregory  XVI., 
and  Pius  IX.,  also  met  in  the  Quirinal  Palace,  to  the  de- 
sertion of  the  Vatican. 

"  In  the  afternoon  of  the  last  day  of  the  novendiali,  as  they  are 
called,  after  the  death  of  a  pope,  the  cardinals  assemble  (at  S.  vSdves- 
tro  a  Monte  Cavallo)  and  walk  in  procession,  accompanied  by  their 
conclavisli,  a  secretary,  a  chaplain,  and  a  servant  or  two,  to  the  great 
gale  of  the  royal  residence,  in  which  one  will  remain  as  master  and 
supreme  lord.  Of  course  the  hill  is  crowded  by  persons,  lining  the 
avenue  kept  open  for  the  procession.  Cardinals  never  before  seen  by 
them,  or  not  for  many  years,  pass  before  them  ;  eager  eyes  scan  and 
measure  them,  and  try  to  conjecture,  from  fancied  omens  in  eye,  in 
figure,  or  in  expression,  who  will  be  shortly  the  sovereign  of  their 
fair  city  ;  and,  what  is  much  more,  the  head  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
from  the  rising  to  the  setting  sun.  They  all  enter  equal  over  the 
threshold  of  that  gate  :  they  share  together  the  supreme  rule,  spirit- 
ual and  temporal  :  there  is  still  embosomed  in  them  all,  the  voice 
yet  silent,  that  will  sound  from  one  tongue  over  all  the  world,  and  the 
dormant  germ  of  that  authority  which  will  soon  again  be  concentrated 
in  one  man  alone.  To-day  they  arc  all  equal  ;  perhaps  to-morrow 
one  will  sit  enthroned,  and  all  the  rest  will  kiss  his  feet  ;  one  will  be 
sovereign,  and  others  his  subjects  ;  one  the  shepherd,  and  the  others 
his  flock.   .   .   . 

"  From  the  Quirinal  Palace  stretches  out,  the  length  of  a  wliole 
street,  an  immense  wing,  divided  in  its  two  upper  floors  into  a  great 
number  of  small  but  complete  suites  of  apartments,  occupied  perma- 
nently, or  occasionally,  by  persons  attached  to  the  Court.  During 
conclave  these  are  allotted,  literally  so,  to  the  cardinals,  each  of  whom 
lives  apart  with  his  own  attendants.  His  food  is  brought  daily  from 
his  own  house,  and  is  overhauled  and  delivered  to  him  in  the  shape  of 
'  broken  victuals, 'by  the  watchful  guardians  of  the  turns  and  lattices, 
through  which  alone  anything,  even  conversation,  can  penetrate  into 
the  seclusion  of  that  sacred  retreat.  For  a  few  hours,  the  first  evening, 
the  doors  are  left  open,  and  the  nobility,  the  diplomatic  body,  and,  in 
fact,  all  presentable  persons,  may  roam  from  cell  to  cell,  paying  a  brief 
compliment  to  its  occupant,  perhaps  speaking  the  same  good  wishes  to 


QUIRINAL  PALACE.  367 

fifty,  which  they  know  can  only  be  accomplished  in  one.  After  that, 
all  is  closed  ;  a  wicket  is  left  accessible  for  any  cardinal  to  enter  who 
is  not  yet  arrived  ;  but  every  aperture  is  jealously  guarded  by  faithful 
janitors,  judges  and  prelates  of  various  tribunals,  who  relieve  one 
another.  Every  letter  even  is  opened  and  read,  that  no  communica- 
tions may  be  held  with  the  outer  world.  The  very  street  on  which 
the  wing  of  the  conclave  looks  is  barricaded  and  guarded  by  a  picket 
at  each  end  ;  and  as,  fortunately,  opposite  there  are  no  private  resi- 
dences, and  all  the  buildings  have  access  from  the  back,  no  incon- 
venience is  thereby  created.  ...  In  the  meantime,  within,  and  unseen 
from  without,  fervet  opus. 

"  Twice  a  day  the  cardinals  meet  in  the  chapel  belonging  to  the 
palace,  included  in  the  inclosure,  and  there,  on  tickets  so  arranged 
that  the  voter's  name  cannot  be  seen,  write  the  name  of  him  for  whom 
they  give  their  suffrage.  These  papers  are  examined  in  their  presence, 
and  if  the  number  of  votes  given  to  any  one  do  not  constitute  the 
majority,  they  are  burned  in  such  a  manner  that  the  smoke,  issuing 
through  a  flue, is  visible  to  the  crowd  usually  assembled  in  the  square  out- 
side. Some  day,  instead  of  this  usual  signal  to  disperse,  the  sound  of 
pick  and  hammer  is  heard,  a  small  opening  is  seen  in  the  wall  which 
had  temporarily  blocked  up  the  great  window  over  the  palace  gateway. 
At  last  the  masons  of  the  conclave  have  opened  a  rude  door,  through 
which  steps  out  on  the  balcony  the  first  cardinal  deacon,  and  pro- 
claims to  the  many,  or  to  the  few,  who  may  happen  to  be  in  waiting, 
that  they  again  possess  a  sovereign  and  a  pontiff."  ' — Cardinal  Wise- 
man. 

"  Sais-tu  ce  que  c'est  qu'un  conclave  ?  Une  reunion  de  vieillards, 
moins  occupes  du  ciel  que  de  la  terre,  et  dont  quelquesuns  se  font 
plus  maladifs,  plus  goutteux,  et  plus  cacocliymes  qu'ils  ne  le  sont 
encore,  dans  I'esperance  d'mspirer  un  vif  inte'ret  a  leur  partisans. 
Grand  nombre  d'eminences  ne  renon^ant  jamais  a  la  possibilite  d'une 
election,  le  rival  le  plus  pres  de  la  tombe  excite  toujours  le  moins  de 
repugnance.  Un  rhumatisme  est  ici  un  titre  a  la  confiance  ;  I'hydro- 
pisie  a  ses  partisans  :  car  I'ambition  et  la  mort  comptent  sur  les  mtm.es 
chances.  Le  cercueil  sert  comme  de  marchepied  au  trone  ;  et  il  y  a 
tel  pieux  candidat  qui  negocierait  avec  son  concurrent,  si  la  duree  du 
nouveau  regne  pouvait  avoir  son  terme  obligatoire  comme  celui  d'un 
effet  de  commerce.  Eh  !  ne  sais-tu  pas  toi-meme  que  le  patre  d'Ancone 
brula  gaiment  ses  bequilles  des  qu'il  eut  ceint  la  tiare  ;  et  que  Leon 
X.,  elu  a  trente-huit  ans,  avait  eu  grand  soin  de  ne  guerir  d'un  mal 
mortel  que  le  Icndemain  de  son  couronnement  ?  " — Lorenzo  Ganganelli 
{Clement  XIV.)  n  Carlo  Beriinazzi,  16  Avril,  1769. 

The  Palace  was  forcibly  seized  in  October,  1871,  by 
Victor  Emmanuel  II.  of  Sardinia,  who  died  here  January 
9,  1878,  having  received  in  his  last  hours  a  sublime  message 
of  pardon  from  the  pontiff  he  had  outraged.     The  interior 

•  The  form  of  the  announcement  in  the  cased  Pius  IX.  was:  "  Nuntio  vobis 
gaudium  magnum  :  Papam  habemus  eminenlissimum  et  reverendissimum  domi- 
num  Joannem  Sanctae  Romanae  Ecclesiae  Cardinalem  Mastai-Ferretti,  Presby- 
terum  sub  titulo  Sancti  MarceUini  et  Petri,  qui  nomen  sibi  adscivit  Pium  IX.' 


368  WALKS  IX  HOME. 

of  the  building  is  seldom  shown  now.  On  the  landing  of 
the  principal  staircase,  in  a  bad  light,  is  a  very  important 
fresco  by  Mdozzo  da  Foiii,  a  rare  master  of  the  Paduan 
school.' 

' '  On  the  vaulted  ceiling  of  a  chapel  in  tlie  church  of  the  SS.  Apostoli 
at  Rome,  Melozzo  executed  a  work  (1472)  which,  in  those  times,  can 
have  admitted  of  comparison  with  few.  When  the  chapel  was  rebuilt 
in  the  eighteenth  century  some  fragments  were  saved.  That  compre- 
hending the  Creator  between  Angels  was  removed  to  a  staircase  in  the 
Quirinal  palace,  while  single  figures  of  angels  were  placed  in  the  sacristy 
of  S.  Peter's.  These  detached  portions  suffice  to  show  a  beauty  and 
fullness  of  form,  and  a  combination  of  earthly  and  spiritual  grandeur, 
comparable  in  their  way  to  the  noblest  productions  of  Titian,  although 
in  mode  of  execution  rather  recalling  Correggio.  Here,  as  in  the 
cupola  frescoes  of  Correggio  himself  half  a  century  later,  we  trace 
that  constant  effort  at  true  perspective  of  the  figure,  hardly  in  character, 
perhaps,  with  high  ecclesiastical  art  ;  the  drapery,  also,  is  of  a  some- 
what formless  description  ;  but  the  grandeur  of  the  principal  figure, 
the  grace  and  freshness  of  the  little  adoring  cherubs,  and  the  elevated 
beauty  of  the  angels  are  expressed  with  an  easy  naivete,  to  which  only 
the  best  works  of  Mantegna  and  Signorelli  can  compare." — Kugler. 

Beyond  a  great  hall,  one  hundred  and  ninety  feet  long, 
are  a  number  of  rooms  which  were  fitted  up  by  Pius  VII. 
and  Gregory  XVI.  for -the  papal  summer  residence.  Sev- 
eral apartments  have  mosaic  pavements,  brought  hither 
from  pagan  edifices.  In  one  chamber  Pius  VII.  w^as  taken 
prisoner  ;  in  the  next  he  died.  The  room,  which  is  deco- 
rated with  a  fine  modern  tapestry  of  the  martyrdom  of  S. 
Stephen,  has  a  plaster  frieze,  being  the  original  cast  of  the 
triumph  of  Alexander  the  Great,  modeled  for  Napoleon 
l)y  Thortualdsen. 

The  Private  Chapel  of  the  Popes,  opening  from  the  pict- 
ure gallery,  contains  a  magnificent  picture  of  the  Annun- 
ciation by  Guido,  and  frescoes  of  the  life  of  the  Virgin  by 
Albani. 

The  Gardens  of  the  Quirinal^  which,  under  the  papal 
government,  were  a  delightful  resort  for  strangers,  are  now 
entirely  closed  to  the  public.  They  are  in  a  stiff  style  of 
box  hedges  and  clipped  avenues  which  seems  to  belong 
especially  to  Rome,  and  which  we  know  to  have  been  pop- 
ular here  even  in  imperial  times.  Pliny,  in  his  account  of 
his  Tusculan  villa,  describes  his  gardens  decorated  with 

'  By  this  same  master  is  the  interesting  fresco  of  Sixtus  IV.  and  his  nephews 
— now  in  ihc  X'atican  gallery. 


PALAZZO   ROSPIGLIOSI.  -Og 

of  different  animals,  cut  in  box  ;  evergreens 
ciippeu  into  a  thousand  different  shapes  ;  sometimes  into 
letters  forming  different  names  ;  walls  and  hedges  of  cut 
box,  and  trees  twisted  into  a  variety  of  forms."  But  the 
Quirinal  Gardens  were  also  worth  visiting,  on  account  of 
the  many  pretty  glimpses  they  afford  of  S.  Peter's  and  other 
distant  buildings,  and  the  oddity  of  some  of  the  devices — 
an  organ  played  by  water,  etc.  The  Casino,  built  by  Fuga, 
has  frescoes  by  Orizonte,  Pompco  Batto7ii^  and  Pannini. 

If  we  turn  to  the  left  from  the  front  of  the  palace,  we 
reach — on  the  left — the  entrance  to  the  courtyard  of  the 
vast  Palazzo  Pospigiiosi,  built  by  P'laminio  Ponzio,  in  1 603, 
for  Cardinal  Scipio  Borghese,  on  a  portion  of  the  site  of 
the  Baths  of  Constantine.  It  was  inhabited  by  Cardinal 
Bentivoglio,  and  sold  by  him  to  Cardinal  Mazarin,  who 
enlarged  it  from  designs  of  Carlo  Maderno.  From  his 
time  to  1704  it  was  inhabited  by  French  ambassadors,  and 
it  then  passed  to  the  Rospigliosi  family. 

The  palace  itself  is  not  shown,  but  the  Casino  is  open  on 
Wednesdays  and  Saturdays.  It  is  situated  at  the  end  of  a 
very  small  but  pretty  garden  planted  with  magnolias,  and 
consists  of  three  chambers.  On  the  roof  of  the  central 
room  is  the  famous  Aurora  of  Guido. 

"  Guido's  Aurora  is  the  very  type  of  haste  and  impetus  ;  for  surely 
no  man  ever  imagined  such  hurry  and  tumult,  such  sounding  and 
clashing.  Painters  maintain  that  it  is  lighted  from  two  sides, — they 
have  my  full  permission  to  light  i/ieij's  from  three  if  it  will  improve 
them,  but  the  difference  lies  elsewhere." — Mendelssohn  s  Letters, 
p.  91. 

"  This  is  the  noblest  work  of  Guido.  It  is  embodied  poetry.  The 
Hours,  that  hand  in  hand  encircle  the  car  of  Phoebus,  advance  with 
rapid  pace.  The  paler,  milder  forms  of  those  gentle  sisters  who  rule 
over  declining  day,  and  the  glowing  glance  of  those  who  bask  in  the 
meridian  blaze,  resplendent  in  the  hues  of  heaven,  are  of  no  mortal 
grace  and  beauty  ;  but  they  are  eclipsed  by  Aurora  herself,  who  sails 
on  the  golden  clouds  before  them,  shedding  '  showers  of  shadowing 
roses '  on  the  rejoicing  earth  ;  her  celestial  presence  diffusing  gladness. 
and  light  and  beauty  around.  Above  the  heads  of  the  heavenly 
coursers  hovers  the  morning  star,  in  the  form  of  a  youthful  cherub, 
bearing  his  flaming  torch.  Nothing  is  more  admirable  in  this  beauti- 
ful composition  than  the  motion  given  to  the  whole.  The  smooth  and 
rapid  step  of  the  circling  Hours  as  they  tread  on  the  fleecy  clouds  ; 
the  fiery  steeds  ;  the  whirling  vvheeis  of  the  car,  the  torch  of  Lucifer, 
blown  back  by  the  velocity  of  his  advance  ;  and  the  form  of  Aurora, 
borne  through  the  ambient  air,  till  you  almost  fear  she  should  float 
from  your  sight.'' — Eaton's  Rome. 
16* 


370  WALKS   I  A-    ROME. 

"  The  work  of  Guido  is  more  poetic  than  that  of  Guercino,  and 
luminous,  and  soft,  and  harmonious.  Cupid,  Aurora,  Phoebus,  form  a 
climax  of  beauty,  and  the  Hoars  seem  as  light  as  the  clouds  on  which 
they  dance." — Forsyth. 

Lanzi  points  out  that  Guido  always  took  the  Venus  de  Medici  and 
the  Niobe  as  his  favorite  models,  and  that  there  is  scarcely  one  of  his 
large  pictures  in  which  the  Niobe  or  one  of  her  sons  is  not  introduced, 
yet  with  such  dexterity,  that  the  theft  is  scarcely  perceptible. 

The  frescoes  of  the  frieze  are  by  Tempesta  j  the  land- 
scapes by  Paul  Brill.  In  the  hall  are  busts,  statues  and 
a  bronze  horse  found  in  the  ruins  of  the  Baths. 

There  is  a  small  collection  of  pictures.  The  only  work 
of  real  importance  in  the  room  on  the  left  is  the  beautiful 
Daniele  di  Voltcr?-a  of  our  Saviour  bearing  his  cross.  In 
the  same  room  are  two  large  pictures,  David  triumphing 
with  the  head  of  Goliath,  Dovieiiichiiio  ;  and  Perseus  res- 
cuing Andromeda,  Guido.  In  the  room  on  the  right  are 
Adam  gathering  fig-leaves  for  Eve,  in  a  Paradise  which  is 
crowded  with  animals  like  a  menagerie,  Doitieuic/iifio ;  and 
Samson  pulling  down  the  pillars  upon  the  Philistines,  Lu- 
dovico  Cafacci.  Here  al:^o  is  a  very  remarkable  picture  of 
Virtue  chastising  Venus,  by  Lorenzo  Lotto,  full  of  life, 
motion  and  fury. 

A  second  small  garden  belonging  to  this  palace  is  well 
worth  seeing  in  May  from  the  wealth  of  camellias,  azaleas 
and  roses,  with  which  it  is  filled. 

Opposite  the  Rospigliosi  Palace,  by  ringing  at  a  hand- 
some gate  in  the  wall,  we  gain  admission  to  the  Colonna 
Gardens  (connected  with  the  palace  in  the  Piazza  SS. 
Apostoli  by  a  series  of  bridges  across  the  intervening 
street).  Here,  on  a  lofty  terrace,  which  has  a  fine  view 
toward  the  Capitol,  and  overshadowed  by  grand  cypresses, 
are  the  colossal  remains  long  supposed  to  belong  to  the 
Temple  of  the  Sun  (huge  fragments  of  cornice)  built  by 
Aurelian  (a.d.  270-75),  but  now  considered  to  be  part  of 
the  decorations  of  the  Baths  of  Cotistantine.  At  the  other 
end  of  the  terrace,  looking  down  through  two  barns  into 
a  kind  of  pit,  we  can  see  some  remains  of  the  Baths — built 
A.D.  326 — and  of  the  great  staircase  which  led  up  to  them 
from  the  valley  below.  The  portico  of  these  baths  re- 
mained erect  till  the  time  of  Clement  XII.  (1730-40),  and 
was  adorned  with  four  marble  statues,  of  which  two — 
those  of  the  two  Constantines — may  now  be  seen  on  the 


S.    CATERINA    DI   SIENA. 


371 


terrace  of  the  Capitol,  and  a  third  in  tlie  portico  of  the 
Lateran. 

Beneath  the  magnificent  cypress-trees  on  the  slope  of 
the  hill  are  several  fine  sarcophagi.  Only  the  stem  is  pre- 
served of  the  grand  historical  pine-tree,  which  was  planted 
on  the  day  on  which  Cola  di  Rienzi  died,  and  which  was 
one  of  the  great  ornaments  of  the  city  till  1848,  when  it 
was  broken  in  a  storm. 

Just  beyond  the  end  of  the  garden  is  the  Church  of  S. 
Silvestro  a  Monte  Cavallo — belonging  to  the  Missionaries 
of  S.  Vincent  de  Paul — in  wl.ich  the  Cardinals  used  to 
meet  before  going  in  procession  to  the  conclave.  It  con- 
tains a  few  rather  good  pictures.  .  The  cupola  of  the  sec- 
ond chapel  has  frescoes  by  Domenichino,  of  David  dancing 
before  the  Ark, — the  Queen  of  Sheba  and  Solomon, 
— Judith  with  the  head  of  Holofernes — and  Esther  faint- 
ing before  x'Vhasuerus.  These  are  considered  by  Lanzi  as 
some  of  the  finest  frescoes  of  the  master.  In  the  left 
transept  is  a  chapel  containing  a  picture  of  the  Assumption, 
painted  on  slate,  considered  the  masterpiece  of  Scipioue 
Caetani.  The  last  chapel  but  one  on  the  left  has  a  ceiling 
by  CaV'  d'Arpino,  and  frescoes  on  the  wall  by  Polidoro  da 
Caravaggio.  The  picture  over  the  altar,  representing  S. 
Dominic  and  S.  Catherine  of  Siena,  is  by  Mariotto  Alher- 
tinelli.  Cardinal  Bentivoglio — who  wrote  the  history  of  the 
wars  in  Flanders,  and  lived  in  the  Rospigliosi  Palace — is 
buried  here. 

We  now  reach  the  height  of  Magnanopoli,  from  which 
the  isthmus  which  joined  the  Quirinal  to  the  Capitoline 
was  cut  away  by  Trajan.  Here,  beneath  the  wall  of  the 
Villa  Aldobrandini,  radiant  with  flowers  in  spring,  is  a 
crossways,  in  the  center  of  which  a  fragment  of  the  ancient 
wall  of  the  time  of  the  kings  is  preserved.  The  ugly 
modern  Via  Nazionale  leads  east  to  S.  Maria  degli  Angeli, 
and  west,  through  what  was  the  garden  of  Cardinal  An- 
tonelli,  to  the  Piazza  Colonna.  The  turn  given  to  the  hill 
near  this,  and  the  effect  of  the  lofty  Aldobrandini  Garden 
among  the  houses,  is  the  best  thing  done  in  Rome  since 
the  Sardinian  rule. 

Opposite  is  the  Church  of  S.  Caierina  di  Siena,  possess- 
ing some  frescoes  attributed,  on  doubtful  grounds,  to  the 
rare  master  Timoteo  della  Vitc.       Adjoining  is  a  large  con- 


372 


WALKS  AV  ROME. 


vent,  inclosed  within  the  precincts  of  which  is  the  tall 
brick  mediaeval  tower,  sometimes  called  the  Tower  of 
Nero,  but  generally  known  as  the  Torre  dclle  Milizie,  i.e. 
of  the  Roman  Militia.  It  was  erected  by  the  sons  of  Peter 
Alexius,  a  baron  attached  to  the  party  of  Senator  Pandolfo 
de  Suburra.  The  lower  part  is  said  to  have  been  built  in 
I2IO,  the  upper  in  1294  and  1330. 

"  People  pass  through  two  regular  courses  of  study  at  Rome — the 
first  in  learning,  and  the  second  in  unlearning. 

"  '  This  is  the  tower  of  Nero,  from  which  he  saw  the  city  in  flames 
— and  this  is  the  temple  of  Concord — and  this  is  the  temple  of  Castor 
and  Pollux — and  this  is  the  temple  of  Vesta — and  these  are  the  baths 
of  Paulus  Aemilius  ' — and  so  on,  says  your  lacquey. 

"  '  This  is  not  the  tower  of  Nero — nor  that  the  temple  of  Castor  and 
Pollux — nor  the  other  the  temple  of  Concord — nor  are  any  of  these 
things  what  they  are  called,'  says  your  antiquary." — Eaton's  Rome. 

The  Convent  of  S.  Caterina  was  built  by  the  celebrated 
Vittoria  Colonna,  who  requested  the  advice  of  Michael 
Angelo  on  the  subject,  and  was  told  that  she  had  better 
make  the  ancient  "Torre"  into  a  belfry.  A  very  curious 
account  of  the  interview  in  which  this  subject  was  dis- 
cussed, and  which  took  place  in  the  church  of  S.  Silvestro 
a  Monte  Cavallo,  is  left  us  in  the  memoirs  of  Francesco 
d'Olanda,  a  Portuguese  painter,  who  was  himself  present 
at  the  conversation. 

Near  this  point  are  two  other  fine  mediaeval  towers. 
One,  now  engrafted  in  the  Via  Nazionale,  on  the  left  of 
the  descent  to  the  Piazza  Venezia,  is  that  of  the  Colonna, 
now  called  Tor  di  Babcle,  and  is  ornamented  with  three 
beautiful  fragments  of  sculptured  frieze,  one  of  them  bear- 
ing the  device  of  the  Colonna,  a  crowned  column  rising 
from  a  wreath.  The  other  tower,  immediately  facing  us, 
is  called  Torre  del  Grillo,  from  the  ancient  family  of  that 
name. 

Opposite  S.  Caterina  is  the  handsome  Church  of  SS. 
Dojnenico  e  Sisto,  approached  by  a  good  double-twisted 
staircase,  the  effect  of  which  was  greatly  injured  by  the 
changes  of  1870-77.  Over  the  second  altar  on  the  left  is  a 
picture  of  the  marriage  of  S.  Catherine  by  AUegrani,  and, 
on  the  anniversary  of  her  (visionary)  marriage  (July  19). 
the  dried  hand  of  the  saint  is  exhibited  here  to  the  un- 
speakable comfort  of  the  faithful. 


S.    AG  ATA  DEI  GOTI. 


373 


Turning  by  this  church  into  the  Via  Magnanopoli  (for- 
merly Bagnanopoli,  a  corruption  of  Balnea  Pauli — Baths 
of  Emilius  Paulus),  we  pass  on  the  left  the  Palazzo  Aldo- 
hi-andini,  with  a  bright  pleasant-looking  court  and  hand- 
some fountain.  The  present  Pnnce  Aldobrandini  is 
brother  of  Prince  Borghese.  Of  this  family  was  S.  Pietro 
Aldobrandini,  generally  known  as  S.  Pietro  Igneo,  who 
was  canonized  because,  in  1067,  he  walked  unhurt,  cruci- 
fix in  hand,  through  a  burning  fiery  furnace  ten  feet  long 
before  the  church  door  of  Settimo,  near  Florence,  to 
prove  an  accusation  of  simony  which  he  had  brought 
against  Pietro  di  Pavia,  bishop  of  that  city. 

In  the  Via  di  Mazzarini,  in  the  hollow  between  the  Qui- 
rinal  and  Viminal,  is  the  Convent  0/  S-  Agata  in  Suhutya, 
through  the  courtyard  of  which  we  enter  the  Church  of  S. 
Agata  del  Goti.  A  tradition  declares  that  this  (like  S. 
Sabba  on  the  Aventine)  is  on  the  site  of  a  house  of  S.  Sil- 
via, mother  of  S.  Gregory  the  Great,  who  consecrated  the 
church  after  it  had  been  plundered  by  the  Goths,  and  ded- 
icated it  to  S.  Agata.  It  was  rebuilt  by  Ricimer,  the 
king-maker,  who  was  buried  here  a.d.  472.  But  twelve 
ancient  granite  columns  and  a  handsome  opus-alexandri- 
num  pavement  are  the  only  remaining  signs  of  antiquity. 
The  church  now  belongs  to  the  Irish  Seminary.  In  the 
left  aisle  is  the  monument  of  Daniel  O'Connell,  with  bas- 
reliefs  by  Benzoni,  inscribed  : 

"This  monument  contains  the  heart  of  O'Connell,  who,  dying  at 
Genoa  on  his  way  to  the  Eternal  City,  bequeathed  his  soul  to  God,  his 
body  to  Ireland,  and  his  heart  to  Rome.  He  is  represented  at  the  bar 
of  the  British  House  of  Commons  in  MDCCCXXHL,  when  he  refused 
to  take  the  anti-Catholic  declaration,  in  these  remarkable  words  :  "I 
at  once  reject  this  declaration  ;  part  of  it  I  believe  to  be  untrue,  and 
the  rest  I  know  to  be  false."  He  was  born  vi.  Aug.  MDCCLXXVL, 
and  died  xv.  May,  MDCCCXLVHI.  Erected  by  Charles  Bianconi, 
the  faithful  friend  of  the  immortal  liberator,  and  of  Ireland  the  land 
of  his  adoption." 

Ac  the  end  of  the  left  aisle  is  a  chapel,  which  Cardinal 
Antonelli  (v/ho  had  his  palace  near  this)  decorated,  1863, 
with  frescoes  and  arabesques  as  a  burial-place  for  his 
family.  In  the  opposite  chapel  is  a  gilt  figure  of  S.  Agata 
carrying  her  breasts — showing  the  manner  in  which  she 
suffered. 


374 


jr.-l/.A'S  IN  ROME. 


"Agatha  was  a  maiden  of  Catania,  in  Sicily,  whither  Decius,  the 
emperor,  sent  Quintianiis  as  governor.  He,  inflamed  by  the  beauty 
of  Agatha,  templed  her  with  rich  gifts  and  promises,  but  she  repulsed 
him  with  disdain.  Then  Quintianus  ordered  her  to  be  bound  and 
beaten  with  rods,  and  sent  two  of  his  slaves  to  tear  her  bosom  with 
iron  shears,  and  as  her  blood  flowed  forth,  she  said  to  him,  '  O  thou 
cruel  tyrant  !  art  thou  not  ashamed  to  tear  me  thus — hast  thou  not  thy- 
self been  fed  at  thy  mother's  breasts  ? '  Thus  only  did  she  murmur. 
And  in  the  night  a  venerable  man  came  to  her,  bearing  a  vase  of  oint- 
ment, and  before  him  walked  a  youth  bearing  a  torch.  It  was  the  holy 
apostle  Peter,  and  the  youth  was  an  angel  ;  but  Agatha  knew  it  not, 
though  such  a  glorious  light  filled  the  prison,  that  the  guards  fled  in 
terror.  .  .  .  Then  S.  Peter  made  himself  known  and  ministered  to 
her,  restoring  with  heavenly  balm  her  wounded  breasts. 

"Quintianus,  infuriated,  demanded  who  had  healed  her.  She  re- 
plied :  '  He  whom  I  confess  and  adore  with  heart  and  lips,  he  halh 
sent  his  apostle,  who  hath  healed  me.'  Then  Quintianus  caused  her 
to  be  thrown  bound  upon  a  great  fire,  but  instantly  an  earthquake 
arose,  and  the  people  in  terror  cried  :  '  This  visitation  is  sent  because 
of  the  sufferings  of  the  maiden  Agatha.'  So  he  caused  her  to  be  taken 
from  the  fire,  and  carried  back  to  prison,  where  she  prayed  aloud,  that 
having  now  proved  her  faith,  she  might  be  freed  from  pain  and  see 
the  glory  of  God  ;  and  her  prayer  was  answered,  and  her  spirit  in- 
stantly departed  into  eternal  glory,  Feb.  5,  a.d.  251." — Fro?)i  the 
'■'•  Legende  delle  SS.   Vergini." 

Agatha  (patroness  of  Catania)  is  one  of  the  saints  most 
reverenced  by  the  Roman  people.  On  the  5th  of  Febru- 
ary her  vespers  are   sung  here,  and  contain  the  antiphons  : 

"  Who  art  thou  that  art  come  to  heal  my  wounds  ? — I  am  an  apostle 
of  Christ :  doubt  not  concerning  me,  my  daughter. 

"  Medicine  for  the  body  have  I  never  used  ;  but  I  have  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  who  with  his  word  alone  restoreth  all  things. 

"  I  render  thanks  to  thee,  O  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  for  that  thou  hast 
been  mindful  of  me,  and  has  sent  thine  apostle  to  heal  my  wounds. 

"  I  bless  thee,  O  Father  of  my  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  because  through 
thine  apostle  thou  hast  restored  my  breasts  to  me. 

"  Him  who  hath  vouchsafed  to  heal  me  of  every  wound,  and  to  re- 
store to  me  my  breasts,  him  do  I  invoke,  even  the  living  God. 
*  *  *  *  *  * 

"  Blessed  Agatha,  standmg  in  her  prison,  stretched  forth  her  hands 
and  prayed  unto  the  Lord,  saying  :  '  O  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  my  good 
master,  I  thank  thee  because  thou  hast  given  me  strength  to  overcome 
the  tortures  of  the  executioners  ;  and  now.  Lord,  speak  the  word,  that 
I  may  depart  hence  to  thy  glory  which  fadeth  not  away." 

The  tomb  of  John  Lascaris  (a  refugee  from  Constan- 
tinople v/hen  taken  by  the  Turks)  has — in  Greek — the  in- 
scri[>tion  : 


S.    MA  HI  A    IN  MONTI. 


375 


^'  Lascaris  lies  here  in  a  foreign  grave  ;  but,  stranger,  that  does  not 
disturb  him,  rather  does  he  rejoice  ;  yet  he  is  not  without  sorrow,  as  a 
Grecian,  that  his  fatherland  will  not  bestow  upon  him  the  freedom  of 
a  grave." 

Passing  the  great  Convent  of  S.  Bernardino  Senensis, 
we  reach  the  Via  dei  Serpenti,  interesting  as  occupying  the 
supposed  site  of  the  Vallis  Quirinalis,  where  JuHus  Procu- 
kis,  returning  from  Alba  Longa,  encountered  the  ghost  of 
Romulus  : 

"  Sed  Proculus  Longa  veniebat  Julius  Alba  ; 
Lunaque  fulgebat  ;  nee  facis  usus  erat  : 
Cum  subito  motu  nubes  crepuere  sinistrae  : 
Retulit  ille  gradus,  horrueruntque  comae. 
Pulcher,  et  humano  major,  trabeaque  decorus, 
Romulus  in  media  visus  adesse  via." 

Ovid,  Fast.  ii.  498. 

Turning  to  the  right  down  the  Via  dei  Serpenti,  we 
reach  the  Piazza  S.  Maria  in  Monti,  containing  a  fountain, 
and  a  church  dedicated  to  SS.  Sergius  and  Bacchus,  two 
martyrs  who  suffered  under  Maximian  at  Rasapha,  in 
Syria. 

One  side  of  this  piazza  is  occupied  by  the  Church  of  S. 
Maria  in  Afon/i,  in  which  is  deposited  a  figure  of  the  beg- 
gar Labre  (canonized  by  Leo  XIII. ,  December  8,  1881), 
dressed  in  the  gown  of  a  mendicant  pilgrim,  which  he  wore 
when  living.  Over  the  altar  is  a  picture  of  him  in  the 
Coliseum,  distributing  to  his  fellow-beggars  the  alms  which 
he  had  obtained.  His  festa  is  observed  here  on  April  16. 
(At  No.  3  Via  dei  Serpenti,  one  may  visit  the  chamber  in 
which  Labre  died — and  in  the  Via  dei  Crociferi,  near  the 
fountain  of  Trevi,  a  chapel  containing  many  of  his  relics, 
— the  bed  on  which  he  died,  the  crucifix  which  he  wore  in 
his  bosom,  etc.) 

"  Benoit  Joseph  Labre  naquit  en  1748  dans  le  diocese  de  Boulogne 
(France)  de  parents  chretiens  et  jouissant  d'une  modeste  aisance. 
D'une  piete  vive  et  tendre,  il  voulut  d'abord  se  faire  religieux  ;  mais 
sa  sante  ne  put  resister,  ni  aux  regies  des  Chartreux,  ni  a  celles  des 
Trappistes,  chez  lesquels  il  entra  successivement.  II  fut  alors  sol- 
ncite  intt'rieitremcrtt,  est-il  dit  dans  la  notice  sur  la  vie,  de  metier  une 
vie  de pe'nitence  et  de  chariie  an  milieu  dti  siccle.  Pendant  sept  anmees, 
il  parcourut,  en  pelerin-mendiant,  les  sanctuaires  de  la  Vierge  le  plus 
veneres  de  toute  I'Europe  ;  on  a  calcule  qu'il  fit,  a  pied,  plus  de  cinq 
mille  lieues,  pendant  ces  sept  annees. 

"  En  1777  il  revint  en  Italic,  pour  ne  plus  en  sortir.     II  habitait 


37ri  IV A  Lies  IX  ROME. 

Rome,  faisant  seulement  une  fois  chaque  annee  le  pelerinage  de 
Lorctc.  II  passait  une  grande  parte  de  ses  journees  dans  les  eglises, 
mendiait,  et  faisait  de  ccuvres  de  charite.  11  touchait  quelquefois  sous 
le  portique  des  eglises,  et  le  phis  souvent  au  Colysee  derriere  la  petite 
chapclle  de  la  ciuquieme  station  du  chemin  de  la  croix.  Lcglise  qu'il 
frequentait  le  plus,  etait  celle  de  S.  Marie  des  Monts  ;  le  i6  Avril 
1783,  apres  y  avoir  prie  fort  longtemps.  en  sortant,  il  toniba,  comma 
evanoui,  sur  les  marches  du  peristyle  de  I'eglise.  On  Ic  transporla 
dans  une  maison  voisine,  ou  il  mourut  le  soir. " — Une  AnnJe  a  Koine. 

Almost  opposite  this  church,  a  narrow  alley,  which 
appears  to  be  a  cul-de-sac  ending  in  a  picture  of  the  Cruci- 
fixion, is  in  reality  the  approach  to  the  carefully  concealed 
Convent  of  the  Farnesiafie  Nuns,  generally  known  as  the 
Sepolte  Vive.  The  only  means  of  communicating  with  them 
is  by  rapping  on  a  barrel  which  projects  from  a  wall  on  a 
platform  above  the  roofs  of  the  houses, — when  a  muffled 
voice  is  heard  from  the  interior, — and  if  the  references  of 
the  visitor  are  satisfactory,  the  barrel  turns  round  and  event- 
ually discloses  a  key  by  which  the  initiated  can  admit 
themselves  to  a  small  chamber  in  the  interior  of  the  con- 
vent. Over  its  door  is  an  inscription,  bidding  those  who 
enter  that  chamber  to  leave  all  worldly  thoughts  behind 
them.  Round  the  walls  are  inscribed, — "  Qui  non  diligit, 
manet  in  morti." — "  Militia  est  vita  hominis  super  terram." 
— "  Alter  alterius  onera  portate  ;  "  and,  on  the  other  side, 
opposite  the  door, 

"  Vi  esorto  a  rimirar 
La  vita  del  mondo 
Nella  guisa  che  la  mira 
Un  moribondo." 

In  one  of  the  walls  is  an  opening  with  a  double  grille, 
beyond  which  is  a  metal  plate,  pierced  with  holes  like  the 
rose  of  a  watering  pot.  It  is  beyond  this  grille  and  behind 
this  plate,  that  the  abbess  of  the  Sepolte  Vive  receives  her 
visitors,  but  she  is  even  then  veiled  from  head  to  foot  in 
heavy  folds  of  thick  serge.  Gregory  XVI.,  who,  of  course, 
could  penetrate  within  the  convent,  and  who  wished  to  try 
her,  said,  "  Sorella  mia,  levate  il  velo."  "  No,  mio  padre," 
she  replied,  "  E  vietato  dalla  nostra  regola. " 

The  nuns  of  Sepolte  Vive  are  never  seen  again  after 
they  once  assume  the  black  veil,  though  they  are  allowed 
double  the  ordinary  noviciate.  They  never  hear  anything 
ot  the  outer  world,  even  of  the  deaths  of  their  nearest 


.S-.    LOKEXZO  FANE  E   PERN  A.  377 

relations.  Daily,  they  are  said  to  dig  their  own  graves 
and  lie  down  in  them,  and  their  remaining  hours  are  occu- 
pied in  perpetual  and  monotonous  adoration  of  the  Blessed 
Sacrament. 

Returning  as  far  as  the  Via  Pane  e  Perna  (a  continuation 
3f  the  Via  INIagnanopoli)  we  ascend  the  slope  of  the  Vim- 
i7ial  HiU,  now  with  difficulty  to  be  distinguished  from  the 
Quirinal.  It  derives  its  name  from  vimina,  osiers,  and  was 
once  probably  covered  v/ith  woods,  since  a  temple  of  Syl- 
vanus  or  Pan  was  one  of  several  which  adorned  its  princi- 
pal street — the  Vicus  Longus — the  site  of  which  is  now 
marked  by  the  countrified  lane  called  Via  S.  Vitale.  This 
end  of  the  hill  is  crowned  by  the  Church  of  S.  Lorenzo  Pane 
e  Perna,  built  on  the  site  of  the  martyrdom  of  the  deacon 
S.  Laurence,  who  suffered  under  Claudius  II.,  a.d.  264, 
for  refusing  to  give  up  the  goods  of  the  church.  Over 
the  altar  is  a  huge  fresco,  representing  the  saint  extended 
upon  a  red-hot  gridiron,  and  below — entered  from  the 
exterior  of  the  church — a  crypt  is  shown  as  the  scene  of 
his  cruel  sufferings.' 

"  Blessed  Laurentius,  as  he  lay  stretched  and  burning  on  the  grid- 
iron, said  to  the  impious  tyrant,  '  The  meat  is  done,  make  haste 
hither  and  eat.  As  for  the  treasures  of  the  Church  which  you  seek, 
the  hands  of  the  poor  have  carried  them  to  a  heavenly  treasury.'  " — 
Antiphon  of  S.   Laurence. 

It  was  outside  this  convent  that,  toward  the  close  of  her 
life,  S.  Bridget  of  Sweden  used  to  sit  begging  for  the  poui 
and  kissing  the  hands  of  those  who  gave  her  alms.  Her 
funeral  took  place  in  this  church,  July,  1373,  but,  Lftcr 
resting  here  for  a  year,  her  body  was  removed  by  her  son 
to  the  monastery  of  Wastein  in  Sweden. 

Under  the  second  altar  on  the  right  are  shown  the  relics 
of  S.  Crispin  and  S.  Crispinian,  "  two  holy  brothers,  who 
departed  from  Rome  with  S.  Denis  to  preach  the  Gospel 
in  France,  where,  after  the  example  of  S.  Paul,  they  labor- 
ed v/ith  their  hands,  being  by  trade  shoemakers.  And 
these  good  saints  made  shoes  for  the  poor  without  fee  or 
reward  (for  which  the  angels  supplied  them  with  leather), 
until,  denounced  as  Christians,  they  suffered  martyrdom 
at  Soissons,  being,  after  many  tortures,  beheaded   by  the 

>  The  body  of  this  saint  is  said  to  repose  at  S.  Lorenzo  fuori  le  Mura  ;  his  head 
is  at  the  Quinnal  ;  at  S.  Lorenzo  in  Lucina  his  gridiron  and  chains  are  shown. 


378  WALK'S  I.V   ROME. 

sword  (a.d.  300)"'  The  festival  of  S.  Crispin  and  S. 
Crispinian  is  held  on  October  25,  the  anniversary  of  the 
battle  of  Agincourt. 

"  And  Crispin  Crispian  shall  ne'er  go  by, 
From  this  day  to  the  ending  of  the  world. 
But  we  in  it  shall  be  remembered." 

Shakespeare,  Henry   V. 

Throughout  the  middle  ages  the  statues  of  Posidippus 
and  Menander,  now  in  the  gallery  of  statues  at  the  Vatican, 
were  kissed  and  worshiped  in  this  church  under  the  im- 
pression that  they  represented  saints  (see  Chap.  XV.) 
They  were  found  on  this  site,  which  was  once  occupied 
by  the  baths  of  Olympias,  daughter-in-law  of  Constantine. 

The  strange  name  of  the  church,  Pane  e  Perna,  is  gen- 
erally supposed  to  have  had  its  origin  in  a  dole  of  bread 
and  ham  once  given  at  the  door  of  the  adjacent  convent, 
but  more  probably  is  derived  from  the  Prefect  Perperna 
Quadratus,  commemorated  in  an  inscription  in  the  convent 
garden,  in  which  there  is  a  mediaeval  house  of  c.  1200. 
The  campanile  is  of  1450. 

The  small  neighboring  Church  of  S.  Lorenzo  in  Fotite 
covers  the  site  of  the  prison  of  S.  Laurence,  and  a  fount- 
ain is  shown  there  as  that  in  which  he  baptized  Vicus 
Patricius  and  his  daughter  Lucilla,  whom  he  miraculously 
raised  from  the  dead. 

Descending  the  hill  below  the  church — in  the  valley  be- 
tween the  Esquiline  and  Viminal — we  reach  at  the  corner 
of  the  street  a  spot  of  preeminent  historical  interest,  as  that 
where  Servius  Tullius  was  killed,  and  where  Tullia  (b.c. 
535)  drove  in  her  chariot  over  the  dead  body  of  her 
father.  The  Vicus  Urbius  by  which  the  old  king  had 
reached  the  spot  is  now  represented  by  the  Via  Urbana  ; 
the  Vicus  Cyprius,  by  which  he  was  about  to  ascend  tc 
the  palace  on  the  hill  Cispius,  by  the  Via  di  S.  Maria 
Maggiore. 

"  Servius-Tullius,  apres  avoir  pris  le  chemin  raccourci  qui  partait 
du  pied  de  la  Velia  et  allait  du  cote  de  Carines,  atteignit  le  Vicus- 
Cyprius  (Via  Urbana). 

"  Parvenu  a  I'extremite  du  Vicus-Cyprius,  le  roi  fut  attaint  et  assas- 
sine  par  les  gens  de  Tarquin  aupres  d'un  temple  de  Diane. 

"C'est  arrives  en  cat  endroit,  au  moment  de  toumer  4  droita  et  de 

'  Jameson's  Sacred  and  Legendary  Art. 


S.    PUDENTIANA. 


379 


gagner,  en  remontant  le  Vicus-ViiLius,  le  Cispius,  ou  hal)itait  son 
pere,  que  les  chevaux  s'aneterent  ;  que  Tullie,  poussee  par  I'impa- 
tience  lievreuse  de  I'ambition,  et  n'ayant  plus  que  quclqixs  pas  a 
faire  pour  arriver  au  ternie,  avertie  par  le  cocher  que  le  cadavre  de 
son  pere  etait  la  gisant,  s'ecria  :    '  Eh  bien,  pousse  le  char  en  avant  ! ' 

"  Le  meurtre  s'est  accompli  au  pied  du  Viminal,  a  I'extrcmite  du 
Vicus-Cyprius,  la  ou  fut  depuis  le  Vicus-Sceleratus,  la  rue  Funeste. 

"  Le  lieu  ou  la  tradition  pla^ait  cette  tragique  aventv.re  ne  peut  etre 
sur  I'Esquilin,  mais  necessairement  au  pied  de  cette  colhne  et  du  Vi- 
minal, puisque,  parvenue  a  I'extre'mite  du  Vicus-Cyprius,  le  cocher  allait 
tourner  a  droite  et  remonter  pour  gravir  I'Esquilm.  11  ne  faut  done 
pas  chercher,  comme  Nibby,  la  rue  Scelerate  sur  une  des  pentes,  ou, 
comme  Canina  et  M.  Dyer,  sur  le  sommet  de  I'Esquilin,  d'oii  Ton  ne 
pouvait  monter  sur  I'Esquilin. 

"Tullie  n'allait  pas  sur  I'Oppius  (San-Pietro  in  Vincoli),  dans  la 
demeure  de  son  mari,  mais  sur  le  Cispius,  dans  la  demeure  de  son  pere. 
C'etait  de  la  demeure  royale  qu'elle  allait  prendre  possession  pour  le 
nouveau  roi. 


"  Je  n'oublierai  jamais  le  soir  ou,  apres  avoir  longtemps  cherche  le 
lieu  qui  vit  la  mort  de  Servius  et  le  crime  de  Tullie,  touta-coup  je 
de'couvris  clairement  que  j'y  etais  arrive,  et  m'arrttant  plein  d'horreur, 
comme  le  cocher  de  la  parricide,  plongeant  dansl'ombre  un  regard  qui, 
malgre  moi,  y  cherchait  le  cadavre  du  vieux  roi,  je  me  dis  :  '  C'etait 
la!'" — Avipire,  Hist.  Rom.  ii.  153. 

Turning  to  the  left,  at  the  foot  of  the  Esquiline,  we  find 
the  interesting  Church  of  S.  Pudeniiana,  supposed  to  be 
the  most  ancient  of  all  the  Roman  churches  ( "  omnium 
ecclesiarum  urbis  vetustissima  ").  Cardinal  Wiseman,  who 
took  his  title  from  this  church,  considered  it  was  the  prm- 
cipal  place  of  worship  in  Rome  after  apostolic  times,  being 
founded  on  the  site  of  the  house  where  S.  Paul  lodged, 
A.D.  41  to  50,  with  the  senator  Pudens,  whose  family  were 
his  first  converts,  and  who  is  said  to  have  himself  suffered 
martyrdom  under  Nero.  On  this  ancient  place  of  worship 
an  oratory  was  engrafted  by  Pius  I.  {c.  a.d.  145),  in  mem- 
ory of  the  younger  daughter  of  Pudens,  Pudentiana,  per- 
haps at  the  request  of  her  sister  Prassede,  who  is  believed 
to  have  survived  till  that  time.  In  very  early  times  two 
small  churches  existed  here,  known  as  "  Titulus  Pudentis," 
and  "  Titulus  Pastoris,"  the  latter  in  memory  of  a  brother 
of  Pius  I. 

The  church  which  has  been  successively  altered  by 
Adrian  I.  in  the  eighth  century,  by  Gregory  VII.,  and  by 
Innocent  II.,  was  finally  modernized  by  Cardinal   Caetani 


38o 


WALKS  /.V  ROME. 


in  1597.  Little  remains  of  ancient  external  work  except 
the  graceful  brick  campanile  {c.  1130)  with  triple  arcades 
of  open  arches  on  every  side,  separated  by  bands  of  terra- 
cotta molding — and  the  door  adorned  with  low  reliefs  of 
the  Lamb  bearing  a  cross,  and  of  S.  Prassede  and  S.  Pu- 
dentiana  with  the  vases  in  which  they  collected  the  blood 
of  the  martyrs,  and  two  other  figures,  probably  S.  Pudens 
and  S.  Pastor. 

The  chapel  on  the  left  of  the  tribune,  which  is  regarded 
as  the  "  Titulus  Pudentis,"  has  an  old  mosaic  pavement, 
said  to  have  belonged  to  the  house  of  Pudens.  Here  is  a 
bass-relief  by  Giacomo  della  Porta,  representing  our  Saviour 
delivering  the  keys  to  S.  Peter  ;  and  here  is  preserved  part 
of  the  altar  at  which  S.  Peter  is  said  to  have  celebrated 
mass  (the  rest  is  at  the  Lateran),  and  which  was  used  by 
all  the  early  popes  till  the  time  of  Sylvester.  Among  early 
Christian  inscriptions  let  into  the  walls,  is  one  to  a  Corne- 
lia, of  the  family  of  the  Pudentiani,  with  a  rude  portrait. 

Opening  from  the  left  aisle  is  the  chapel  of  the  Caetani 
family,  with  tombs  of  the  siiventeenth  century.  Over  the 
altar  is  a  bass-relief  of  the  Adoration  of  the  Magi,  by  Paolo 
Olivieri.  On  each  side  are  fine  columns  of  Lumachella 
marble.  Over  the  entrance  from  the  nave  are  ancient 
mosaics — of  the  Evangelists  and  of  S.  Pudentiana  collect- 
ing the  blood  of  the  martyrs.  Beneath,  is  a  gloomy  and 
neglected  vault,  in  which  all  the  sarcophagi  and  coffins  of 
the  dead  Caetani  are  shown  by  torchlight. 

In  the  tribune  are  magnificent  mosaics,  ascribed  by 
some  to  the  eighth,  by  others  to  the  fourth  century,  and 
considered  by  De  Rossi '  as  the  best  of  all  ancient  Chris- 
tian mosaics. 

"  In  conception  and  treatment,  this  work  is  indeed  classic  ;  seated 
on  a  rich  throne  in  the  center,  is  the  Saviour  with  one  arm  extended, 
and  in  the  other  hand  holding  a  book  open  at  the  words,  Conservaio)- 
Ecclc'siae  Fudentiaiiae ;  laterally  stand  SS.  Praxedis  and  Pudentiana 
with  leafy  crowns  in  their  hands  ;  and  at  a  lower  level,  but  more  in 
front,  SS.  Peter  and  Paul  with  eight  other  male  figures,  all  in  the 
amply-flowing  costume  of  ancient  Romans  ;  while  in  the  background 
are  seen,  beyond  a  portico  with  arcades,  various  stately  buildings,  one 
a  rotunda,  another  a  parallelogram  with  a  gable-headed  front,  recog- 
nizable as  a  baptistery  and  basilica,  here,  we  may  believe,  in  authentic 
copy  from  the  earliest  type ;  of  the  period  of  the  first  christian  emperors. 

'   RoDia  Cristiana. 


S.    PL  DENTIANA.  381 

Above  the  group,  and  hovering  in  the  air,  a  large  cross,  studded  witli 
gems,  surmounts  the  head  of  our  Saviour,  between  the  four  symbols  of 
the  Evangelists,  of  which  one  has  been  entirely,  and  another  in  the 
greater  part,  sacrificed  to  some  wretched  accessories  in  woodwork 
actually  allowed  to  conceal  portions  of  this  most  interesting  mosaic  ! 
As  to  expression,  a  severe  solemnity  is  that  prevailing,  especially  in  the 
principal  head,  which  nloiie  is  crowned  with  the  nimbus — one  among 
other  jiroofs,  if  but  negative,  of  its  high  antiquity." — Hemans'  Ancient 
Christian  Art. 

Besides  S.  Pudentiana  and  S.  Pudens, — S.  Novatus  and 
S.  Siricius  are  said  to  be  buried  here.  Those  who  visit  this 
sanctuary  every  day  obtain  an  indulgence  of  3,000  years 
with  remission  of  a  third  part  of  their  sins  !  Excavations 
made  by  Mr.  J.  H.  Parker,  in  1865,  laid  bare  some  inter- 
esting constructions  beneath  the  church — supposed  to  be 
those  of  the  house  of  Pudens — a  part  of  the  public  baths 
of  Novatus,  the  son  of  Pudens,  which  were  in  use  for 
some  centuries  after  his  time,  and  a  chamber  in  which  is 
supposed  to  have  been  the  oratory  dedicated  by  Pius  I. 
A.D.  145. 

"  Eubulus  greeteth  thee,  and  Pudens,  and  Linus,  and  Claudia,  and 
all  the  brethren." — 2    Timothy,  iv.  21. 

The  following  account  of  the  family  of  Pudens  is  re- 
ceived as  the  legacy  of  Pastor  to  the  Christian  church. 

"  Pudens  went  to  his  Saviour,  leaving  his  daughters  strengthened 
with  chastity  and  learned  in  all  the  divine  law.  These  sold  their  goods 
and  distributed  the  produce  to  the  poor,  and  persevered  strictly  in  the 
love  of  Christ,  guarding  intact  the  flower  of  their  virginity,  and  only 
seeking  for  glory  in  vigils,  fastings  and  prayer.  They  desired  to  have 
a  baptistery  in  their  house,  tc  which  the  blessed  Pius  not  only  con- 
sented, but  with  his  own  hand  drew  the  plan  of  the  fountain.  Then 
calling  in  their  slaves,  both  from  town  and  country,  the  two  virgins 
gave  liberty  to  those  who  were  Christians,  and  urged  belief  in  the  faith 
upon  those  who  had  not  yet  received  it.  By  the  advice  of  the  blessed 
Pius,  the  affranchisement  was  declared,  with  all  the  ancient  usages,  in 
the  oratory  founded  by  Pudens  ;  then,  at  the  festival  of  Easter,  ninety- 
six  neophytes  were  baptized  ;  so  that  thenceforth  assemblies  were  con- 
stantly held  in  the  said  oratory,  which  night  and  day  resounded  with 
hymns  of  praise.  Many  pagans  gladly  came  thither  to  find  the  faith 
and  receive  baptism. 

"  Meanwhile  the  Emperor  Antonine,  being  informed  of  what  was 
taking  place,  issued  an  edict  commanding  all  Christians  to  dwell  apart 
in  their  own' houses,  without  mixing  with  the  rest  of  the  people,  and 
that  they  should  neither  go  to  the  public  shops,  nor  to  the  baths. 
Praxedis  and  Pudentiana  then  assembled  those  whom  they  had  led  to 
the  faith,  and  housed   them.     They  nourished  them  for  many  days, 


382  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

watching  and  praying.  Tlie  blessed  bishop  Pius  himself  frequently 
visited  us  with  joy,  and  offered  the  sacrifice  for  us  to  the  .Saviour. 

"  Then  Pudentiana  went  to  God.  Her  sister  and  I  wrapped  her  in 
perfumes  and  kept  her  concealed  in  the  oratory.  Then,  at  the  end  of 
twenty-eight  days,  we  carried  her  to  the  cemetery  of  Priscilla,  and  laid 
her  near  her  fatiier  Pudens. 

''  Eleven  months  after,  Novatus  died  in  his  turn.  He  bequeathed 
his  goods  to  Praxedis,  and  she  then  begged  of  S.  Pius  to  erect  a  titular 
(a  church)  in  the  baths  of  Novatus,  which  were  no  longer  used,  and 
where  there  was  a  large  and  spacious  hall.  The  bishop  made  the  dedi- 
cation in  the  name  of  the  blessed  virgin  Praxedis.  In  the  same  place 
he  consecrated  a  baptistery. 

"  But,  at  the  end  of  two  years,  a  great  p.irsecution  was  declared 
against  the  Christians,  and  many  of  them  received  the  crown  of  martyr- 
dom. Praxedis  concealed  a  great  number  of  them  in  her  oratory,  and 
nourished  them  at  once  with  the  food  of  this  v/orld  and  with  the  word 
of  God.  But  the  Emperor  Antonine  having  learned  that  these  meetings 
took  place  in  the  oratory  of  Praxedis,  caused  it  to  be  searched,  and 
many  Christians  were  taken,  especially  the  priest  Simetrius  and  twenty- 
two  others.  And  the  blessed  Praxedis  collected  their  bodies  by  night, 
and  buried  them  in  the  cemetery  of  Priscilla,  on  the  seventh  day  of 
the  calends  of  June.  Then  the  virgin  of  the  Saviour,  worn  out  with 
sorrow,  only  asked  for  death.  Her  tears  and  her  prayers  reached  to 
heaven,  and  fifty-four  days  after  her  brethren  had  suffered,  she  passed 
to  God.  And  I,  Pastor,  the  priest,  have  buried  her  body  near  that  of 
her  father  Pudens." — Fioin  the  Narration  0/  Pastor. 

Returning  by  the  main  line  of  streets  to  the  Quattro 
Fontane,  we  pass,  on  the  left,  the  Church  of  S.  Paolo  Pruno 
Eretnita.  The  strange-looking  palm-tree  over  the  door, 
with  a  raven  perched  upon  it  and  two  lions  below,  com- 
memorates the  story  of  the  saint,  who,  retiring  to  the  desert 
at  the  age  of  22,  lived  there  till  he  was  1 12,  eating  nothing 
but  the  dates  of  his  tree  for  twenty-two  years,  after  which 
bread  was  daily  brought  to  him  by  a  raven.  In  his  last 
hours  S.  Anthony  came  to  visit  him  and  was  present  at  his 
burial,  when  two  lions,  his  companions,  came  to  dig  his 
grave.  The  sustaining  palm-tree  and  the  three  animals 
who  loved  S.  Paolo  are  again  represented  over  the  altar. 
Further  on  the  left,  we  pass  the  Via  S.  Vitale,  occupying 
part  of  the  site  of  the  Vicus  Longus,  considered  by  Dyer 
to  have  been  the  longest  street  in  the  ancient  city.  Here 
stood  the  temples  of  Sylvanus,  and  of  Fever,  with  that  of 
Pudicitia  Plebeia,  founded  c.  B.C.  297,  by  Virginia  the  patri- 
cian, vvife  of  Volumnius,  when  excluded  from  the  patrician 
temple  of  Pudicitia  in  the  Forum  Boarium,  on  account  of 
her  plebeian  marriage.     "  At   its  altar  none  but  plebeian 


s.  DioNisro.  383 

matrons  of  unimpeachable  chastity,  and  who  had  been 
married  to  only  one  husband,  were  allowed  to  sacri- 
fice."' 

The  Church  of  S.  Vitale  on  the  Viminal,  which  now 
stands  here,  was  founded  by  Innocent  I.  a.d.  416.  The 
interior  is  covered  with  frescoes  of  martyrdoms.  It  is 
seldom  open  except  early  on  Sunday  mornings.  S.  Vitale, 
father  of  S.  Gervasius  and  S.  Protasius,  was  the  martyr  and 
patron  saint  of  Ravenna,  who  was  buried  alive  under  Nero. 
We  now  cross  the  ugly  modern  Via  Nazionale,  which  leads 
from  S.  Maria  degli  Angeli  to  the  Corso — passing  across 
the  Piazza  SS.  Apostoli — and  which  contains  the  Atnerican 
Churchy  a  gothic  building  by  Street,  utterly  unsuited  to 
Rome.  A  little  farther,  on  the  left  of  the  Via  delle  Quat- 
tro  Fontane,  is  the  Church  of  S.  Dionisio,  belonging  to  the 
Basilian  nuns,  called  Apostoline  di  S.  Basilio.  It  contains 
an  Ecce  Homo  of  Luca  Giordiana,  and  the  gaudy  shrine 
of  the  virgin  martyr  S.  Coraola. 

'  Dyer,  p.  54. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE    NEIGHBORHOOD    OF    THE    BATHS    OF    DIOCLETIAN. 

The  Cappuccini — S.  Isidoro — S.  Niccolo  in  Tckntino — Via  S.  Basilio 
— Convent  of  the  Pregatrici — Villa  Masstrao  Rignano — Gardens  of 
Sallust — Villa  Ludovisi — Porta  Salaria — (Vil'a  Albani — Catacombs 
of  S.  Felicitas  and  S.  Priscilla — Pontc  SaJario) — Porta  Pia  (Villa 
Torlonia — Sant'  Agnese — S.  Costanza — Ponte  Nomentano — Mons 
Sacer — S.  Alessandro) — Villa  TorJonia  within  the  walls — Via  Macao 
—  Pretorian  Camp — Railway  Station — Villa  Negroni — Agger  of 
Servius  Tullius — S.  Maria  degli  Angeli — Fountain  of  the  Termini 
— S.  Maria  della  Vittoria — S.  Susanna — S.  Bernardo — S.  Caio. 

OPENING  from  the  left  of  the  Piazza  Barberini  is  the 
small  Piazza  of  the  Cappiiccini,  named  from  a  con- 
Tent  which  has  always  been  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
populous  in  Rome.  The  conventual  church,  dedicated  to 
S.  Maria  della  Concezione,  contains  several  fine  pictures. 
In  the  first  chapel,  on  the  right,  is  the  magnificent  Gniih, 
of  the  Archangel  Michael  trampling  upon  the  Devil, — said 
to  be  a  portrait  of  Pope  Innocent  X.,  against  whom  the 
painter  had  a  peculiar  spite. 

"  Here  the  angel,  standing,  yet  scarcely  touching  the  ground, 
poised  on  his  outspread  wings,  sets  his  left  foot  on  the  head  of  his  ad- 
versary ;  in  one  hand  he  brandishes  a  sword,  in  the  other  he  holds  the 
end  of  a  chain,  with  which  he  is  about  to  bind  down  the  demon  in  the 
bottomless  pit.  The  attitude  has  been  criticised,  and  justly  ;  the 
grace  is  somewhat  mannered,  verging  on  the  theatrical  ;  but  Forsyth 
is  too  severe  when  he  talks  of  '  the  air  of  a  dancing  master : '  one 
thing,  however,  is  certain,  we  do  not  think  about  the  attitude  when 
we  look  at  RaffacUe's  S.  Michael  (m  the  Louvre)  ;  in  Guido's  it  is  the 
first  thing  that  strikes  us  ;  but  when  we  look  further,  the  head  re- 
deems all  ;  it  is  singularly  beautiful,  and  in  the  blending  of  the  mas- 
culine and  feminine  graces,  in  the  serene  purity  of  the  brow,  and  the 
flov/  of  the  golden  hair,  there  is  something  divine  ;  a  slight,  very 
slight,  expression  of  scorn  is  in  the  air  of  the  head.  The  fiend  is  the 
worst  part  of  the  picture  ;  it  is  not  a  fiend,  but  a  degraded  prosaic 
human  ruffian  ;  we  laugh  with  incredulous  contempt  at  the  idea  of  an 
angel  called  dov.m  from  heaven  to  overcome  such  a  wretch.     In  Raf- 

384 


THE    CAPPUCCINI.  385 

faelle  the  fiend  is  human,  but  the  head  has  tlie  god-like  ugliness  and 
malignity  of  a  satyr  ;  Guide's  fiend  is  only  stupid  and  base.  It  ap- 
pears to  me  that  there  is  just  the  same  difference — the  same  kind  of 
difference — betweeen  the  angel  of  Raft^aelle  and  the  angel  of  Guido, 
as  between  the  description  in  Tasso  and  the  description  in  Milton  ; 
let  any  one  compare  them.  In  Tasso  we  are  struck  by  the  pictur- 
csqie  elegance  of  the  description  as  a  piece  of  art,  the  melody  of  the 
verse,  the  admirable  choice  of  the  expressions,  as  in  Guido  by  the 
finished  but  somewhat  artificial  and  studied  grace.  In  Raffaelle  and 
Milton  we  see  only  the  vision  of  a  '  shape  divine.'  " — Jameson^ s 
Sacred  Art,  p.  107. 

In  the  same  chapel  is  a  picture  by  Gherardo  della  Notte 
of  Christ  in  the  purple  robe.  The  third  chapel  contains  a 
fresco  by  Domenichino  of  the  Death  of  S.  Francis,  and  a 
picture  of  the  Ecstacy  of  S.  Francis,  which  was  a  gift  from 
the  same  painter  to  this  church. 

The  first  chapel  on  the  left  contains  The  Visit  of  Ana- 
nias to  Saul,  by  Pietro  da  Cortona. 

"Whoever  would  know  to  what  length  this  painter  carried  his  style 
in  his  altar-pieces  should  examine  the  Gonversion  of  S.  Paul  in  the 
Cappuccini  at  Rome,  which,  though  placed  opposite  to  the  S.  Michael 
of  Guido,  cannot  fail  to  excite  the  admiration  of  such  judges  as  are 
willing  to  admit  various  styles  of  beauty  in  art." — Lanzi. 

On  the  left  of  the  high  altar  is  the  tomb  of  Prince  Alex- 
ander Sobieski,  son  of  John  III.,  King  of  Poland,  who  died 
at  Rome  in  17 14. 

The  church  was  founded  in  1624,  by  Cardinal  Barberini, 
the  old  monk-brother  of  Urban  VIII.,  who,  while  his 
nephews  were  employed  in  building  magnificent  palaces, 
refused  to  take  advantage  of  the  family  elevation  otherwise 
than  to  endow  this  church  and  convent.  He  is  buried  in 
front  of  the  altar,  with  the  remarkable  epitaph — very  dif- 
ferent to  the  pompous,  self-glorifying  inscriptions  of  his 
brother — 

"  Hie  jacet  pulvis,  cinis,  et  nihil." 

This  Cardinal  Barberini  possesses  some  historical  in- 
terest from  the  patronage  he  extended  to  Milton  during 
his  visit  to  Rome  in  1638. 

"  During  his  sojourn  in  Rome  Milton  enjoyed  the  conversation  of 
several  learned  and  ingenious  men,  and  particularly  of  Lucas  Holstein- 
ius,  keeper  of  the  Vatican  library,  who  received  him  with  the  greatest 
humanity,  and  showed  him  ail  the  Greek  authors,  whether  in  print  or 
MS.,  which  had  passed  through  his  correction;  and  also  presented 

17 


386 


WALKS  JX  HOME. 


him  to  Cardinal  Barberini,  who,  at  an  entertainment  of  music,  per- 
formed at  his  own  expense,  waited  for  him  at  the  door,  and  taking 
him  by  the  liand,  brought  him  into  the  assembly.  The  next  morning 
he  waited  upon  the  Cardinal  to  return  him  thanks  for  these  civilities, 
and  by  the  means  of  Holsteinius  was  again  introduced  to  his  Emi- 
nence, and  spent  some  time  in  conversation  with  him." — Newton's 
Life  of  Milton: 

Over  the  entrance  is  a  cartoon  (with  some  differences) 
for  the  Navicella  of  Giotto. 

From  the  courtyard  of  the  convent,  a  monk'^  will  give 
admittance  to  the  famous  cemetery  of  the  Cappuccini  (not 
subterranean),  consisting  of  four  chambers,  ornamented 
with  human  bones  in  patterns,  and  with  mummified  bodies. 
The  earth  was  brought  from  Jerusalem.  As  the  cemetery 
is  too  small  for  the  convent,  when  any  monk  dies,  the  one 
who  has  been  buried  longest  is  ejected  to  make  room  for 
him.  The  loss  of  a  grave  is  supposed  to  be  amply  com- 
pensated by  the  short  rest  in  the  holy  earth  which  the 
body  has  already  enjoyed.  It  is  pleasant  to  read  on  the 
spot  the  pretty  sketch  in  the  "  Improvisatore. " 

"  I  was  playing  near  the  church  of  the  Capuchins,  with  some  other 
children  who  were  all  younger  than  myself.  There  was  fastened  on 
the  church  door  a  little  cross  of  metal  ;  it  was  fastened  about  Ihe  mid- 
dle of  the  door,  and  I  could  just  reach  it  with  my  hand.  Alwa}'s 
when  our  mothers  had  passed  by  with  us  they  had  lifted  us  up  that 
we  might  kiss  the  holy  sign.  One  day,  \yhen  we  children  were  play- 
ing, one  of  the  youngest  of  them  inquired,  '  why  the  child  Jesus  did 
not  come  down  and  play  v/ith  us?'  I  assumed  an  air  of  wisdom,  and 
replied,  that  he  was  really  bound  upon  the  cross.  We  went  to  the 
church  door,  and  although  we  found  no  one,  we  wished,  as  our  mothers 
had  taught  us,  to  kiss  him,  but  we  could  not  reach  up  lo  it  ;  one 
therefore  lifted  up  the  other,  but  just  as  the  lips  were  pointed  for  the 
kiss,  that  one  who  lifted  the  other  lost  his  strength,  and  the  kissing 
one  fell  down  just  when  his  lips  were  about  to  touch  the  invisible 
child  Jesus.  At  that  moment  my  mother  came  by,  and,  when  she  saw 
our  child's  play,  she  folded  her  hands,  and  said,  '  You  arc  actually 
some  of  God's  angels,  and  thou  art  mine  ov.n  angel,'  added  she,  and 
kissed  me. 

*■'  The  Capuchin  monk,  Fra  Martino,  was  my  mother's  confessor, 
lie  made  very  much  of  me,  and  gave  me  a  picture  of  the  Virgin,  weep- 
ing great  tears,  which  fell,  like  rain-dro])s,  down  into  the  burning 
flames  of  hell,  where  the  damned  caught  this  draught  of  refreshment. 

'  "  At  Rome,  Selva^jfji  made  a  Latin  distich  in  honor  of  Milton,  and  Salsilli  a 
Latin  tetrastich,  cclcbratint;  him  for  his  Greek.  Latin,  and  Italian  poetrv  ;  and 
he  in  return  presented  to  Salsilli  in  his  sickness  those  fine  Scazons  or  Iambic 
verses  having  a  spondee  in  the  last  foot,  which  are  inserted  amonp  his  juvenile 
poems.     From  Rome  he  went  to  Naples." — Newton. 

'^  Ask  in  the  church. 


5.    ISIDORO.  387 

He  took  me  over  with  him  into  the  convent,  where  the  open  colon- 
nade, which  inclosed  in  a  square  the  little  polalo-garden.  with  the 
two  cypress  and  orange-trees,  made  a  very  deep  impression  upon  me. 
Side  by  side,  in  the  open  passages,  hung  old  portraits  of  deceased 
monks,  and  on  the  door  of  each  cell  were  pasted  pictures  from  the 
history  of  the  martyrs,  which  I  contemplated  with  the  same  holy 
emotions  as  afterward  the  masterpieces  of  Raffaelle  and  Andrea  del 
Sarto. 

"  '  Thou  art  really  a  bright  youth,'  said  he  ;  '  thou  shall  now  see 
the  dead.'  Upon  this,  he  opened  a  little  door  of  a  gallery  which  lay 
a  few  steps  below  the  colonnade.  We  descended,  and  now  I  saw 
round  about  me  skulls  upon  skulls,  so  placed  one  upon  another,  that 
they  formed  walls,  and  therewith  several  chapels.^  In  these  were 
regular  niches,  in  which  were  seated  perfect  skeletons  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished of  the  monks,  enveloped  in  their  brown  cowls,  their  cords 
round  their  waists,  and  with  a  breviary  or  withered  bunch  of  flowers 
in  their  hands.  Altars,  chandeliers,  bass-reliefs  of  human  joints,  hor- 
rible and  tasteless  as  the  whole  idea.  I  elung  fast  to  the  monk,  who 
whispered  a  prayer,  and  then  said  to  me,  '  Here  also  I  shall  some  time 
sleep  :  wilt  thou  thus  visit  me  ? ' 

"  I  answered  not  a  word,  but  looked  horrified  at  him,  and  then 
round  about  me  upon  the  strange  grizzly  assembly.  It  was  foolish  to 
take  me,  a  child,  into  this  place.  I  was  singularly  impressed  with 
the  whole  thing,  and  did  not  feel  myself  easy  again  until  I  came  into 
his  little  cell,  where  the  beautiful  yellow  oranges  almost  hung  in  at 
the  window,  and  I  saw  the  brightly  colored  picture  of  the  Madonna, 
who  was  borne  upward  by  angels  into  the  clear  sunshine,  while  a 
thousand  flowers  filled  the  grave  in  which  she  had  rested.    .   .   . 

"  On  the  festival  of  All  Saints  I  was  down  in  the  chapel  of  the  dead, 
where  Fra  Martino  took  me  when  I  first  visited  the  convent.  All  the 
monks  sang  masses  for  the  dead,  and  I,  with  two  other  boys  of  my 
own  age,  swung  the  incense-breathing  censer  before  the  great  altar  of 
skulls.  They  had  placed  lights  in  the  chandeliers  made  of  bones,  new 
garlands  were  placed  around  the  brows  of  the  skeleton  monks,  and 
fresh  bouquets  in  their  hands.  Many  people,  as  usual,  thronged  in  ; 
they  all  knelt  and  the  singers  intoned  the  solemn  Miserere.  I  gazed 
for  a  long  time  on  the  pale  yellow  skulls,  and  the  fumes  of  the  incense 
which  wavered  in  strange  shapes  between  me  and  them,  and  every- 
thing began  to  swim  round  before  my  eyes  ;  it  was  as  if  I  saw  every- 
thing through  a  large  rainbow  ;  as  if  a  thousand  prayer-bells  rang  in 
my  ear  ;  it  seemed  as  if  I  was  borne  along  a  stream  ;  it  was  unspeak- 
ably delicious— more  I  know  not  ;  consciousness  left  me, — I  was  in  a 
svvoon." — Hans  Ch.  Andersen. 

The  Street  behind  the  Piazza  Cappuccini  leads  to  the 
Church  of  S.  Isidoro,"^  built  1622,  for  Irish  Franciscan  monks. 
The  altar-piece,  representing  S.  Isidoro,  is  by  Andrea 
Sacchi.  This  church  contains  several  tombs  of  distinguished 
Irishmen  who  have  died  in  Rome. 

I  A  holy  hermit  of  Scete,  who  died  391. 


388  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

Opposite  are  the  convent  and  small  chapel  of  the 
Pregatrici — nuns  most  picturesquely  attired  in  blue  and 
white,  and  devoted  to  the  perpetual  adoration  of  the  Sacra- 
ment, who  sing  during  the  Benediction  service,  like  the 
nuns  of  the  Trinita  de'  Monti. 

The  Via  S.  Niccolo  da  Tolcntino  leads,  by  the  handsome 
Church  of  that  name,  from  the  Piazza  Barberini  to  the 
railway  station.     In  this  street  is  the  hotel  "Costanzi." 

Parallel  with,  and  behind  this,  the  Via  S.  Basilio  runs 
up  the  hill-side.  At  the  top  of  this  street  is  the  entrance 
of  the  Villa  ALassimo  Rignano,  containing  some  fine  palm- 
trees.  This  site,  with  the  ridge  of  the  opposite  hill,  and 
the  valley  between,  was  once  occupied  by  the  Garde?is  of 
Sallust  (Horti  Pretiosissimi),  purchased  for  the  emperors 
after  the  death  of  the  historian,  and  a  favorite  residence 
of  Vespasian,  Nerva,  and  especially  of  Aurelian.  Some 
vaulted  halls  under  the  cliff  of  the  opposite  hills,  and  a 
circular  ruin  surrounded  by  niches,  are  the  only  remains 
of  the  many  fine  buildings  which  once  existed  here,  and 
which  comprised  a  palace,  baths,  and  the  portico  called 
Milliarensis,  1,000  feet  long.  These  edifices  are  known  to 
have  been  ruined  when  Rome  was  taken  by  the  Goths 
under  Alaric  (410),  who  entered  at  the  neighboring  Porta 
Salara.  The  obelisk  now  in  front  of  the  Trinita  de'  Monti, 
was  removed  from  hence  by  Pius  VI.  The  old  casino  of 
the  Barberini,  which  occupied  the  most  prominent  position 
in  the  gardens,  was  pulled  down  in  1869,  to  make  way  for 
a  house  belonging  to  Spithoever  the  librarian.  The  hill- 
side is  supported  by  long  picturesque  buttresses,  beneath 
which  are  remains  of  the  huge  masonry  of  Servius  Tullius, 
whose  Agger  may  be  traced  on  the  ridge  of  the  hill  running 
toward  the  present  railway  station.  Part  of  these  grounds 
are  supposed  to  have  formed  the  Campus  Sceleratus,  where 
the  vestal  virgins  suffered  who  had  broken  their  vows  of 
chastity. 

"  When  condemned  by  the  college  of  pontifices,  the  vestal  was 
stripped  of  her  vittae  and  other  badges  of  office,  was  scourged,  was 
attired  like  a  corpse,  placed  in  a  close  litter,  and  borne  through  the 
forum,  attended  by  her  weeping  kindred  with  all  the  ceremonies  of  a 
real  funeral,  to  the  Campus  Sceleratus,  within  the  city  walls,  close  to 
the  Colline  gate.  There  a  small  vault  underground  had  been  previously 
prepared,  containing  a  couch,  a  lamp,  and  a  table  with  a  little  food. 
The  Pontife.x   Ma.ximus,   having   lifted  up  his  hands  to  heaven  and 


I'lLLA    LU DO  VI SI. 


3«9 


uttered  a  secret  prayer,  opened  the  litter,  led  forth  the  culprit,  and 
placing  her  on  the  steps  of  the  ladder  which  gave  access  to  the  sub- 
terranean cell,  delivered  her  over  to  the  common  executioner  and  his 
assistants,  who  conducted  her  down,  drew  up  the  ladder,  and  having 
fdled  the  pit  with  earth  until  the  surface  was  level  with  the  surrouudinj 
ground,  left  her  to  perish  deprived  of  all  the  tributes  of  respect  usually 
paid  to  the  spirits  of  the  departed.  In  every  case  the  paramour  was 
publicly  scourged  to  death  in  the  ioraxn."  —  SDiitlis  Die.  of  Anti- 
quities. 

"  A  Vignaiuolo  showed  us  in  the  Gardens  of  Sallust  a  hole,  through 
which,  he  said,  those  vestal  virgins  were  put  who  had  violated  their  vows 
of  chastity.  While  we  were  listening  to  their  story,  some  pretty  Con- 
tadine  came  up  to  us,  attended  by  their  rustic  swains,  and  after  looking 
into  the  hole,  pitied  the  vesial  virgins,  ^  Povcyiue,'  shrugged  their 
shoulders,  and  laughing,  thanked  their  stars  and  the  Madonna  thai 
poor  Fanciulle  were  not  buried  alive  for  such  things  now-a-days." — 
Eaton  s  Rome. 

A  turn  in  the  road  now  leads  to  the  gate  of  the  beautiful 
Villa  Ludmnsi,  the  residence  of  the  Duke  of  Sora,  to  which 
visitors  are  admitted  after  1 2  by  an  order  which  may  be 
procured  through  a  banker.  During  the  life  of  King  Victor 
Emmanuel  in  Rome,  the  villa  was  closed,  as  the  casino  was 
occupied  by  his  morganatic  wife,  Madame  de  Miraflores. 

The  villa  was  built  early  in  the  last  century  by  Cardinal 
Ludovisi,  nephew  of  Gregory  XV.,  from  whom  it  descended 
to  the  Prince  of  Piombino,  father  of  Duke  Sora.  The 
grounds,  which  are  of  an  extent  extraordinary  when  con- 
sidered as  being  within  the  walls  of  a  capital,  were  laid 
out  by  Le  Notre,  and  are  in  the  stiff  French  style  of  high 
clipped  hedges,  and  avenues  adorned  with  vases  and  sar- 
cophagi. Near  the  entrance  is  a  pretty  fountain  shaded  by 
a  huge  plane-tree  ;  the  Quirinal  is  seen  in  the  distance. 

To  the  right  of  th^  entrance  is  the  principal  casino  of 
sculptures,  a  very  beautiful  collection  (catalogues  on  the 
spot).  Especially  remarkable  are,  the  grand  colossal  head, 
known  as  the  "  Ludovisi  Juno  ;  "  probably  after  a  work  of 
Alcamenes,  the  pupil  of  Phidias  : 

"  This  work  combines  the  unapproachable  majesty  of  the  queen  of 
the  mighty  Jupiter  with  womanly  grace  and  feminine  dignity.  The 
severe,  commanding  brow  is  softened  into  gracious  loveliness  by  the 
soft,  waving  hair  ;  imperishable  youthful  beauty  blooms  on  the  deli- 
cately rounded  cheeks,  and  the  povverful  outUne  of  the  nose,  lips  and 
chin  expresses  an  energy  of  character  based  on  moral  purity,  and  in- 
vested with  a  gleam  of  marvelous  beauty." — Liibke. 

"  A  Rome,  une  Jundn   surpasse  toutes  les  autres  par  son  aspect  et 


390 


IVALKS  IX  ROME. 


rappelle  la  Jiinon  de  Polyclete  par  sa  majeste  :  c'est  la  celebre  Junon 
Ludovisi  que  Goethe  admirait  tant,  et  devant  laquelle  dane  un  acces 
de  devotion  paienne, — seul  genre  de  devotion  qu'il  ait  connu  a  Rome, 
— il  faisait,  nous  dit-ii,  sa  priere  du  matin. 

"  Cette  tete  colossale  de  Junon  off  re  bicn  les  caracteres  de  la  sculp- 
ture de  Polyclete  :  la  jjravite,  la  grandeur,  la  dignite  ;  mais  ainsi  que 
dans  d'autres  Junons  cju'on  peut  supposer  avoir  ete  sculptees  a  Rome, 
I'imitateur  de  Folycleie,  on  doit  le  croire,  adoucit  la  severite,  je  dirai 
presque  la  duretede  I'original,  telle  qu'elle  se  montre  sur  les  medailles 
d'Argos,  et  celles  d'Elis." — Ampere,  Hist.  Romaine.  iii.  264. 

— the  Statue  of  Mars  seated  (i),  with  a  Cupid  at  his  feet, 
found  in  the  portico  of  Octavia,  and  restored  by  Bernini ; 

"  II  y  avait  bien  un  Mars  assis  de  Scopas,  et  ce  Mars  etait  a  Rome  ; 
mais  un  dieu  dans  son  temple  devait  etre  assis  sur  un  trone  el  non  sur 
un  rocher,  comme  le  pretendu  Mars  Ludovisi.  On  a  done  eu  raison, 
selon  moi,  de  reconnaitre  dans  cette  belle  statue  unAchille,  a  I'expres- 
sion  pensive  de  son  visage,  et  surcout  a  I'aititude  caracteristique  que 
le  sculpteur  lui  a  donnee,  lui  faisant  embrasser  son  genou  avec  ses  deux 
mains,  attitude  qui,  dans  le  langage  de  la  sculpture  antique,  etait  le 
signe  d'une  meditation  douloureuse.  On  citait  comme  tres-beau  un 
Achille  de  Silanion,  sculpteur  grec  habile  a  rendre  les  sentiments 
violents.  D'apres  cela,  son  Achille  pouvait  etre  un  Achille  indigne  ; 
c'est  de  lui  que  viendrait  I'Achille  de  la  villa  Ludovisi.  L'expression 
de  depit,  plus  energique  dans  I'original,  eut  ete  adoucie  dans  une 
admirable  copie." — Atnphe,  Hist.  Rout.  iii.  437. 

"  The  god  is  sitting  in  a  careless,  easy  attitude,  absorbed  in  a 
dreamy  reverie.  The  shield  is  resting  unused  at  his  side,  his  left  hand 
inactively  and  almost  absently  holds  the  sword  ;  the  Cupid  playing  at 
his  feet,  moreover,  indicates  to  us,  that  it  is  love  for  Venus  which  has 
overcome  the  God  of  Battles.  A  mark  on  the  left  shoulder  seems  to 
indicate  that  Venus  herself  stood  behind  him,  and  that  thus  originally 
the  work  was  a  group." — Liibke. 

— No.  7,  Merope  and  Aepytus,  by  Menelaos,  pupil  of 
Stephanos : 

"  This  beautiful  group  depicts  the  meeting  of  a  mother  v.-ith  her 
long-lost  son,  at  the  moment  when,  as  Welcher  says,  the  first  agitating 
emotion  of  meeting  is  followed  by  calm  and  joy,  and  when,  under  the 
sense  of  happiness,  the  question  arises,  'Is  it  really  thou?'  After 
various  interpretations  have  been  attempted,  such  as  Penelope  and 
Telemachus,  Theseus  and  Aethra,  Elect ra  and  Orestes,  Otto  jahn  at 
length  has  given  an  explanation  of  the  scene  which,  more  than  any 
other,  elucidates  the  work.  It  is  Aepytus,  who  returns  after  a  long 
absence  to  avenge  his  mother,  Merope,  on  her  consort  Polyphontes,  the 
murderer  of  her  first  husband.  In  order  to  make  sure  of  the  ofiender. 
Aepytus  has  assumed  to  be  the  murderer  of  the  son.  Merope,  beside 
herself  with  grief,  is  on  the  point  of  avenging  her  child  on  the  stranger, 
when  the  former  pupil  is  recognized  by  an  old  tutor,  and  the  son  is 
restored  to  his  mother.     This  subject,  which  is  dramatically  treated  by 


VILLA   LUDOVISL 


391 


Euripides,  and  also  employed  by  the  Roman  poet,  Ennius,  is  depicted 
in  the  marble  work  at  the  touching  moment  of  recognition." — Liibke. 

— and  No.  28,  the  Dying  Gaul  and  his  Dead  Wife — 

"  The  foe  is  evidently  approaching,  and  the  danger  of  captivity  and 
slavery  admits  of  no  delay.  The  death-defying  warrior  uses  the  mo- 
ment to  give  the  fatal  blow  to  liis  wife,  who,  after  the  fashion  of  the 
northern  races,  accompanied  him  to  the  battle.  While  he  supports  his 
victim  with  his  left  arm,  letting  her  fall  gently  on  the  ground,  with  all 
the  power  of  his  uplifted  right  hand  he  plunges  his  short  broadsword 
in  her  breast." — Lilbke. 

"  Le  beau  groupe  auquel  on  avait  donne  le  nom  d'Arria  et  Paetus  ; 
il  faillait  fermer  les  yeux  a  I'evidence  pour  voir  un  Romain  du  temps  de 
Claude  dans  ce  chef  barbare  qui,  aprts  avoir  tue  sa  femme,  se  frappe 
lui-meme  d'un  coup  mortel.  Le  type  du  visage,  le  chevelure,  le 
caractere  de  Taction,  tout  est  gaulois  ;  la  maniere  meme  dont  s'accom- 
plit  I'immolation  volontaire  montre  que  ce  n'est  pas  un  Romain  que 
nous  avons  devant  les  yeux  ;  un  Romain  se  tuait  plus  sim.plement,  avec 
moins  de  fracas.  Le  principal  personnage  du  groupe  Ludovisi  conserve 
en  ce  moment  supreme  quelque  chose  de  triomphant  et  de  theatral  ; 
soulevant  d'une  main  sa  femme  affaissee  sous  le  coup  qu'il  lui  a  porte, 
de  I'autre  il  enfonce  son  epee  dans  sa  poitrine.  La  tete  haute,  I'oeil 
tourne  vers  le  ciel,  il  semble  repeter  le  mot  de  sa  race  ;  '  Je  ne  crains 
qu'une  chose,  c'est  que  le  ciel  tombe  sur  ma  tete.*" — Ampl're.  Hist. 
Rom.  iii.  207. 

We  may  also  notice  (No.  27)  Eronze  Head  of  Julius 
Caesar  ;  and  (No.  45)  Head  of  the  Dying  Medusa. 

At  the  end  of  the  gardens,  to  the  left,  is  another  casino, 
from  whose  roof  a  most  beautiful  view  may  be  obtained. 
Here  are  the  most  famous  frescoes  of  Guercino.  On  the 
ceiling  of  the  ground-floor,  Aurora  driving  away  Darkness 
and  scattering  flowers  in  her  course,  with  Night  and  Day- 
break in  the  lunettes  ;  and,  on  the  first  floor,  "  Fame," 
blowing  her  trumpet.  On  the  staircase  is  a  fine  bass-relief 
of  two  Cupids  dragging  a  quiver. 

"  The  prophets  and  sybils  of  Guercino  da  Cento  (i  590-1666),  and 
his  Aurora,  in  a  garden  pavilion  of  the  Villa  Ludovisi,  at  Rome,  almost 
attain  to  the  effect  of  oil  paintings  in  their  glowing  coloring,  combined 
with  broad  and  dark  masses  of  shadow. " — JCt<gier. 

"  In  allegorizing  nature,  Guercino  imitates  the  deep  shades  of  night, 
the  twilight  gray,  and  the  irradiations  of  morning,  with  all  the  magic 
of  chiaroscuro  y  but  his  figures  are  too  mortal  for  the  region  where 
they  move." — Forsyth. 

In  B.C.  82,  the  district  near  the  Porta  ColHna,  now  occu- 
pied by  the  Villa  Ludovisi,  was  the  scene  of  a  great  battle 
for  the  very  existence  of  Rome,  between  Sulla  and  the 


392 


WALK'S  IN  ROME. 


Samnites  and  Lucanians  under  the  Samnite  general  Pon- 
tius Telesinus,  who  declared  he  would  raze  the  city  to  the 
ground  if  he  were  victorious.  The  left  wing  under  Sulla 
was  put  to  flight ;  but  the  right  wing,  commanded  by 
Crassus,  enabled  him  to  restore  the  battle,  and  to  gain  a 
complete  victory  ;  fifty  thousand  men  fell  on  each  side. 

The  road  now  runs  along  the  ridge  of  the  hill  to  the 
Porta  Salaria,  by  which  Alaric  entered  Rome  through  the 
treachery  of  the  Isaurian  guard,  on  the  24th  of  August, 
410. 

The  gate  was  rebuilt  after  the  invasion  of  Rome  in  1070, 
when  some  remains  of  an  ancient  tomb  were  laid  bare  on 
the  outside. 

Passing  through  the  gate  and  turning  to  the  right  along 
the  outside  of  the  wall,  we  may  see,  against  the  grounds 
of  the  Villa  Ludovisi,  the  two  round  towers  of  the  now 
closed  Po7-ta  Pinciana,  restored  by  Belisarius.  This  is  the 
place  where  tradition  declares  that  in  his  declining  years 
the  great  general  sat  begging,  v/ith  the  cry,  "  Date  obolum 
Belisario." 

"  A  cote  de  la  Porta  Pinciana,  on  lit  sur  une  pierre  les  paroles  ceie- 
bres  :  '  Donnez  une  obole  a  Belisaire  ; '  mais  cette  inscription  est 
moderne,  comme  la  legende  a  laquelle  elle  fait  allusion,  et  qu'on  ne 
trouve  dans  nul  historien  contemporain  de  Belisaire.  Belisaire  ne  de- 
manda  jamais  I'aumone,  et  si  le  cicerone  montre  encore  aux  voyageurs 
I'endroit  oa,  vieux  et  aveugle,  il  implorait  une  obole  de  la  charite  des 
passants,  c'est  que  pres  de  ce  lieu  il  avait,  sur  la  colline  du  Pincio,  son 
palais,  situe  entre  les  jardins  de  Lucullus  et  les  jardins  de  Salluste,  et 
digne  probablement  de  ce  double  voisinage  par  sa  magnificence.  Ce 
qui  est  vrai,  c'cst  que  le  vainqueur  des  Goths  et  des  Vandales  fut  dis- 
gracie  par  Justinien,  grace  aux  intrigues  de  The'odora.  La  legende, 
comme  presque  toujours,  a  exprime  par  une  fable  une  verite.  I'ingrat- 
itude  si  frequente  des  souverains  envers  ceux  qui  leur  ont  rendu  les 
plus  grands  services. " — Ampere,  Einp.  ii.  396. 


A  short  distance  from  the  gate,  along  the  Via  Salaria,  is, 
on  the  right,  the  Villa  Alba?ii  (shown  on  Tuesdays  after 
12,  .by  an  order),  built  in  1760  by  Cardinal  Alessandro 
Albani, — sold  in  1834  to  the  Count  of  Castelbarco,  and 
in  1868  to  Prince  Torlonia,  its  present  possessor.  In  the 
center  of  the  grounds  is  an  obelisk. 

"  Le  cardinal  Albani  etait  si  passionne  pour  toutes  les  choses  an- 
tiques que,  lorsqu'on  ne  vouloit  pas  les  lui  vendre,  il  les  volait  ;  il  a  fait 
dans  ce  genre  une  action  inoule  .   .   ,   Voici  le  fait  :  Ic  prince  de  PaleSr 


VILLA    ALBAXI. 


303 


trine  avoit  eu,  dans  le  jardin  de  sa  maison  de  campagne,  un  superbe 
obelisque  antique,  qu'il  refusa  de  vendre  au  cardinal  Albani,  qui 
vouloit,  a  tout  prix,  en  faire  I'acquisition.  Peu  de  temps  apres  le 
prince  fit  un  voyage  ;  alors  le  cardinal  envoya  dans  la  nuit  quatre 
mille  hommes,  qui  entrerent  de  force  dans  le  jardin,  enlevcrent 
I'obelisque  et  le  lai  apporterent  :  et  il  le  mit  dans  son  jardin  a  la  villa 
Albani.  Comme  le  cardinal  etait  excessivemcnt  puissant  dans  Rome, 
le  prince  n'osa  pas  lui  intenter  un  proces,  et  il  prit  la  chose  en  plais- 
antant,  le  felicita  sur  cet  exploit  extraordinaire,  et  il  ne  se  brouilla 
point  avec  lui.  En  nous  promenant  dans  les  jardins  a  Albani,  le 
prince  de  Palestrine  me  montra  ce  fameux  obelisque." — JSIemoircs  de 
Madame  de  Genii s,  vol.  iii. 

The  scene  from  the  garden  terrace  is  among  the  loveli- 
est of  Roman  pictures,  the  view  of  the  deHcate  Sabine 
mountains — Monte  Gennaro,  with  the  MonticelU  beneath 
it — and  in  the  middle  distance,  the  churches  of  S.  Agnese 
and  S.  Costanza,  reheved  by  dark  cypresses  and  a  graceful 
fountain. 

The  Casino,  which  is,  in  fact,  a  magnificent  palace,  is 
remarkable  as  having  been  built  from  Cardinal  Albani 's 
own  designs.  Carlo  Marchionni  having  been  only  employed 
to  see  that  they  were  carried  out. 

"  Here  is  a  villa  of  exquisite  design,  planned  by  a  profound  anti- 
quary. Here  Cardinal  .Vlbani,  having  spent  his  life  in  collecting 
ancient  sculpture,  formed  such  porticoes  andsucfi  saloons  to  receive  it 
as  an  old  Roman  would  have  done  :  porticoes  where  the  statues  stood 
free  upon  the  pavement  between  the  columns  proportioned  to  their 
stature  ;  saloons  v.-hich  were  not  stocked  but  embellished  with  fami- 
lies of  allied  statues,  and  seemed  full  without  a  crowd.  Here  Winck- 
elmann  grew  into  an  antiquary  under  the  cardinal's  patronage  and 
instruction  ;  and  here  he  projected  his  history  of  art,  which  brings  this 
collection  continually  in  view." — Forsyth's  Italy. 

The  collection  of  sculptures  is  much  reduced  since  the 
French  invasion,  when  294  of  the  finest  specimens  were 
carried  off  by  Napoleon  to  Paris,  where  they  were  sold  by 
Prince  Albani  upon  their  restoration  in  1815,  as  he  v^as 
unwilling  to  bear  the  expense  of  transport.  The  greater 
proportion  of  the  remaining  statues  are  of  no  great  import- 
ance. Those  of  the  imperial  family  in  the  vestibule  are 
interesting — those  of  Julius  and  Augustus  Caesar,  of  Agrip- 
pina,  wife  of  Germanicus,  and  of  Faustina,  are  seated  ;  most 
of  the  heads  have  been  restored. 

The  ceiling  of  the  Great  Saloon  is  decorated  with  the 
famous  fresco  of  "  Parnassus  "  by  Raphael  Meftgs.     Con- 


394 


IV A  LA'S  IN  ROME. 


spicuous  among  the  treasures  of  the  villa  are  the  sarcoi)h- 
agus  v/ith  reliefs  of  the  marriage  of  Peleiis  and  Thetis, 
pronounced  by  Winckelmann  to  be  one  of  the  finest  in 
existence  ;  a  head  of  Aesop,  supposed  to  be  after  Lysippus  ; 
and  the  small  bronze  '*  Apollo  Sauroctonos,"  considered 
by  Winckelmann  to  be  the  original  statue  by  Praxiteles 
described  by  Pliny,  and  the  most  beautiful  bronze  statue 
in  the  world — it  was  found  on  the  Aventine.  But  most 
important  of  all  is  the  famous  relievo  of  Antinous  crowned 
with  lotus,  from  the  villa  Adriana  (over  the  chimney-piece 
of  the  first  room  to  the  left  of  the  saloon),  supposed  to 
have  formed  part  of  an  apotheosis  of  Antinous  : 

"  As  fresh,  and  as  highly  finished,  as  if  it  had  just  left  the  studio  of 
the  sculptor,  this  work,  after  the  Apollo  and  the  Laocoon,  is  perhaps 
the  most  beautiful  monument  of  antiquity  which  time  has  transmitted 
to  us." — IVinckelmaii,  Hist,  dc  V.-irt,  vi.  ch.  7. 

Inferior  only  to  this,  is  another  bass-relief,  also  over  a 
chimney-piece — the  parting  of  Orpheus  and  Eurydice. 

"  Les  deux  epoux  vont  se  quitter.  Eurydice  attache  sur  Orphee  un 
profond  regard  d'adieu.  Sa  main  est  posee  sur  I'epaule  de  son  tpoux, 
geste  ordinaire  dans  les  groupes  qui  expriment  la  separation  de  ceux 
qui  s'aiment.  La  main  d'Orphee  degage  doucement  celle  d'Eurydice, 
tandis  que  Mercure  fait  de  la  sienne  un  k'ger  niouvement  pour  I'en- 
trainer.  Dans  ce  leger  mouvement  est  tout  leur  sort  ;  I'effet  le  plus 
pathetique  est  produit  par  la  composition  la  phis  simple  ;  I't'motion  la 
plus  penetrante  s'exhale  de  la  sculpture  la  plus  tranquille." — Ampere, 
Hist.  Ro7ti.  iii.  256. 

"  The  spirit  of  the  highest  Greek  art,  and  the  breath  of  a  deep,  but 
restrained  feeling,  rest  on  these  figures.  Eurydice  is  grasping  the 
shoulder  of  her  husband,  who  is  turning  toward  her  once  more,  and 
looking  into  her  eyes  with  one  deep  last  look,  which  meets  with  a  fond 
reply.  But  Mercury,  the  guide  of  spirits,  gently  touches  her  right 
hand  to  conduct  her  into  the  land  of  shadows.  The  ccmpcsition  re- 
minds us  of  the  famous  farewell  terzetto  in  Mozart's  Flauio  Magico, 
where  a  similar  situation  is  depicted  by  means  of  an  art  of  a  very  dif- 
ferent kind,  though  with  equal  majesty  and  grandeur  of  feeling." — 
Liilike. 

The  villa  also  contains  a  collection  of  pictures,  of  which 
the  most  interesting  are  the  sketches  of  Giulio  Ronuifio  for 
the  frescoes  of  the  story  of  Psyche  in  the  Palazzo  del  Te 
at  Mantua,  and  two  fine  pictures  by  Luca  Signorelli  and 
Perugino,  in  compartments.  All  the  works  of  art  have 
lately  been  re-arranged.  The  Caffe  and  the  Bii^liardo — 
(reached  by  an  avenue  of  oaks,  which,  being-  filled  witJ) 


rOXTE    SALARIO. 


395 


ancient  tombstones,  has  the  effect  of  a  cemetery) — contain 
more  statues,  but  of  less  importance. 

Beyond  the  villa,  the  Via  Sa.laria  (said  by  Pliny  to  de- 
rive its  name  from  the  salt  of  Ostia  exported  to  the  north 
by  this  route)  passes  on  the  left  the  site  of  Antemnae,  and 
crosses  the  Anio  two  miles  from  the  city,  by  the  Ponte  Sa- 
lario,  destroyed  by  the  Roman  government  in  the  terror  of 
Garibaldi's  approach  from  Monte  Rotondo  in  1867.  This 
bridge  was  a  restoration  by  Narses,  in  the  sixth  century, 
but  stood  on  the  foundations  of  the  famous  Ponte  Salario, 
upon  which  Titus  Manlius  fought  the  Gaulish  giant,  and 
cutting  off  his  head,  carried  off  the  golden  collar  which 
earned  him  the  name  of  Torquatus. 

"  Manlius  prend  un  bouclier  leger  de  fantassin,  une  epee  espagnole 
commode  pour  combattie  de  Ires-pres,  et  s'avance  a  la  rencontre  du 
Barbare.  Les  deux  champions,  isoles  sur  le  pont,  comme  sur  un 
theatre,  se  joigneat  au  milieu.  Le  Barbare  portait  un  vetement  bari- 
ole  ut  une  armure  ornee  de  dessins  et  d'incrustations  dorees,  conforme 
au  caractere  de  sa  race,  aussi  vaine  que  vaillante.  Les  amies  du  Re- 
main etaient  bonnes,  mais  sans  eclat.  Point  chez  lui,  comme  chez 
son  adversaire.  de  chant,  de  transports,  d'armes  agitees  avec  fureur, 
mais  un  coeur  plein  de  courage  et  d'une  colere  muette  qu'il  reservait 
tout  entiere  pour  le  combat. 

■'  Le  Gaulois,  qui  depassait  son  adversaire  de  toute  la  tete,  met  en 
avant  son  bouclier  et  fait  tomber  pesamment  son  glaive  sur  I'armure 
de  son  adversaire.  Celui-ci  le  heurte  deux  fois  de  son  bouclier,  le 
force  a  reculer,  le  trouble,  et  se  glissaht  alors  entre  le  bouclier  et  le 
corps  du  Gaulois,  de  deux  coups  rapidement  portes  lui  ouvre  le  ventre. 
Quand  le  grand  corps  est  tombe,  Manlius  lui  coupe  la  tete,  et,  ramas- 
sant  le  collier  de  son  ennemi  decapite,  jette  tout  sanglant  sur  son  ecu 
ce  collier,  le  torques,  propre  aux  Gaulois,  et  qu'on  pent  voir  au  Capi- 
tole  porte  par  celui  qu'on  appelle  a  tort  le  gladiateur  mourant.  Un 
soldat  donne,  en  plaisantant,  a  Manlius  le  sobriquet  de  Torquatus, 
que  sa  famille  a  tou jours  ete  here  de  porter." — Amp! re.  Hist.  Rom. 
iii.  10. 

Beyond  the  ruins  of  the  bridge  is  a  huge  tomb  with  a 
tower,  now  used  as  an  Osteria.  Hence,  the  road  leads  by 
the  Villa  of  Phaon  (Villa  Spada)  where  Nero  died,  and 
the  site  of  Fidenae,  now  known  as  Castel  Giubileo,  to 
Monte  Rotondo. 

The  district  beyond  the  Porta  Salaria,  and  that  extend- 
ing between  the  Via  Salaria  and  the  Monte  Panoli  are 
completely  undermined  by  catacom.bs  (see  Chap.  IX.) 
The  most  important  are — i.  Nearest  the  gate,  the  Catacomb 
of  S.  Felicifns,  v.-hich  had  three  tiers  of  galleries,  adorned 


3</' 


WALKS  IX   ROME. 


by  Pope  Boniface  I.,  who  took  refuge  there  from  persecu- 
tion,— now  much  dilapidated.  Over  this  cemetery  was  a 
church,  now  destroyed,  which  is  mentioned  by  William  of 
Malmesbury.  2.  llie  Catacomb  0/  SS.  Thraso  and  Satur- 
nim.'s,  much  decorated  wath  the  usual  paintings.  3.  The 
Catacomb  of  S.  Priscilla,  near  the  descent  to  the  Anio. 
This  cemetery  is  of  great  interest,  from  the  number  of 
martyrs'  graves  it  contains,  and  from  its  peculiar  construc- 
tion in  an  ancient  arenarium,  pillars  and  walls  of  masonry 
being  added  throughout  the  central  part,  in  order  to  sus- 
tain the  tufa  walls.  Here  v.'ere  buried, — probably  because 
the  entrance  to  the  Chapel  of  the  Popes  at  S.  Calixtus  was 
blocked  up  to  preserve  it  in  the  persecution  under  Diocle- 
tian,— Pope  S.  Marcellinus  (ob.  308),  and  Pope  S.  Marcel- 
lus  (ob.  310),  who  was  sent  into  exile  by  Maxentius.  On 
the  tomb  of  the  latter  was  placed,  in  finely  cut  type,  the 
following  epitaph  by  Pope  Damasus  : — 

"  Veridicus  Rector,  lapsos  quia  crimina  flere 
Praedixit,  miseris  fuit  omnibus  hostis  amarus. 
Hinc  furor,  hinc  odium  sequitur,  discordia,  lites, 
Seditio,  caedes,  solvuntur  foedera  pacis. 
Crimen  ob  altei-ius  Cliristum  qui  in  pace  negavit, 
Finibus  expulsus  patriae  est  feritate  tyranni. 
Haec  breviter  Damasus  voluit  comperta  referre, 
Marcelli  ut  populus  meritum  cognoscere  posset." 

"  The  truth-speaking  pope,  because  he  preached  that  the  lapsed 
should  weep  for  their  crimes,  was  bitterly  hated  by  all  those  unhappy 
ones.  Hence  followed  fury,  hatred,  discord,  contentions,  sedition, 
and  slaughter,  and  the  bonds  of  peace  were  ruptured.  For  the  crime 
of  another,  who  in  [a  time  of]  peace  had  denied  Christ,  [the  pontilifj 
was  expelled  the  shores  of  his  country  by  the  cruelty  of  the  tyrant. 
These  things  Damasus  having  learnt,  was  desirous  to  narrate  briefly, 
that  people  might  recognize  the  merit  of  Marcellus."  > 

Several  of  the  paintings  in  this  catacomb  are  remark- 
able, especially  that  of  a  woman  with  a  child,  claimed  by 
the  Roman  church  as  one  of  the  earliest  representations  of 
the  Virgin.  The  painting  is  thus  described  by  North- 
cote  : 

"  De  Rossi  unhesitatingly  says  that  he  believes  this  painting  of  our 
Blessed  Lady  to  belong  almost  to  the  apostolic  age.  It  is  to  be  seen 
on  the  vaulted  roof  of  a  ioculus,  and  represents  the  Blessed  Virgin 
seated,  her  head  partially  covered  by  a  short  light  vail,  and  with  the 

'  See  Ritma  SoiteTranea^  p.  174. 


CATACOMB   OF  S.    PRISCILLA. 


397 


Holy  Child  in  her  arms  ;  opposite  to  her  stands  a  man,  clothed  in  tlie 
pallium,  liolding  a  volume  in  one  hand,  and  with  the  other  pointing 
to  a  star  which  appears  above  and  between  the  figures.  This  star  al- 
most always  accompanies  our  Blessed  Lady,  both  in  paintings  and  in 
sculptures,  where  there  is  an  obvious  historical  excuse  for  it,  e.  g., 
when  she  is  represented  with  the  Magi  offering  their  gifts,  or  by  the 
side  of  the  manger  with  the  ox  and  the  ass  ;  but  with  a  single  figure, 
as  in  the  present  instance,  it  is  unusual.  The  most  obvious  conjecture 
would  be  that  the  figure  was  meant  for  S.  Joseph,  or  for  one  of  the 
Magi.  De  Rossi,  however,  gives  many  reasons  for  prefening  the 
prophet  Isaias,  whose  prophecies  concerning  the  Messias  abound  with 
imagery  borrowed  from  light." — Roma  Sotterranea. 

This  Catacomb  is  one  of  the  oldest,  S.  Priscilla,  from 
whom  it  is  named,  being  supposed  to  have  been  the 
mother  of  Pudens  and  a  contemporary  of  the  apostles. 
Her  granddaughters,  Praxedis  and  Pudentiana,  were  buried 
here  before  the  removal  of  their  relics  to  the  church  on 
the  Esquiline.  With  this  cemetery  is  connected  the  extra- 
ordinary history  of  the  manufacture  of  S.  Filomena,  now 
one  of  the  most  popular  saints  in  Italy,  and  one  toward 
whom  idolatry  is  carried  out  with  frantic  enthusiasm  both 
at  Domo  d'Ossola  and  in  some  of  the  Neapolitan  States. 
The  story  of  this  saint  is  best  told  in  the  words  of  Mrs. 
Jameson. 

"In  the  year  1802,  while  some  excavations  were  going  for\vard  in 
the  catacomb  of  Priscilla,  a  sepulcher  was  discovered  containing  the 
skeleton  of  a  young  female  ;  on  the  exterior  were  rudely  painted  some 
of  the  symbols  constantly  recurring  in  these  chambers  of  the  dead  ; 
an  anchor,  an  olive  branch  (emblems  of  Hope  and  Peace),  a  scourge, 
two  arrows,  and  a  javelin  ;  above  them  the  following  inscription,  of 
which  the  beginning  and  end  were  destroyed  : 

LUMENA   PAX   TE   CUM   FI 

"  The  remains,  reasonably  supposed  to  be  those  of  one  of  the  early 
martyrs  of  the  faith,  were  sealed  up  and  deposited  in  the  treasury  of 
relics  in  the  Laleran  ;  here  they  remained  for  some  years  unihought 
of.  On  the  return  of  Pius  VTI.  from  France,  a  Neapolitan  prelate 
was  sent  to  congratulate  him.  One  of  the  priests  in  his  train,  who 
wished  to  create  a  sensation  in  his  district,  where  the  long  residence 
of  the  French  had  probably  caused  some  decay  of  piety,  begged  for  a 
few  relics  to  carry  home,  and  these  recently  discovered  remains  were 
bestowed  on  him  ;  the  inscription  was  translated  somewhat  freely,  to 
signify  Santa  Philumena,  rest  in  peace  Another  priest,  whose  name 
is  suppressed,  because  of  his  great  hztmility,  was  favored  by  a  vision 
in  the  broad  noon-day,  in  which  he  beheld  the  glorious  virgin  Filo- 
mena, who  was  pleased  to  reveal  to  him  that  she  had  suffered  death 
for  preferring  the  Christian  faith  and   her  vow  of  chastity  to  the  ad 


3y8 


WALKS   IN  ROME. 


dresses  of  the  emperor,  who  wished  to  make  her  his  wife.  This  vision 
leaving  much  of  her  history  obscure,  a  certain  young  artist,  whose 
name  is  also  suppressed,  perhaps  because  of  his  great  humility,  was 
informed  in  a  vision  that  the  emperor  alluded  to  was  Diocletian,  and 
at  the  same  time  the  torments  and  persecutions  suffered  by  the  Chris- 
tian virgin  Filomena,  as  well  as  her  wonderful  constancy,  were  also 
revealed  to  him.  There  were  some  difficulties  in  the  way  of  the  Em- 
peror Diocletian,  which  incline  the  writer  of  the  historical  account  to 
incline  to  the  opinion  that  the  young  artist,  in  his  Vv^isdom,  niay  have 
made  a  mistake,  and  that  the  emperor  may  have  been  not  Diocletian 
but  Maximian.  The  facts,  however,  now  admitted  of  no  doubt  ;  the 
relics  were  carried  by  the  priest  Francesco  da  Lucia  to  Naples  ;  they 
were  inclosed  in  a  case  of  wood  resembling  in  form  the  human  body  ; 
this  figure  was  habited  in  a  petticoat  of  white  satin,  and  over  it  a  crim- 
son tunic  after  the  Greek  fashion  ;  the  face  was  painted  to  represent 
nature,  a  garland  of  flowers  was  placed  on  the  head,  and  in  the  hands 
a  lily  and  a  javelin  with  the  point  reversed  to  express  her  purity  and 
her  martyrdom  ;  then  she  was  laid  in  a  half-sitting  posture  in  a  sar- 
cophagus, of  which  the  sides  were  glass,  and,  after  lying  for  some 
time  in  state  in  the  chapel  of  the  Torres  family  in  the  church  of  Sant' 
Angiolo,  she  was  carried  in  grand  procession  to  Mugnano,  a  little 
town  about  twenty  miles  from  Naples,  amid  the  acclamations  of  the 
people,  working  many  and  surprising  miracles  by  the  way.  .  .  . 
Such  is  the  legend  of  S.  Filomena,  and  such  the  authority  on  which 
she  has  become,  within  the  last  twenty  years,  one  of  the  most  popular 
saints  in  Italy." — Sacred  and  Legendary  Art,  p.  671. 

It  is  hoped  that  very  interesting  reUcs  may  still  be  dis- 
covered iti  this  Catacomb. 

"  In  an  account  preserved  by  S.  Gregory  of  Tours,  we  are  told  that 
under  Numerianus,  the  martyrs  Chrysanthus  and  Daria  were  put  to 
death  in  an  arenaria,  and  that  a  great  number  of  the  faithful  having 
been  seen  entering  a  subterranean  crypt  on  the  Via  Salara,  to  visit 
their  tombs,  the  heathen  emperor  caused  the  entrance  to  be  hastily 
built  up,  and  a  vast  mound  of  sand  and  stone  to  be  heaped  in  front  of 
it,  so  that  they  might  be  all  buried  alive,  even  as  the  martyrs  whom 
they  had  come  to  venerate.  S.  Gregory  adds,  that  when  the  tombs 
of  these  martyrs  were  rediscovered,  after  the  ages  of  persecution  had 
ceased,  there  were  found  with  them  not  only  the  relics  of  those  wor- 
shipers who  had  been  thus  cruelly  put  to  death,  skeletons  of  men, 
women  and  children  lying  on  the  floor,  but  also  the  silver  cruets  (?^rm 
argenlei)  which  they  had  taken  down  with  them  for  the  celebration  of 
the  sacred  mysteries.  S.  Damascus  was  unwilling  to  destroy  so  touch- 
ing a  memorial  of  past  ages.  He  abstained  from  making  any  of  those 
changes  by  which  he  usually  decorated  the  martyrs'  tombs,  but  con- 
tented himself  with  setting  up  one  of  his  mvaluable  historical  inscrip- 
tions, and  opening  a  window  in  the  adjacent  wall  or  rock,  that  all 
might  see,  without  disturbing,  this  monument  so  unique  in  its  kind — 
this  Christian  Pompeii  in  miniature.  These  things  might  still  be  seen 
in  S.  Gregory's  time,  in  the  sixth  century  ;  and  De  Rossi  holds  out 
hopes  that  some  traces  of  them  maybe  restored  even  to  our  own  gen- 


PORTA    NOMENTANA. 


399 


eration — some  fragments  of  the  inscription,  perhaps,  or  even  the  win- 
dow itself  tlirough  which  our  ancestors  once  saw  so  moving  a  spectacle, 
assisting,  as  it  were,  at  a  mass  celebrated  in  the  third  century." — Roma 
Soiterranca ,  p.  88. 


Returning  to  the  Porta  Salaria,  and  following  the  walls 
where  the  Via  Salaria  falls  into  the  Via  Venti  Settembre, 
the  remains  of  a  Temple  of  Venus  Erycina,  or  Venus  Hor- 
torum  Sallustianorum,  were  found  in  1882.  Its  foundations 
of  rubble  .(100  feet  long  and  50  feet  wide)  were  blown  up 
by  dynamite. 

The  Via  Venti  Settembre  ends  in  the  Porta  Fta,  rebuilt, 
since  the  capture  of  Rome  in  1870,  by  the  Italian  troops, 
who  entered  the  city  on  September  20  by  a  breach  in  the 
walls  close  to  this.  A  little  to  the  right  was  the  Porta 
JVomentana,  flanked  by  round  towers,  closed  by  Pius  IV. 
It  was  by  this  gate  that  the  oppressed  Roman  people  re- 
treated to  the  Mons  Sacer,  and  that  Nero  fled. 

"  Suivons-Ie  du  Grand-Cirque  a  la  porte  Nomentane.  Quel  spec- 
tacle !  Neron,  accoutume  a  toutes  les  recherches  de  la  volupte, 
s'avance  a  cheval,  les  pieds  nus,  en  chemise,  couvert  d'un  vieux  man- 
teau  dont  la  couleur  etait  passee,  un  mouchoir  sur  le  visage.  Quatre 
personnes  seulement  I'accompagnent ;  parmi  elles  est  ce  Sporus,  que 
dans  un  jour  d'indicible  folie  il  avait  publiquement  epouse.  II  sent 
la  terre  trembler,  il  voit  les  eclairs  au  ciel :  Neron  a  peur.  Tous  ceux 
qu'il  a  fait  mourir  lui  apparaissent  et  semblent  se  precipiter  sur  lui. 
Nous  voici  a  la  porte  Nomentane,  qui  touche  au  Camp  des  Pretoriens. 
Neron  reconnait  ce  lieu  oii,  il  y  a  quinze  ans,  suivant  alors  le  chemin 
qu'il  vient  de  suivre,  il  est  venu  se  faire  reconnaitre  empereur  par  les 
pretoriens.  En  passant  sous  les  murs  de  leur  camp,  vers  lequel  son 
destin  le  ramene,  il  les  entend  former  des  voeux  pour  Galba,  et  lancer 
des  imprecations  contre  lui.  Un  passant  lui  dit  :  '  Voila  des  gens  qui 
cherchent  Neron.'  Son  cheval  se  cabre  au  milieu  de  la  route  :  c'est 
qu'il  a  flaire  un  cadavre.  Le  mouchoir  qui  couvrait  son  visage  tombe  ; 
un  pretorien  qui  se  trouvait  la  le  ramasse  et  le  rend  a  I'empereur,  qu'il 
salue  par  son  nom.  A  chacun  de  ces  incidents  son  efTroi  redouble. 
Enfin  il  est  arrive  a  un  petit  chemin  qui  s'ouvre  a  nofre  gauche,  dans 
la  direction  de  la  voie  Salara,  parallele  a  la  voie  Nomentane.  C'est 
entre  ces  deux  voies  qu'etait  la  villa  de  Phaon,  a  quatre  milles  de 
Rome.  Pour  I'atteindre,  Neron,  qui  a  mis  pied  a  terre,  s'enfonce  a 
travers  un  fourre  d'cpines  et  un  champ  de  roseaux  comme  il  s'en 
trouve  tant  dans  la  campagne  de  Rome  ;  il  a  peine  a  s'y  frayer  un 
chemin  ;  il  arrive  ainsi  au  mur  de  derricre  ue  la  villa.  Pres  de  la 
etait  un  de  ces  antres  creuse-;  pour  I'extraction  du  sable  volcanique, 
s.^^t\6  pouzzolaiie,  tels  qu'on  en  voit  encore  de  ce  cote.  Phaon  engage 
le  fugitif  a  s'y  cacher  ;  il  refuse.     On  fait  un  trou  dans  la  muraillc  dc 


400 


WALKS  I  A'    ROME. 


la  villa  par  ou  il  peiielre,  marchant  a  quatie  pieds,  dans  rinlerieur.  II 
entre  dans  une  petite  salle  et  se  couche  sur  \\n  lit  forme  d'un  mediant 
matelas  sur  lequel  on  avail  jete  un  vieux  manteau.  Ceux  qui  I'en- 
tourent  le  pressent  de  mourir  pour  echapper  aux  outrages  et  au  sup- 
plice.  II  essaye  a  plusieurs  reprises  de  se  donner  la  mort  et  n'y  pcut 
s'y  resoudre  ;  il  pleure.  Entin,  en  entendant  les  cavaliers  qui  venaient 
le  saisir,  il  cite  un  vers  grec,  fait  un  eftort  et  se  tue  avec  le  secours 
d'un  affranchi." — Amph-e,  Emp.  ii.  65. 


Immediately  outside  the  Porta  Pia  is  the  entrance  of  the 
beautiful  Villa  Fatrizi,  whose  grounds  inclose-  the  small 
Catacomb  0/  S.  Nicotnedus.  Then  comes  the  Villa  Lezzani, 
where  S.  Giustina  is  buried  in  a  chapel,  and  where  her 
festa  is  observed  on  the  25th  of  October. 

Beyond  this  is  the  ridiculous  Villa  Torlo/iia  (shown  with 
an  order  on  Wednesdays  from  11  to  4,  but  not  worth  see- 
ing), sprinkled  with  mock  ruins. 

At  a  little  more  than  a  mile  from  the  gate  the  road 
reaches  the  Basilica  of  S.  Agnese  fitori  le  Afitra,  founded  b)' 
Constantine  at  the  request  of  his  daughter  Constantia,  in 
honor  of  the  virgin  martyr  buried  in  the  neighboring  cata- 
comb ;  but  rebuilt  625-38  by  Honorius  I.  It  was  altered 
in  1490  by  Innocent  VIII. ,  but  retains  more  of  its  ancient 
character  than  most  of  the  Roman  churches.  The  poly- 
chrome decorations  of  the  interior,  and  the  rebuilding  of 
the  monastery,  were  carried  out  at  the  expense  of  Pius  IX., 
as  a  thank-offering  for  his  escape,  when  he  fell  through  the 
floor  here  into  a  cellar,  with  his  cardinals  and  attendants, 
on  April  15,  1855.  The  scene  is  represented  in  a  large 
fresco  by  Domenico  Tojctti,  in  a  chamber  on  the  right  of 
the  courtyard. 

The  approach  to  the  church  is  by  a  picturesque  staircase 
of  forty-five  ancient  marble  steps,  lined  with  inscriptions 
from  tile  catacombs.  The  nave  is  divided  from  the  aisles 
by  sixteen  columns,  four  of  which  are  of  "  porta-santa " 
and  two  of  "pavonazzetto."  A  smaller  range  of  columns 
above  these  supports  the  roof  of  a  triforium,  which  is  on  a 
level  with  the  road.  The  baldacchino,  erected  in  16 14,  is 
supported  by  four  porphyry  columns.  Beneath  is  the 
shrine  of  S.  Agnes,  surmounted  by  her  statue,  an  antique 
of  oriental  alabaster,  with  modern  head,  and  hands  of  gilt 
bronze.  The  mosaics  of  the  tribune,  representing  S.  Ag- 
nes between   Popes   Honorius  1.  and    Symmachus,  are  of 


S.    AGNESE  FUORI  LE   MUKA  401 

the   seventh   century.     Beneath,   is  an    ancient   episcopal 
chair. 

The  second  chapel  on  the  right  has  a  beautiful  mosaic 
altar  and  a  relief  of  SS.  Stephen  and  Laurence  of  1490. 
The  third  chapel  is  that  of  S.  Emerentiana,  foster-sister  of 
S.  Agnes,  who  was  discovered  praying  beside  the  tomb  of 
her  friend,  and  was  stoned  to  death  because  she  refused  to 
sacrifice  to  idols. 

"  So  ancient  is  the  worship  paid  to  S.  Agnes,  that,  next  to  the 
Evangelists  and  Apostles,  there  is  no  saint  whose  effigy  is  older.  It  is 
found  on  the  ancient  glass  and  earthenware  vessels  used  by  the  Chris- 
tians in  the  early  part  of  the  third  century,  with  her  name  inscribed, 
which  leaves  no  doubt  of  her  identity.  But  neither  in  these  images 
nor  in  the  mosaics  is  the  lamb  introduced,  which  in  later  times  has 
become  her  inseparable  attribute,  as  the  patroness  of  maidens  and 
maidenly  modesty." — -Jamesons  Sacred  Art.  p.  105. 

S.  Agnes  suffered  martyrdom  by  being  stabbed  in  the 
throat,  under  Diocletian,  in  her  thirteenth  year  (see  Chap. 
XIV.),  after  which,  according  to  the  expression  used  in  the 
acts  of  her  martyrdom,  her  parents  "  with  all  joy  "  laid  her 
in  the  catacombs.  One  day,  as  they  were  praying  near  the 
body  of  their  child,  she  appeared  to  them  surrounded  by  a 
great  multitude  of  virgins,  triumphant  and  glorious  like 
herself,  with  a  lamb  by  her  side,  and  said,  "  I  am  in  heaven, 
living  with  these  virgins,  my  companions,  near  Him  whom 
I  have  so  much  loved."  By  her  tomb,  also,  Constantia,  a 
princess  sick  with  hopeless  leprosy,  was  praying  for  the 
healing  of  her  body,  when  she  heard  a  voice  saying,  '*  Rise 
up,  Constantia,  and  go  on  constantly  ('  Constanter  age, 
Constantia  ')  in  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God, 
who  shall  heal  your  diseases  " — and  being  cured  of  her 
evil,  she  besought  her  father  to  build  this  basilica  as  a 
thank-offering.' 

On  the  2 1  St  of  January,  a  beautiful  service  is  celebrated 
here,  in  which  two  lambs,  typical  of  the  purity  of  the  vir- 
gin saint,  are  blessed  upon  the  altar.  They  are  sent  by 
the  chapter  of  S.  John  Lateran,  and  their  wool  is  after- 
ward used  to  make  the  pallium  of  the  pope,  which  is  con- 
secrated before  it  is  worn  by  being  deposited  in  a  golden 
urn  upon  the  tomb  of  S.  Peter.  The  pallium  is  the  sign 
of  episcopal  jurisdiction. 

■  Une  Ckreti&itnt  a  Rome. 


402  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

"  Ainsi,  le  simple  ornement  de  laine  que  ces  prelats  doivent  portei 
fsuT  leurs  cpaules  comma  symbole  de  la  hrebis  du  bon  Pasteur,  et  que 
le  poatife  Romain  prend  sur  I'autel  meme  de  Saint  Pierre  pour  le  leur 
adresser,  va  porter  jusqu'aux  extremites  de  I'Eglise,  dans  une  union 
sublime,  le  double  sentiment  de  la  force  du  Prince  des  Apotres  et  de  la 
douceur  virginale  d' Agnes." — Do»i  Gnhanger. 

Close  to  S.  Agnese  is  the  round  Church  of  S.  Costanza, 
erected  by  Constantine  as  a  mausoleum  for  his  daughters 
Constantia  and  Helena,  and  converted  into  a  church  by 
Alexander  IV.  (1254-61)  in  honor  of  the  Princess  Con- 
stantia, ob.  354,  whose  life  is  represented  by  Marcellinus 
as  anything  but  saint-like,  and  who  is  supposed  to  have 
been  confused  in  her  canonization  with  a  sainted  nun  of 
the  same  name.  The  rotunda,  seventy-three  feet  in  diam- 
eter, is  surrounded  by  a  vaulted  corridor  ;  twenty-four 
double  columns  of  granite  support  the  dome.  The  vault- 
ing is  covered  with  mosaic  arabesques,  of  the  fourth  century, 
of  flowers  and  birds,  with  scenes  referring  to  a  vintage. 
The  same  subjects  are  repeated  on  the  splendid  porphyry 
sarcophagus  of  S.  Costanza,  the  interest  of  which  is  so 
greatly  marred  by  its  removal  to  the  Vatican  from  its 
proper  site,  whence  it  was  first  stolen  by  Pope  Paul  II., 
who  intended  to  use  it  as  his  own  tomb. 

"  Las  enfants  qui  foulent  le  raisin,  tels  qu'on  les  voit  dans  les 
mosai'ques  de  I'eglisa  da  Sainte  Constance,  les  bas-reliefs  de  son  tom- 
beau  et  ceux.  de  beaucoup  d'autres  lombeaux  chretiens  sont  bien 
d'origine  pa'ienne,  car  on  les  voit  aussi  figurer  dans  les  bas-reliefs  ou 
parait  Priape." — Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  iii.  257. 

Behind  the  two  churches  is  an  oblong  space,  ending  in 
a  fine  mass  of  ruin,  which  is  best  seen  from  the  valley  be- 
low. This  was  long  supposed  to  be  the  Hippodrome  of 
Constantine,  but  is  now  discovered  to  have  belonged  to  an 
early  Christian  cemetery. 

The  Catacomb  of  S.  Agnese  is  entered  from  a  vineyard 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  beyond  the  church.  It  is  lighted 
and  opened  to  the  public  on  S.  Agnes'  Day.  After  those 
of  S.  Calixtus,  this,  perhaps,  is  the  catacomb  which  is  most 
worthy  of  a  visit. 

We  enter  by  a  staircase  attributed  to  the  time  of  Con- 
stantine. The  passages  are  lined  with  the  usual  lociili  for 
the  dead,  sometimes  adapted  for  a  single  body,  sometimes 
lor  two  laid  together.     Beside  many  of  the  graves  the  palm 


CATACOMB    OF  S.    AGNESE. 


403 


of  victory  may  be  seen  scratched  on  the  mortar,  and  re- 
mains of  the  glass  bottles  or  anipuUae,  which  are  supposed 
to  indicate  the  graves  of  martyrs,  and  to  have  contained  a 
portion  of  their  blood,  of  which  they  are  often  said  to  retain 
the  trace.  One  of  the  graves  in  the  first  gallery  bears  the 
names  of  consuls  of  a.d.  336,  which  fixes  the  date  of  this 
part  of  the  cemetery. 

The  most  interesting  features  here  are  a  square  chamber 
hewn  in  the  rock,  supposed  to  have  been  a  school  for  cate- 
chists,  with  an  arm  chair  {sedia)  cut  out  of  the  rock  on 
either  side  of  the  entrance — and  near  this  is  a  second 
chamber  for  female  catechists,  with  plain  seats  in  the  same 
position.  Opening  out  of  the  gallery  close  by  is  a  cham- 
ber which  was  apparently  used  as  a  chapel ;  its  arcosoliitm 
has  marks  of  an  altar  remaining  at  the  top  of  the  grave, 
and  near  it  is  a  credence-table  ;  the  roof  is  richly  painted— 
in  the  central  compartment  is  our  Lord  seated  between 
the  rolls  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments.  Above  the 
arcosolium,  m  the  place  of  honor,  is  our  Saviour  as  the 
Good  Shepherd,  bearing  a  sheep  upon  his  shoulders,  and 
standing  between  other  sheep  and  trees  ; — in  the  other 
compartments  are  Daniel  in  the  lions'  den,  the  Three 
Children  in  the  furnace,  Moses  taking  off  his  shoes,  Moses 
striking  the  rock,  and — nearest  the  entrance — the  Paralytic 
carrying  his  bed.  A  neighboring  chapel  has  also  remains 
of  an  altar  and  credence-table,  and  well-preserved  paintings 
— the  Good  Sheperd ;  Adam  and  Eve,  with  the  tree 
between  them  ;  Jonah  under  the  gourd  ;  and  in  the  fourth 
compartment  a  figure  described  by  Protestants  merely  as 
an  Orante,  and  by  Roman  Catholics  as  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin." Near  this  chapel  we  can  look  down  through  an 
opening  into  the  second  floor  of  the  catacomb,  which  is 
lined  with  graves  like  the  first. 

In  the  farther  part  of  the  catacomb  is  a  long  narrow 
chapel  which  has  received  the  name  of  the  cathedral  or 
basilica.  It  is  divided  into  three  parts,  of  which  the 
farthest,  or  presbytery,  contains  an  ancient  episcopal  chair 
with  lower  seats  on  either  side  for  priests — probably  the 
throne  where  Pope  S.  Liberius  (a.d.  359)  officiated  with 
his  face  to  the  people,  when  he  lived  for  more  than  a  year 

'  The  reasons  for  this  belief  are  given  in  The  Roman  Catacombs  of  Northcotc, 
p.  78. 


404 


WALKS  IN  ROMF. 


hidden  here  from  persecution.  Hence  a  flight  of  steps 
leads  down  to  what  Northcote  calls  "the  Lady  Chapel," 
where,  over  the  altar,  is  a  fresco  of  an  orante,  without  a 
nimbus,  with  outstretched  arms — with  a  child  in  front  of 
her.  On  either  side  of  this  picture,  a  very  interesting  one, 
is  the  monogram  of  Constantine,  and  the  painting  is  re- 
ferred to  his  time.  Near  this  chapel  is  a  chamber  with  a 
spring  running  through  it,  evidently  used  as  a  baptistery. 

At  the  extremity  of  the  catacomb,  under  the  basilica  of 
S.  Agnes,  is  one  of  its  most  interesting  features.  Here 
the  passages  become  wider  and  more  irregular,  the  walls 
sloping  and  unformed,  and  gra\es  cease  to  appear,  indi- 
cating one  of  the  ancient  arefiariae,  which  here  formed  the 
approach  to  the  catacomb,  and  beyond  which  the  Chris- 
tians excavated  their  cemetery. 

The  graves  throughout  almost  all  the  catacombs  have 
been  rifled,  the  bones  which  they  contained  being  distrib- 
uted as  relics  throughout  Roman  Catholic  Christendom, 
and  most  of  the  sarcophagi  and  inscriptions  removed  to  the 
Lateran  and  other  museums. 

"  Vous  pourriez  voir  ici  la  capitale  des  catacombes  de  tout  la  chre- 
tiente.  Les  martyrs,  les  confesseurs,  et  les  vierges,  y  fourmillent  de 
tous  cotes.  Quand  on  se  fait  besoin  de  quelques  reliques  en  pays 
etrangers,  le  Pape  n'a  qu'a  descendre  ici  et  crier,  Qui  de  vous  aulres 
veut  aller  ctre  saint  en  Fologne?  Alors,  s'il  se  trouve  quelque  mort  de 
bonne  volonte,  11  se  leve  et  s'en  va." — De  Brasses,  1739. 

Half  a  mile  beyond  S.  Agnese  the  road  reaches  the 
willow-fringed  river  Anio,  in  which  "  Silvia  changed  her 
earthly  life  for  that  of  a  goddess,"  and  which  carried  .the 
cradle  containing  her  two  babes  Romulus  and  Remus  into 
the  Tiber,  to  be  brought  to  land  at  the  foot  of  the  Palatine 
fig-tree.  Into  this  river  we  may  also  recollect  that  Sulla 
caused  the  ashes  of  his  ancient  rival  Marius  to  be  thrown. 
The  river  is  crossed  by  the  Ponte  Nomentano,  a  mediaeval 
bridge,  partially  covered,  with  forked  battlements. 

"  Ponte  Nomentano  is  a  solitary  dilapidated  bridge  in  the  spacious 
green  Campagna.  Many  ruins  from  the  days  of  ancient  Rome,  and 
many  watch-towers  from  the  middle  ages,  are  scattered  over  this  long 
succession  of  meadows  ;  chains  of  hills  rise  toward  the  horizon,  now 
partially  covered  with  snow,  and  fantastically  varied  in  form  and  color 
by  the  shadows  of  the  clouds.  And  there  is  also  the  enchanti.".g 
vapory  vision  of  the  Alban  hills,  which  change  their  hues  lihie  the 
chameleon,  as  you  gaze  at  them — where  you  can  see  for  miles  little 


BASILICA    OF  S.    ALESSAXDRO. 


405 


white  chapels  glittering  on  the  dark  foreground  of  the  hills,  as  far  as 
the  Passionist  Convent  on  the  summit,  and  whence  )-ou  can  trace  the 
road  winding  through  thickets,  and  the  hills  sloping  downward  to  the 
lake  of  Albano,  while  a  hermitage  peeps  through  the  trees. " — Mendels- 
sohn's Letters. 

The  hill  immediately  beyond  the  bridge  is  the  Mons  Saccr 
(not  only  the  part  usually  pointed  out  on  the  right  of  the 
road,  but  the  whole  hillside),  to  which  the  famous  secession 
of  the  Plebs  took  place  in  B.C.  549,  amounting, according  to 
Dionysius,  to  about  4,000  persons.  Here  they  encamped 
upon  the  green  slopes  for  four  months,  to  the  terror  of  the 
patricians,  who  foresaw  that  Rome,  abandoned  by  its  de- 
fenders, would  fall  before  its  enemies,  and  that  the  crops 
would  perish  for  want  of  cultivation.  Here  Menenius 
Agrippa  delivered  his  apologue  of  the  belly  and  its  meg:!- 
bers,  which  is  said  to  have  induced  them  to  return  to  Rome  ; 
that  which  really  decided  them  to  do  so  being  the  con- 
cession of  tribunes  to  be  the  organs  and  representatives  of 
the  plebs,  as  the  consuls  were  of  the  patricians.  The  epi- 
thet Sacer  is  ascribed  by  Dionysius  to  an  altar  which 
the  plebeians  erected  at  the  time  on  the  hill  to  Z^vi  A^i- 

A  second  secession  to  the  Mons  Sacer  took  place  in  B.C. 
449,  when  the  plebs  rose  against  Appius  Claudius  after  the 
death  of  Virginia,  and  retired  hither  under  the  advice  of 
M.  Duilius,  till  the  decemvirs  resigned. 

Following  the  road  beyond  the  bridge  past  the  castle 
known  as  Casale  dei  Pazzi  (once  used  as  a  lunatic  asylum) 
and  the  picturesque  tomb  called  Torre  Nomentana, — as 
far  as  the  seventh  milestone — we  reach  the  remains  of  the 
unearthed  Basilica  of  S.  Alessandro,  built  on  the  site  of  the 
place  where  the  pope  suffered  martyrdom  with  his  com- 
panions Eventius  and  Theodulus,  a.d.  119,  and  was  buried 
on  the  same  spot  by  the  Christian  matron  Severina.'  The 
plan  of  the  basilica,  disinterred  1856-7,  is  still  quite  per- 
fect. The  tribune  and  high  altar  retain  fragments  of  rich 
marbles  and  alabasters;  the  episcopal  throne  also  remains 
in  its  place. 

The  "  Acts  of  the  martyrs  Alexander,  Eventius  and 
Theodulus  "  narrate  that  Severina  buried  the  bodies  of  the 
first  two  martyrs  in  one  tomb,  and  the  third  separately — 

1  The  bodies  were  remcved  to  S.  Sabina  in  the  fifth  century  by  Celestine  I. 


4o6  WALK'S  nV  ROME. 

''  Theodulum  vero  alibi  sepelivit."  This  is  borne  out  by 
the  discovery  of  a  chapel  opening  from  the  nave,  where  the 
single  word  "martyri,"  is  supposed  to  point  out  the  grave 
of  Theodulus.  A  baptistery  has  been  found  with  its  font, 
and  another  chapel  adjoining  is  pointed  out  as  the  place 
where  neophytes  assembled  to  receive  confirmation  from 
the  bishop.  Among  epitaphs  laid  bare  in  the  pavement  is 
one  to  a  youth  named  Apollo  "  votus  Deo  "  (dedicated  to 
the  priesthood  ?)  at  the  age  of  14.  Entered  from  the 
church  is  the  catacomb  called  "  ad  nymphas,"  containing 
many  ancient  inscriptions  and  a  few  rude  paintings. 

Mass  is  solemnly  performed  here  by  the  Cardinal  Prefect 
of  the  Propaganda  on  the  festival  of  S.  Alexander,  May  3, 
when  the  roofless  basilica,  backed  by  the  blue  Sabine 
mountains  and  surrounded  by  the  utterly  desolate  campagna 
— is  filled  with  worshipers  and  presents  a  striking  scene. 
Beyond  this  a  road  to  the  left  leads  through  beautiful 
woods  to  Mentana,  occupying  the  site  of  the  ancient  No- 
mentum,  and  celebrated  for  the  battle  between  the  papal 
troops  and  the  Garibaldians  on  Nov.  3,  1867.  The  con- 
flict took  place  chiefly  on  the  hillside  which  is  passed  on 
the  right  before  reaching  the  town.  Two  miles  farther  is 
Afo7ite  Rotondo,  with,  a  fine  old  castle  of  the  Barberini  family 
(once  of  the  Orsini)  from  which  there  is  a  beautiful  \  iew. 
This  place  was  also  the  scene  of  fighting  in  1867.  It  is 
possible  to  vary  the  route  in  returning  to  Rome  from  hence 
by  the  lower  road  which  leads  by  the  (now  broken)  Ponte 
Salaria. 

If  we  reenter  Rome  by  the  Porta  Pia,  immediately 
v/ithin  the  gates  (left),  we  find  another  villa,  which  formerly 
belonged  to  the  Torlonia  family,  but  which  has  been  pur- 
chased and  greatly  enlarged  for  the  British  Embassy.  The 
straight  road,  which  leads  to  the  Quattro  Fonlane  and 
Monte  Cavallo,  is  lined  on  the  left  by  the  huge  and  hideous 
buildings  of  the  new  Ministerio  dclle  Finanze,  commonly 
called  the  "  Debito  Publico."  The  district  of  Macao, 
behind  this,  received  its  strange  name  from  a  gift  of  land 
which  the  princes  of  Savoy  made  long  ago  to  the  Jesuits 
for  a  mission  in  China.  Here,  since  the  change  of  govern- 
ment in  1870,  have  arisen  many  of  the  ugliest  buildings  of 
tne  new  town,  and  wide,  shadeless  streets  of  featureless. 


VILLA    MASy>IMO  NEGROXL  i,cy] 

ill-built,  stuccoed  houses,  bearing  foolish  names  connected 
with  Piedmontese  history,  and  a  wretched  square  called 
the  Piazza  dell  Indepe/idaiza,  in  the  construction  of  which 
much  of  interest  and  beauty  was  swept  away.  The  straight 
road  beyond  the  Piazza  leads  to  tlie  remains  of  the  Pj'c- 
torian  Camp,  established  by  Sejanus,  the  minister  of  Tibe- 
rius. It  was  dismantled  by  Constantine,  but  from  three 
sides  having  been  inclosed  by  Aurelian  in  the  line  of  his 
city-wall,  its  form  is  still  preserved  to  us.  The  Pretorian 
Camp  was  an  oblong  of  1,200  by  1,500  feet  ;  its  area  vv^as 
occupied  by  a  vineyard  of  the  Jesuits  till  1861,  when  a 
"Campo  Militare"  was  again  established  here. 

"  En  suivant  I'enceinte  de  Rome,  quand  on  arrive  a  I'endroit  ou  elle 
se  continue  par  le  mur  du  Camp  des  pretoriens,  on  est  frappe  de  la 
superiorite  de  construction  que  presentc  ceiui-ci.  La  partie  des  murs 
d'Honorius  qui  est  voisine  a  cte  refaite  au  huitieme  siecie.  Le  com- 
mencement et  la  fin  de  I'empire  se  touchent.  On  peut  apprecier  d'un 
coup  d'ceil  I'etat  de  la  civilisation  aux  deux  epoques  •  voila  ce  qu'on 
faisait  dans  le  premier  siecie,  et  voila  ce  qu'on  faisait  au  huitieme, 
apres  la  conquete  de  I'empire  Romain  par  les  Barbares.  11  faut  songer 
toutefois  que  cette  eboque  ou  Ton  constraisait  si  bien  a  amene  celle  011 
Ton  ne  savait  plus  construire. " — Ampere,  Einp.  i.  421. 

Turning  joyfully  away  from  the  Piazza  dell'  Indepen- 
denza  in  the  direction  of  the  railway  station,  we  pass  some 
huge  fragments  of  the  Agger  of  Servius  Tulliiis,  which  can 
be  traced  from  the  Porta  Esquilina  (near  the  Arch  of 
Gallienus)  to  the  Porta  Collina  (near  the  Gardens  of 
Sallust).  In  the  time  of  the  empire  it  had  become  a  kind 
of  promenade,  as  we  learn  from  Horace.' 

To  the  left,  a  road,  three  quarters  of  a  mile  long,  leads 
— passing  under  an  arch  of  Sixtus  V. — to  the  Porta  S. 
Lorenzo  (Chap.  XIII. } 

The  Railway  Station  and  the  adjoining  buildings  occupy 
a  site  which,  till  1870,  was  one  of  the  most  delightful  spots 
in  Rome — the  grounds  of  the  Villa  Massimo  Negroni,  once 
celebrated  for  its  exquisite  cypress  avenues  and  its  stately 
terrace,  Imed  with  ancient  orange-trees  and  noble  sarcoph- 
agi. In  a  part  of  this  villa,  north  of  the  railway,  stood 
a  colossal  statue  of  Minerva  (generally  called  "Rome  "}, 
which  was  a  relic  of  the  residence  here  of  Cardinal  Felix 
Peretti,  who,  as  a  boy,  had  watched  the  pigs  of  his  father 

•  Sat.  i.  8.  15. 


4o8  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

at  Montalto,  and  who  lived  to  mount  the  papal  throne  as 
Sixtus  V.  The  pedestal  of  the  statue  bore  his  arms  — a 
lion  holding  three  pears  in  its  paw.  In  the  villa,  which 
still  stands,  lived,  with  her  husband's  uncle,  the  famous 
Vittoria  Accoramboni,  the  wife  of  the  handsome  Francesco 
Peretti,  who  had  been  vainly  sought  in  marriage  by  the 
powerful  and  ugly  old  Prince  Paolo  Orsini.  It  was  from 
hence  that  her  young  husband  was  summoned  to  a  secret 
interview  with  her  brothers  on  the  slopes  of  the  Quirinal, 
where  he  was  cruelly  murdered  by  the  hired  bravoes  of  her 
first  lover.  Hence  also  Vittoria  went  forth — on  the  very 
day  of  the  installation  of  Sixtus  V. — to  her  strange  second 
marriage  with  the  murderer  of  her  husband,  who  died  six 
months  after,  leaving  her  with  one  of  the  largest  fortunes 
in  Italy — an  amount  of  wealth  which  led  to  her  own  bar- 
barous murder  a  month  afterward  through  the  jealousy  of 
the  Orsini. 

Here,  after  the  election  of  her  brother  to  the  papacy, 
lived  Camilla,  the  sister  of  Sixtus  V.,  whom  he  refused  to 
recognize  when  she  came  to  him  in  splendid  attire  as  a 
princess,  but  tenderly  embraced  when  she  appeared  in  her 
peasant's  wimple  and  hood.  From  hence  her  two  grand- 
daughters were  married — one  to  Virginius  Orsini,  the  other 
to  Marc- Antonio  Colonna,  a  double  alliance  which  healed 
the  feud  of  centuries  between  the  two  families. 

In  later  times  the  Villa  Negroni  was  the  residence  of  the 
poet  Alfieri.  Its  noble  garden-terrace  ended  near  a  reser- 
voir which  belonged  to  the  Baths  of  Diocletian. 

The  lower  part  of  the  Villa  Negroni,  which  occupied  the 
slope  towards  the  Esquiline,  was  once  celebrated  as  the 
Campus  Esquilinus,  a  large  pauper  burial-ground,  where 
bodies  were  thrown  into  pits  called  putiritli,^  as  is  still  the 
custom  at  Naples.  There  were  also  tombs  here  of  a  some- 
what pretentious  character  :  "  those  probably  of  rich  well- 
to-do  burgesses,  yet  not  great  enough  to  command  the 
posthumous  honor  of  a  roadside  mausoleum."  ^  Horace 
dwells  on  the  horrors  of  this  burial-ground,  where  he 
places  the  scene  of  Canidia's  incantations  : 

'*  Nee  in  sepulcris  pauperum  prudens  anus 
Novendiales  dissipare  pulveres." 

Epod.  xvii.  47. 

*  Cramer's /J -.'/V/  Hcily.  1    289.      =  C^   Phil,  ix   7.    See  Dyer's  Rome,  p  ats. 


BATHS  OF  DIOCLETIAN.  409 

"  Has  nullo  perdere  possum 
Nee  prohibere  modo,  rimul  ac  vaga  luna  decorum 
Protulit  OS,  quin  ossa  legant,  herbasque  nocentes. 
Vidi  egomet  nigra  succinctam  vadere  palla 
Canidiam,  pedibus  nudis,  passoque  capillo, 
Cum  Sagana  majore  ululantem  ;  pallor  utrasque 
Fecerat  horrendas,  aspectu. 

***** 
Serpentes  atque  videres 
Infernas  errare  canes  ;  lunamque  rubentem, 
Ne  foret  his  testis,  post  magna  latere  sepulcra." 

Hor.  Sat.  i.  8. 

The  place  was  considered  very  unhealthy  until  its  puri- 
fication by  Maecenas. 

"  Hue  prius  angustis  ejecta  cadavera  cellis 
Conservus  vili  portanda  locabat  in  area. 
Hoc  miserae  plebi  stabat  commune  sepulcrum. 
Pantolabo  scurrae,  Nomentanoque  nepoti. 
Mille  pedes  in  fronte,  trecentos  cippus  in  agrum 
Hie  dabat  ;  heredes  monumentum  ne  sequeretur. 
Nunc  licet  Esquiliis  habitare  salubribus,  atque 
Aggere  in  Aprico  spatiari  ;  quo  modo  tristes 
Albis  informem  spectabant  ossibus  agrum." 

Hor.  Sat.  i.  8. 

"  Post  insepulta  membra  different  lupi, 
Et  Esquilinae  aJites. " 

Hor.  Epod.  V.  100. 

"  The  Campus  Esquilinus,  between  the  roads  which  issued  from  the 
Esquiline  and  Viminal  gates,  was  the  spot  assigned  for  casting  out  the 
carcasses  of  slaves,  whose  foul  and  half-burnt  remains  were  hardly 
hidden  from  the  vultures.  The  accursed  field  was  enclosed,  it  would 
appear,  neither  by  wall  nor  fence,  to  exclude  the  wandering  steps  of 
man  or  beast  ;  and  from  the  public  walk  on  the  summit  of  the  ridge, 
it  must  have  been  viewed  in  all  its  horrors.  Here  prowled  in  troops 
the  houseless  dogs  of  the  city  and  tlie  suburbs  ;  here  skulked  the  sol- 
itary wolf  from  the  Alban  hills,  and  here,  perhaps,  to  the  doleful 
murmurs  of  the  Marsic  chant,  the  sorceress  compounded  her  philters 
of  the  ashes  of  dead  men's  bones.  Maecenas  (B.c)  7  deserved  the 
gratitude  of  the  citizens,  when  he  obtained  a  grant  of  this  piece  oi 
land,  and  transformed  it  into  a  park  or  garden  ." — Merivale,  jRotna7is 
■under  the  Empire. 

Opposite  the  station  are  the  vast,  but  for  the  most  part 
uninteresting  remains  of  the  Baths  of  Diucletian,  covering 
a  space  of  440,000  square  yards.  They  were  begun  by 
Diocletian  and  Maximian,  about  a.d.  302,  and  finished  by 
Constantius  and  Maximinus  It  is  stated  by  Cardinal 
Baronius,  that  40,000  Christians  were  employed  in  the 
18 


410  WALK'S  AV  ROME. 

work  ;  some  bricks  marked  with  crosses  have  been  found 
in  the  ruins.  At  the  angles  of  the  principal  front  were 
two  circular  halls,  both  of  which  remain  ;  one  is  near  the 
Villa  Strozzi,'  at  the  back  of  the  Negroni  garden,  and  is 
now  used  as  a  granary  ;  the  other  is  transformed  into  the 
church  of  S.  Bernardo. 

The  Baths  are  supposed  to  have  first  fallen  into  decay 
after  the  Gothic  invasion  of  a.d.  410.  In  the  sixteenth 
century  the  site  was  sold  to  Cardinal  Bellay,  Embassador 
of  Francis  I.  at  Rome,  who  built  a  fine  palace  among  the 
ruins  ;  after  his  death,  in  1560,  the  property  was  re-sold  to 
S.  Carlo  Borromeo.  He  sold  it  again  to  his  uncle,  Pope 
Pius  IV.,  who  founded  the  monastery  of  Carthusian 
monks.  These,  in  1593,  sold  part  of  the  ruins  to  Caterina 
Sforza,  who  founded  the  Cistercian  convent  of  S.  Bernar- 
do. Recalling  their  youth,  we  find  Petrarch  writing  to  his 
friend  Cardinal  Giovanni  Colonna: 

"  We  used,  after  the  fatigue  of  wandering  about  the  immense  citj'^, 
often  to  make  a  halt  at  the  Baths  of  Diocletian,  and  sometimes  to  as- 
cend to  the  vaulted  roof  of  that  once  magnificent  edifice  ;  fornowhere 
is  there  sweeter  air,  a  wider  prospect,  more  silence  and  desirable  soli- 
tude. There  came  to  us  no  talk  of  business  nor  of  private  matters, 
nor  of  the  affairs  of  the  commonwealth,  which  we  had  often  enough 
grieved  over.  And  wandering  among  the  crumbling  walls,  or  sitting 
on  the  roof,  the  fragments  of  the  ruins  beneath  our  eyes,  we  used  to 
have  much  talk  on  history,  I  being  allowed  to  be  the  better  versed  in 
ancient,  you  in  modern  story.  Much  discourse,  too,  was  held  of  that 
part  of  philosophy  which  treats  of  morals  ;  and  sometimes  we  spoke 
of  the  arts,  and  their  inventors  and  beginners."'' 

About  1520,  a  Sicilian  priest  called  Antonio  del  Duca 
came  to  Rome,  bringing  with  him  from  Palermo  pictures 
of  the  seven  archangels  (Michael,  Gabriel,  Raphael,  Uriel 
Santhiel,  Glendiel,  and  Borachiel),  copied  from  some  which 
existed  in  the  church  of  S.  Angiolo.  Carried  away  by  the 
desire  of  instituting  archangel- worship  at  Rome,  he  obtained 
leave  to  affix  these  pictures  to  seven  of  the  columns  still 
standing  erect  in  the  Baths  of  Diocletian,  which,  ten  years 
after,  Julius  II.  allowed  to  be  consecrated  under  the  title 
of  S.  Maria  degli  Angeli  ;  though  Pius  IV.,  declaring  that 
angel-worship  had  never  been  sanctioned  by  the  church, 
except    under  the  three   names  mentioned  in    Scripture, 

'  Here  a  mosaic  carpet  (let  into  the  wall)  hanfs  before  a  windov/,  where  Pope 
Sixtus  V.  looked  out. 

=  See  Trollope's  Homes  and  Haunts  of  the  It  i/ian  Poets. 


5.    MARIA    DEGLI  ANGELI.  4  i  i 

ordered  the  pictures  of  ]3el  Duca  to  be  taken  away.'  At 
the  same  time  he  engaged  Michael  Angelo  to  convert  the 
great  oblong  hall  of  the  Baths  (Calidarium)  into  a  church. 
The  church  then  arranged  was  not  such  as  we  now  see,  the 
present  entrance  having  been  then  the  atrium  of  the  side 
chapel,  and  the  main  entrance  at  first  by  what  is  now  the 
right  transept,  while  the  high  altai  stood  in  what  is  now 
the  left  transept.  In  1749,  the  desire  of  erecting  a  chapel 
to  the  Beato  Nicolo  Albergati  led  to  the  church  being 
altered,  under  Vanvitelli,  as  we  now  see  it. 

The  Church  of  S.  Maria  degli  Atigeli,  still  most  magnifi- 
cent, is  now  entered  by  a  rotunda  (Laconicum),  which 
contains  four'monuments  of  some  interest :  on  the  right  of 
the  entrance  is  that  of  the  artist  Carlo  Maratta,  who  died 
1713  ;  on  the  left  that  of  Salvator  Rosa,  who  died  1673, 
with  an  epitaph  by  his  son,  describing  him  as  "  Pictorum 
sui  temporis  nuUi  secundum,  poetarum  omnium  temporum 
principibus  parum  !  "  Beyond,  on  the  right  is  the  monu- 
ment of  Cardinal  Alciati,  professor  of  law  at  Milan,  who 
procured  his  hat  through  the  interest  of  S.  Carlo  Borromeo, 
with  the  epitaph,  "  Virtute  vixit,  memoria  vivit,  gloria  vi- 
vet," — on  the  left,  that  of  Cardinal  Parisio  di  Corenza,  in- 
scribed, "  Corpus  humo  tegitur,  fama  per  ora  volat,  spiritus 
astra  tenet."  In  the  chapel  on  the  right  are  the  angels  of 
Peace  and  Justice,  by  Pettrich  ;  in  that  on  the  left,  Christ 
appearing  to  the  Magdalen,  by  Arrigo  Fiaviingo.  Against 
the  pier  on  the  right  is  the  grand  statue  of  S.  Bruno,  by 
Hoiidon^  of  which  Clement  XIV.  (Ganganelii)  used  to  say, 
"  He  would  speak,  if  the  rule  of  his  Order  did  not  for- 
bid it." 

The  body  of  the  church  is  now  a  gallery  of  very  large 
pictures,  most  of  which  were  brought  from  S.  Peter's,  where 
their  places  have  been  supplied  by  mosaic  copies.  In  what 
is  now  the  right  transept,  on  the  right,  is  the  Crucifixion  of 
S.  Peter,  Ricciolini  ;  the  Fall  of  Simon  Magus,  a  copy  of 
Francesco  Van?ii  (the  original  in  S.  Peter's)  ;  on  the  left,  S. 
Jerome,  with  S.  Bruno  and  S.  ¥x^x\c\?,,  Mt/ziano  (1528-92) 
(the  landscape  by  Brill)  ;  and  the  Miracles  of  S.  Peter, 
Baglioni.  This  transept  ends  in  the  chapel  of  the  Beato 
Nicolo  Albergati,  a  Carthusian  Cardinal,  who  was  sent  as 
legate  by  Martin  V.,  in  1422,  to  make  a  reconciliation  be- 

■  See  Hemans'  Catholic  Italy^  Part  I. 


412  WALKS  I.y  ROME. 

tween  Charles  VI  of  France  and  Henry  V.  of  England. 
The  principal  miracle  ascribed  to  him,  the  conversion  of 
bread  into  coal  in  order  to  convince  the  Emperor  of  Ger- 
many of  his  divine  authority,  is  represented  in  the  indif- 
ferent altar-piece.  In  the  left  transept,  which  ends  in  the 
chapel  of  S.  Bruno,  are  :  on  the  left,  S.  Basil  by  the  so- 
lemnity of  the  Mass  rebuking  the  Emperor  Valens,  Subley- 
ras  J  and  the  Fall  of  Simon  Magus,  Fompco  Batioui  ; — on 
the  right,  the  Immaculate  Conception,  P.  Bumchi  ;  and 
Tabitha  raised  from  the  Dead,  P.  Costanzi. 

In  the  tribune  are,  on  the  right,  the  Presentation  of  the 
Virgin  in  the  Temple,  Roman  Hi ;  and  the  martyrdom  of 
S.  Sebastian,  a  grand  fresco  of  DoDiaiichiuo,  painted  origin- 
ally on  the  walls  of  S.  Peter's,  and  removed  here  with  great 
skill  by  the  engineer  Zabaglia—  on  the  left  :  the  Death  of 
Ananias  and  Sapphira,  Pomanvuio  ;  and  the  Baptism  of 
Christ,  jSIaratta. 

On  the  right  of  the  choir  is  the  tomb  of  Cardinal  An- 
tonio Serbelloni  ;  on  the  left  that  of  Pius  IV.,  Giovanni 
Angelo  Medici  (1559-1565),  under  whose  reign  the  Council 
of  Trent  was  closed — uncle  of  S.  Carlo  Borromeo,  a  lively 
and  mundane  pope,  but  the  cruel  persecutor  of  the  Caraffas 
(nephews  of  his  predecessor,  Paul  IV.),  whom  he  executed 
in  the  Castle  of  S.  Angelo. 

Of  the  sixteen  columns  in  this  church  (45  feet  in  hight, 
16  feet  in  circumference),  only  the  eight  in  the  transept  are 
of  ancient  Egyptian  granite  ;  the  rest  are  in  brick,  stuc- 
coed in  imitation,  and  were  additions  of  Vanvitelli.  Eight 
feet  of  the  ancient  columns  are  buried  beneath  the  pave- 
ment, on  which  is  a  meridian  line,  laid  down  in  1703. 

'■  Quand  Diocle'tiea  faisait  travailler  les  pauvres  Chretiens  a  ses 
etuves,  ce  n'e'tait  pas  sc3i  dessein  de  batir  des  eglises  a  leiirs  succes- 
seurs  ;  il  ne  pensait  pas  etre  fondateur,  comma  il  I'a  ete,  d'un  monas- 
tere  de  Peres  Chartreux  et  d'un  monastere  dc  Peres  Feuillants.  .  .  . 
Cast  aux  depans  da  Diocletian,  de  ses  pierres  et  de  son  ciment  qu'on 
fait  des  autels  et  des  chapelles  a  Jcsus-Christ,  des  dortoirs  et  des  re- 
fecloiras  a  ses  sarviteurs.  La  providence  de  Dieu  se  joiic  dc  cette  sorte 
des  pensees  des  hommes,  et  les  evenements  sont  bicn  cJoigne's  des  in- 
tentions quand  la  terre  a  un  dassain  et  le  cici  an  autre." — Balzac. 

The  time-honored  Carthusian  con\ent  behind  the  church 
has  been  confiscated  by  the  present  Government,  and  is 
used  as  a  barracks.      Its  great  cloister,  the  finest  in  Rome, 


.S'.    MARIA    BELLA    VITTORIA.  413 

built  from  designs  of  Michael  Angelo,  has  been  ruined  by 
the  walling  up  of  its  arches.  The  grand  fountain  in  the 
center  is  (or  was)  surrounded  by  a  group  of  huge  and  noble 
cypresses,  said  to  have  been  planted  by  the  hand  of  Mi- 
chael Angelo  himself.  But  we  can  no  longer  realize  here 
the  feeling  of  Madame  de  Stael  : 

"  II  semble  que  la  vie  ne  sert  ici  qu'a  contempler  la  mort — les  hom- 
mes  qui  existent  ainsi  sont  pourtant  les  memes  a  qui  la  guerre  et  loute 
son  activite  suffiraient  a  peine  s'ils  y  etaient  accoutumes.  C'est  un 
sujet  inepuisable  de  reflexion  que  les  differentes  combinaisons  de  la 
destinee  humaine  sur  la  terre.  II  se  passe  dans  I'interieur  de  I'ame 
mille  accidents,  il  se  forme  mille  habitudes,  qui  fontde  chaque  individu 
un  monde  et  son  histoire. " — Corinne. 

On  a  line  with  the  monastery  is  a  Prison  for  Women — 
then  an  Institution  for  Deaf,  Dumb,  and  Blind — then  the 
w^Y  Fountain  of  the  Terme^  (designed  by  Fontana),  some- 
times called  Fontanone  dell'  Acqua  Felice  (Felice,  from 
Fra  Felice,  the  name  by  which  Sixtus  V.  was  known  before 
his  papacy),  to  which  the  Acqua  Felice  was  brought  from 
Colonna,  22  miles  distant  in  the  Alban  hills,  in  1583,  by 
Sixtus  V.  It  is  surmounted  by  a  hideous  statue  of  Moses 
by  Prospei-o  Bresciano,  who  is  said  to  have  died  of  vexa- 
tion at  the  ridicule  it  excited  when  uncovered.  The  side 
statues  of  Aaron  and  Gideon  are  by  Giov.  Batt.  delta 
Porta  and  Flaminio  Vacca. 

Opposite  this,  in  the  Via  Venti  Settembre,  is  the  Church 
of  S.  Maria  delta  Vitloria,  built  in  1605,  by  Carlo  Maderno, 
for  Paul  V.  Its  facade  was  added  from  designs  of  Giov. 
Batt.  Soria,  by  Cardinal  Borghese,  in  payment  to  the  monks 
of  the  adjoining  Carmelite  convent  for  the  statue  of  the 
Hermaphrodite,  which  had  been  found  in  their  vineyard. 

The  name  of  the  church  commemorates  an  image  of  the 
Virgin,  burnt  in  1833,  which  was  revered  as  having  been 
instrumental  in  gaining  the  victory  for  the  CathoUc  imperial 
troops  over  the  Protestant  Frederick  and  Elizabeth  of 
Bohemia,  at  the  battle  of  the  White  Mountain,  near  Prague. 
The  third  chapel  on  the  left  contains  the  Trinity,  by 
Guercino ;  a  Crucifixion,  by  Guido  ;  and  a  portrait  of  Car- 
dinal Cornaro,  Guido.  The  altar-piece  of  the  second  chapel 
on  the  right,  representing  S.  Francis  receiving  the  Infant 

'  The  name    Termini,  as  applied   to   this  fountain  and  district— a  lingering 
Latinism— -.vas  retained  till  1876. 


414 


JVJLA'S  I.V  ROME. 


Christ  from  the  Virgin,  is  by  Do/nenic/ii>io,  as  are  two  fres- 
coes on  the  side  walls.  In  the  left  transept,  above  an  altar 
adorned  with  a  gilt  bronze-relief  of  the  Last  Supper,  by 
Cav.  iV Ai-pino,  is  a  group  representing  S.  Teresa  transfixed 
by  the  dart  of  the  Angel  of  Death,  by  Bernini.  The  fol- 
lowing criticisms  upon  it  are  fair  specimens  of  the  contrast 
between  English  and  French  taste. 

"  yVll  the  Spanish  pictures  of  S.  Teresa  sin  in  their  materialism; 
but  the  grossest  example — the  most  offensive — is  the  marble  group  of 
Bernini,  in  the  Santa  Maria  della  Vittoria  at  Rome.  The  head  of  S. 
Teresa  is  that  of  a  languishing  nymph,  the  angel  is  a  sort  of  Eros  ;  the 
whole  has  been  significantly  described  as  'a  parody  of  Divine  love.' 
The  vehicle,  white  marble, — its  place  in  a  Christian  church, — enhance 
all  its  vileness.  The  least  destructive,  the  least  prudish  in  matters  of 
art,  would  here  willingly  throw  the  first  stone." — Mrs.  Jamesons 
Monastic  Orders,  p.  421. 

"  La  sainte  Therese  de  Bernin  est  adorable  !  couchee,  evanouie 
d'amour,  les  mains,  les  pieds  nus  pendants,  les  yeuxdemiclos,  elle  s'est 
laissee  tomber  de  bonheur  et  d'extase.  Son  visage  est  maigri,  mais 
combien  noble  !  C'est  la  vraie  grande  dame  qui  a  seche  dans  les  feux, 
dans  les  larmes,  en  attendant  celui  qu'elle  aime.  Jusqu'aux  draperies 
tortillees,  jesqu'a  I'allanguissement  des  mains  defaillantes,  jusqu'au 
soupir  qui  meurt  sur  ses  levres  entr'ouvertes,  il  n'y  a  rien  en  elle  ni 
autour  d'elle  qui  n'exprime  I'angoisse  voluptueuse  et  le  divin  elance- 
ment  de  son  transport.  On  ne  peut  pas  rendre  avec  des  mots  une  atti- 
tude si  enivre  et  si  touchante.  Renversee  sur  le  dos,  elle  pame,  tout 
son  etre  se  dissout ;  le  moment  poignant  arrive,  elle  gemit  ;  c'est  son 
dernier  gemissement,  la  sensation  est  trop  forte.  T'ange  cependant, 
un  jeune  page  de  quatorze  ans,  en  legere  tunique,  la  poitrine  decou- 
verte  jusqu'au  dessous  du  sein,  arrive  gracieux,  aimable  ;  c'est  le  plus 
joli  page  de  grand  seigneur  qui  vient  faire  le  bonheur  d'une  vassale  trop 
tendre.  Un  sourire  demi-complaisant,  demi-malin,  creuse  des  fossettes 
dans  ses  fraiches  joues  luisantes  ;  sa  fleche  d'or  a  la  main  indique  le 
tressaillement  delicieux  et  terrible  dont  il  va  secouer  tons  les  nerfs  de 
ce  corps  charmant,  ardent,  qui  s'etale  devant  samain.  On  n'a  jamais 
fait  de  roman  si  seduisant  et  si  tendre." — Taine,  "  Voyage  en  Italie." 

Close  by  is  the  handsome  Church  of  S.  Susanna,  rebuilt 
by  Carlo  Maderno,  for  Sixtus  V.,  on  the  site  of  an  oratory 
founded  by  Pope  Caius  (.\.D.  283),  in  the  house  of  his 
brother  Gabinus,  who  was  martyred  with  his  daughter 
Susanna  because  she  refused  to  break  her  vow  of  virginity 
by  a  marriage  with  Maximianus  Galerus,  adopted  son  of 
the  Emperor  Diocletian,  to  whom  this  family  were  related. 
The  bodies  of  these  martyrs  are  said  to  rest  beneath  the 
high  altar.  The  side  chapel  of  S.  Laurence  was  presented 
by  Camilla  Peretti,  the  sister  of  Sixtus  V.,  together  with  a 


S.    TERESA. 


415 


dowry  of  fifty  scudi,  to  be  paid  every  year  to  the  nine  best 
girls  in  the  parish,  on  the  festival  of  S.  Susanna.  The 
frescoes  of  the  story  of  Susanna  and  the  Elders,  painted 
here  on  the  side  wails,  from  the  analogy  of  names,  are  by 
Baldassare  Croce  ;  those  in  the  tribune  are  by  Cesare  Nebbia. 

Opposite  this,  is  the  Cistercian  convent  and  Church  of 
S.  Bernardo^  a  rotunda  of  the  Baths  of  Diocletian,  turned 
into  a  church  in  1598,  by  Caterina  Sforza,  Contessa  di 
Santa  Fiora. 

Hence  a  continuance  of  the  Via  Venti  Settembre  leads 
to  the  Quattro  Fontane.  On  the  left  was  the  small  Church 
of  S.  Caio,  which  inclosed  the  tomb  of  that  pope,  inscribed 
''Sancti  Caii,  Papae,  martyris  ossa."  Farther,  on  the  left, 
are  the  great  recently-suppressed  convent  of  the  Carmelites 
and  the  Church  of  S.  Teresa.  The  right  of  the  street  is 
bordered  by  the  orange-shaded  wall  of  the  Barberini  garden 
partially  destroyed  for  the  site  of  a  theater  in  1882. 

Between  S.  Caio  and  S.  Teresa  was  the  Studio  of  Over- 
beck^  the  venerable  German  devotional  painter,  who  died 
in  1869. 


,  CHAPTER    XII. 

THE     ESQUILINE, 

Golden  House  of  Nero — Baths  of  Titus  and  Trajan — S.  Pietro  in 
Vincoli — Frangipani  Tower — House  of  Lucrezia  Borgia — S.  War- 
tino  al  Monte — S.  Lucia  in  Selce — S.  Prassede — Santissimo  Re- 
dentore — Arch  of  Gallienus — Trophies  of  Marius — S.  Bibiana — 
Temple  of  Minerva  Medica— S.  Eusebio — S.  Antonio  Abbate — S. 
Maria  Maggiore. 

THE  ESQUILINE,  which  is  the  largest  of  the  so- 
called  "  hills  of  Rome,"  is  not  a  distinct  hill,  but 
simply  a  projection  of  the  Campagna.  "  The  Quirinal, 
Viminal,  Esquiline,  and  Coelian  stretch  out  toward  the 
Tiber,  like  four  fingers  of  a  hand,  of  which  the  plain 
whence  they  detach  themselves,  represents  the  vast  palm. 
This  hand  has  seized  the  world. " ' 

Varro  says  that  the  name  Esquiline  was  derived  from 
the  word  excultus,  because  of  the  ornamental  groves  which 
were  planted  on  this  hill  by  Servius  Tullius — such  as  the 
Lucus  Querquetulanus,  Fagutalis,  and  Esquilinus.^  The 
sacred  wood  of  the  Argiletum  long  remained  on  the  lower 
slope  of  the  hill,  where  the  Via  S.  Maria  dei  Monti  now  is. 

The  Esquiline,  which  is  still  unhealthy,  must  have  been 
so  in  ancient  times,  for  among  its  temples  were  those  dedi- 
cated to  Fever,  near  S.  Maria  Maggiore— to  Juno  Mephi- 
tis,^ near  a  pool  which  emitted  poisonous  exhalations — and 
to  Venus  Libitina,'  for  the  registration  of  deaths  and  ar- 
rangement of  funerals.  As  the  hill  was  in  the  hands  of 
the  Sabines,  its  early  divinities  were  Sabine.  Beside  those 
already  mentioned,  it  had  an  altar  of  the  Sabine  sun-god 
Janus,  dedicated  together  with  an  altar  to  Juno  by  the 
survivor  of  the  Horatii,' and  a  temple  of  Juno  Luci'va,  the 
goddess  of  birth  and  light. 

■  Ampfere,  Hist.  Rom.  i.  38.  '■'  Varro,  De  Ling.  Lai.  iv.  8. 

*  Fest.  7'.  Septimontio.  *  Amp6rc,  I/is/.  Koni.  i.  65.  '  Fest.  p.  297. 


SlOIiV   OF    THE   ESQUILINE.  417 

"  Monte  sub  Esquilio,  raullis  incaeduus  annis 
Junonis  magnae  nomine  lucus  crat." 

Ovid,  East.  ii.  435. 

This  hiil  has  two  hights.  That  which  is  crowned  by 
Santa  Maria  Maggiore  was  formerly  called  Cispius,  where 
Servius  TuUius  had  a  palace  ;  that  which  is  occupied  by 
S.  Pietro  in  Vincoli  was  formerly  called  Oppius,  where 
Tarquiniiis  Superbus  lived.  It  was  in  returning  to  his 
palace  on  the  former  (and  not  on  the  latter  hight,  as  gen- 
erally maintained)  that  Servius  Tullius  was  murdered. 

The  most  important  buildings  of  the  Esquiline,  in  the 
later  republican  and  in  imperial  times,  were  on  the  slope 
of  the  hill  behind  the  Forum,  and  near  the  Coliseum,  in 
the  fashionable  quarter  called  Carinae — the  "  rich  Ca- 
rinae," 

Passimque  armenta  videbant 
Romanoque  Foro  et  lautis  mugire  Carinis. " 

Virgil,  Ae;i.  viii.  361. 

The  principal  street  of  the  Carinae  probably  occupied  the 
site  of  the  present  Via  del  Colosseo.  At  the  entrance  of 
this  suburb,  where  the  fine  mediaeval  Torre  dei  Conti  now 
stands,  was  the  house  of  Spurius  Cassius  (Consul  B.C. 
493),  which  was  confiscated  and  demolished,  and  the 
ground  ordained  to  be  always  kept  vacant,  because  he  was 
suspected  at  aiming  at  regal  power.  Here,  however,  or 
very  nearly  on  this  site,  the  Aedes  Telluris,  or  temple  of 
Telluj,  was  erected  c  b.c.  269  ' — a  building  of  sufficient 
importance  for  the  senate,  summoned  by  Antony,  to  as- 
semble in  it.  The  quarter  immediately  surrounding  this 
temple  acquired  the  name  of  In  Tdhire,  which  is  still  re- 
tained by  several  of  its  modern  churches.^  Near  this 
temple,  "  in  tellure,"  lived  Pompey,  in  a  famous  though 
small  historical  house,  which  he  adorned  on  the  outside 
with  rostra  in  memory  of  his  naval  victories,  and  which 
was  painted  within  to  look  like  a  forest  with  trees  and 
birds,  much,  probably,  as  the  chambers  are  painted  which 
v/ere  discovered  a  fev/  years  ago  in  the  villa  of  Livia.' 
Here  Julia,  the  daughter  of  Julius  Caesar  and  wife  of 
Pompey,  died.     After  the  death  of  Pompey  this  house  was 

'  Cicero,  Pro  Doma  Szia^  -8  ;  Dionysius,  viii.  79  ;  Livy,  ii.  41. 
-  See  Dyer's  City  of  Rome,  p.  65.     The  Acts  of  the  Martyrs  mention  that  sev- 
eral  Christians  sufiered  In  tellure. 
•''  See  Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  iv.  421. 

i3* 


4i8  IVALKS  IN-  ROME. 

bought  by  the  luxurious  Antony.  I'he  difference  between 
its  two  masters  is  portrayed  by  Cicero,  who  describes  the 
severe  comfort  of  the  house  of  Pompey  contrasted  with 
the  vohiptuous  luxury  of  its  second  master,  and  winds  up 
his  oration  by  exclaiming  :  "  I  pity  even  the  roofs  and  the 
walls  under  the  change."  At  a  laier  period  the  same 
house  was  the  favorite  residence  of  Antonius  Pius.  Hard 
by,  in  the  Carinae,  the  popular  residence  of  Roman 
knights,  lived  the  father  of  Cicero,  and  hence  the  young 
Tuliius  went  to  listen  in  the  Forum  to  the  orators  whom 
he  was  one  day  to  surpass.'  Also  in  the  Carinae,  but  nearer 
the  site  of  the  Coliseum,  was  the  magnificent  house  of  the 
wealthy  Vedius  Pollio,  which  he  bequeathed  to  Augustus, 
who  pulled  it  down,  and  built  the  portico  of  Livia  on  its 
site  : 

"  Disce  tamen,  veniens  aetas,  ubi  Livia  nunc  est 
Porticus,  immensae  tecta  fuissc  domus. 
Urbis  opus  domus  una  fuit  ;  spatiumque  tenebat, 

Quo  brevius  muris  oppida  multa  tenent. 
Haec  aequata  solo  est,  nullo  sub  crimine  regni, 

Sed  quia  luxuria  visa  nocere  sua. 
Sustinuit  tantas  operum  subvertere  moles, 
Totque  suas  haeres  perdere  Caesar  opes." 

Ovid,  Fast.  vi.  639. 

At  its  opposite  extremity  the  Carinae  was  united  to  the 
unfashionable  and  plebeian  quarter  of  the  Sidmrra,  occupy- 
ing the  valley  formed  by  the  convergence  of  the  Esquiline, 
Quirinal,  and  Viminal — which  is  still  teeming  with  a 
crowded  population.  In'  one  of  the  small  streets  leading 
from  the  Vicus  Cyprius  (between  the  Esquiline  and  Vimi- 
nal) toward  the  Carinae,  was  the  Tigellum  So7'oris,  which 
was  extant — repaired  at  the  public  expense — till  the  fifth 
century.  This,  "the  Sister's  Beam,"  commemorated  the 
well-known  story  of  the  last  of  the  Horatii,  who,  returning 
from  the  slaughter  of  the  Curiatii,  and  being  met  by  his 
sister,  bewailing  one  of  the  dead  to  whom  she  was  be- 
trothed, stabbed  her  in  his  anger.  He  was  condemned  to 
death,  but  at  the  prayer  of  his  father  his  crime  was  expiated 
by  his  passing  under  the  yoke  of  "  the  Sister's  Beam." 
On  one  side  of  the  Tigellum  Sororis  was  an  altar  to  Juno 
Sororia  ;  on  the  other  an  altar  to  Janus  Curiatius.** 

•  See  Ampere,  Hist.  Rom   iv.  431.         "^  Liv.  i.  26  ;  Dionysius,  iii    22. 


STORY  OF    THE  E  SQL' I  LINE.  419 

During  the  empire  several  poets  had  their  residence  on 
the  Esquiline.  Virgil  lived  there,  near  the  gardens  of 
Maecenas,  which  covered  the  slopes  between  the  Esquiline 
and  Viminal.  Propertius  had  a  house  there,  as  we  learn 
from  himself — 

"  I,  puer,  et  citus  haec  aljqua  propone  columna 
Et  dominum  Esquiliis  scribe  habitare  tuum." 

Propert.  Elcg.  iv.  23. 

It  is  believed,  but  without  certainty,  that  Horace  also 
lived  upon  the  Esquiline.  He  was  constantly  there  in  the 
villa  of  Maecenas,  where  he  was  buried,  and  which  he  has 
described  in  his  poems  both  in  its  original  state  as  a 
desecrated  cemetery,  and  again  after  his  friend  had  con- 
verted it  into  a  beautiful  garden. 

"  Nunc  licet  Esquiliis  habitare  salubribus,  atque 
Aggere  in  aprico  spatiari,  quo  niodo  tristes 
Albis  informem  spectabant  ossibus  agrum." 

Sat.  i.  viii.  14. 

The  house  of  Maecenas,  the  great  patron  of  the  poets 
of  the  Augustan  age,  probably  occupied  a  site  above  the 
Carinae,  where  the  Baths  of  Titus  afterward  were.  It  was 
a  lofty  and  magnificent  edfiice,  and  is  described  by  Horace, 
who  calls  it — 

"  Fastidiosam  dcsere  copiam,  et 

Molem  propinquam  nubibus  arduis  : 
Omitte  mirari  beatae 

Fumum  et  opes,  strepitumque  Romae." 

Od.  iii.  2g. 

Maecenas  bequeathed  his  villa  to  Augustus,  and  Tibe- 
rius at  one  time  resided  in  it. 

Another,  though  less  well-known  poet  of  this  age,  who 
lived  upon  the  Esquiline,  was  Pedo  Albino vanus,  much 
extolled  by  Ovid,  who  lived  at  the  summit  of  the  Vicus 
Cyprius  (probably  the  Via  S.  Maria  Maggiore),  in  a  little 
house  : 

"  Illic  parva  tui  domus  Pedonis 
Caelat'i  est  aquilae  minore  penna." 

Martial,  x.  Ep.  19. 

Near  this  was  the  Lacus  Orphei,  a  fountain,  in  the  center 
of  which  was  a  rock,  &c.,  surmounted  by  a  statue  of  Or- 


420  WALKS  /V  ROME. 

pheus  with  the  enchanted  beasts  around  him.  The  house 
of  Pedo  was  afterward  inhabited  by  Pliny.  On  Septimius. 
as  the  farthest  slope  of  the  Esquiline  toward  the  Vnninal 
was  called,  lived  Maximus — of  whom  Martial  says  : 

"  Esquiliis  domus  est,  domus  est  tibi  colle  Dianae, 
Et  tua  patricius  culmina  vicus  habet  : 
Hinc  \iduae  Cybeles,  illinc  sacraria  Vestae, 
Inde  novum,  veterem  prospicis  inde  Jovem." 

Mart.  vii.  Ep.  73. 

Only  the  northern  side  of  the  Esquiline  is  inhabited ; 
the  southern  portion  is  still  partially  clothed  with  vineyards 
and  gardens,  sprinkled  over  with  titanic  masses  of  rain. 
On  many  parts  of  the  hill  one  might  imagine  oneself  far 
away  in  the  country.  In  the  time  of  Niebuhr,  the  dweller 
amid  the  vines  of  the  Es(]uiline,  when  he  descended  into 
the  city,  still  said,  "I  am  going  to  Rome." 


Nero  (a.d.  54-68)  purchased  the  site  of  the  villa  of 
Maecenas,  and  covered  the  whole  side  of  the  hill  towara 
the  Carinae  with  the  vast  buildings  of  his  Golden  House, 
which  also  swallowed  up  the  Coelian  and  a  great  part  of 
the  Palatine  ;  but  he  did  not  destroy  the  buildings  which 
already  existed,  and  "  the  Golden  House  was  still  the  old 
mansion  of  Augustus  and  the  villa  of  Maecenas  connected 
by  a  long  series  of  columns  and  arches."  '  Titus  (a.d. 
79-81)  and  Trajan  (a.d.  98-117)  used  part  of  the  same 
site  for  their  baths,  and  the  ruins  of  all  these  buildings  are 
now  jumbled  up  together,  and  the  varying  whims  of  anti- 
quaries have  constantly  changed  the  names  of  each  frag- 
ment that  has  been  discovered. 

The  more  interesting  of  these  ruins  are  on  the  southern 
slope  of  the  Esquiline  toward  the  Coliseum,  and  are  most 
easily  approached  from  the  Via  Polveriera.  They  are 
shown  now  as  the  Baths  of  Titus,  or  Camere  Esquiline, 
and  occupy  a  space  of  about  1,150  feet  by  S50.  That  the 
chambers  which  are  now  visible  were  to  be  seen  in  the 
time  of  Leo  X.  (1513-22)  we  learn  from  Vasari,  who  says 
that  Raffaelle  and  Giovanni  da  Udine  were  wont  to  study 
there  and  copy  the  arabesques  to  assist  their  work  in  the 
Vatican  Loggie.     After  this,  neglect  and  the  falling  in  of 

'  Mcrivale,  Romatu  urdcr  the  Empire,  ch.  liii. 


SLTTE    SALE.  421 

the  soil  caused  these  treasures  to  be  lost  till  1774,  when 
they  were  again  partially  unearthed,  but  they  were  only 
completely  brought  to  view  by  the  French,  who  began  to 
take  the  work  in  hand  in  181 1,  and  continued  their  exca- 
vations for  three  years. 

The  principal  remains,  which  are  now  exhibited  by  the 
dim  torch  of  a  solitary  cicerone,  are  those  of  nine  cham- 
bers, extending  for  300  feet,  and  having  on  the  north  a 
kind  of  corridor,  or  cryptoporticus,  whose  vault  is  covered 
with  paintings  of  birds,  griffins  and  flowers,  etc.  In  two 
of  these  halls  are  alcoves  for  couches,  and  in  one  is  a  cavity 
for  a  fountain  with  a  trench  round  it,  like  that  in  the  nym- 
phaeum  of  the  palace  of  the  Caesars.  In  one  of  the  halls 
is  a  group  representing  Venus  attended  by  two  Cupids, 
with  doves  hovering  over  her.  Near  this  a  pedestal  is 
shown  as  that  occupied  by  the  Laocoon,  though  it  was 
really  found  in  the  Vigna  de'  Fredis,  between  the  Sette 
Sale  and  S.  Maria  Maggiore.  A  set  of  thirty  engravings, 
published  by  Mirri,  from  drawings  taken  in  1776,  show 
what  the  paintings  were  at  that  time,  but  very  few  now  re- 
main perfect.  A  group  of  Coriolanus  and  his  Mother,  rep- 
resented in  Mirri's  work,  is  now  inaccessible.  All  the 
paintings  are  Pompeian  in  character,  and  for  some  time 
were  considered  the  best  remains  of  ancient  pictorial  art 
in  Rome,  but  they  are  greatly  faded  and  are  inferior  to 
those  which  have  since  been  discovered  on  the  Latin  Way 
and  at  the  Baths  of  Livia.  The  chambers  which  open  be- 
yond the  nine  outer  halls  are  considered  to  be  part  of  the 
Golden  House.  In  one  of  these  the  Meleager  of  the 
Vatican  was  found.  A  small  chapel,  dedicated  to  S. 
Felicitas  and  her  seven  sons  (evidently  ingrafted  upon  the 
pagan  building  in  the  sixth  century)  was  discovered  in 
18 1 3.  It  is  like  the  chapels  in  the  catacombs,  and  is  dec- 
orated with  the  conventional  frescoes  of  the  Good  Shep- 
hord,  Daniel  in  the  Lions'  Den,  &c.  There  are  also  seme 
faint  remains  of  a  fresco  of  the  sainted  patrons. 

Behind  the  convent  of  S.  Pietro  in  Vincoli  are  other 
ruins  called  the  Sette  Sale,  being  remains  of  the  reservoirs 
(in  reality  nine  in  number)  for  the  Baths.  In  these  vine- 
yards also  are  three  large  circular  ruins,  adorned  on  the  in- 
terior with  rows  of  niches  for  statues.  One  of  them  is 
partly  built  into  the  Polveriera,  or  powder  magazine.  These 


422 


ll^ALKS  nV  ROME. 


have  been  referred   alternately  to   the  Baths  of  Titus  and 
those  of  Trajan. 

Immediately  behind  the  Forum  of  Nerva  stands  the 
colossal  brick  tower,  known  as  the  Torre  dei  Conti,  and 
built  by  Innocent  III.  (1198-1216)  as  a  retreat  for  his 
family,  now  extinct.  Its  architect  was  Marchione  d'Arezzo, 
and  it  was  so  much  admired  by  Petrarch  that  he  declared 
it  "  had  no  equal  upon  earth  ;  "  he  must  have  meant  in 
hight.  Four  of  the  Conti  have  mounted  the  papal  throne, 
Innocent  III.,  Gregory  IX.,  Alexander  IV.,  and  Innocent 
XIII.  The  last  named  pope  (1721-24)  boasted  of  having 
"  nine  uncles,  eight  brothers,  four  nephews,  and  seven 
great  nephews  ;  "  yet — a  century  after — and  not  a  Conti 
remained. 

If  we  turn  to  the  left  close  to  this,  we  shall  find,  in  a 
commanding  position,  the  famous  church  of  S.  Pietro  in 
Vincoli,  said  to  have  been  originally  founded  a.d.  109 
by  Theodora,  sister  of  Hermes,  Prefect  of  Rome,  both  con- 
verts of  the  then  pope,  who  was  the  martyr  S.  Alexander 
of  the  basilica  in  the  Campagna.  A  bolder  legend  attrib- 
utes the  foundation  to  S.  Peter  himself,  who  is  believed  to 
have  dedicated  this  church  to  his  Divine  Master.  History, 
however,  can  assign  no  earlier  foundation  than  that  in  442, 
by  the  Empress  Eudoxia,  wife  of  Valentinian  III.,  from 
whom  the  church  takes  its  name  of  the  Endoxian  Basilica, 
and  who  placed  there  one  of  the  famous  chains  which  now 
form  its  great  attraction  to  Roman  Catholic  pilgrims. 

"  The  chains,  left  in  the  Mamertine  Prisons  after  S.  Peter's  confine- 
ment there,  are  said  to  have  been  found  by  the  martyr  S.  Balbina,  in 
126,  and  by  her  given  to  Theodora,  another  sainted  martyr,  sister  to 
Hermes,  Prefect  of  Rome,  from  whom  they  passed  into  the  hands  of 
S.  Alexander,  first  pope  of  that  name,  and  were  finally  deposited  by 
him  in  the  church  erected  by  Theodora,  where  they  have  since  re- 
mained. Such  is  the  legendary,  but  the  historic  origin  of  this  basilica 
cannot  be  traced  higher  than  about  the  middle  of  the  fifth  century, 
subsequent  to  the  year  439,  when  Juvenal,  Bishop  of  Jerusalem,  pre- 
sented to  the  Empresss  Eudoxia,  wife  of  Theodosius  the  younger,  two 
chains,  believed  to  be  those  of  S.  Peter,  one  of  which  was  placed  by 
her  in  the  basilica  of  the  apostles  at  Constantinople,  and  the  other  sent 
to  Rome  for  her  daughter  Eudoxia,  wife  of  Valentinian  III.,  who 
caused  this  church,  hence  called  Eudoxian,  to  be  erected,  as  the  special 
shrine  of  Peter's  chains." — Hemans. 

One  chain  had   been  sent   to    Rome   by  Eudoxia   the 


S.    PIETRO  IN    VINCOLI. 


423 


elder,  and  the  other  remained  at  Constantinople,  but  the 
Romans  could  not  rest  satisfied  with  the  possession  of 
half  the  relic  ;  and  within  the  walls  of  this  very  basilica, 
Leo  I.  beheld  in  a  vision  the  miraculous  and  mystical 
uniting  of  the  two  chains,  since  v/hich  they  have  both  been 
exhibited  here,  and  the  day  of  their  being  soldered  to- 
gether by  invisible  power,  August  i,  has  been  kept  sacred 
in  the  Latin  Church  ! 

The  church  is  at  present  entered  by  an  ugly  atrium, 
which  was  the  work  of  Fontana  in  1705  ;  but  Baccio  Pin- 
telli  had  already  done  almost  all  that  was  possible  to  de- 
stroy the  features  of  the  old  basilica,  under  the  Cardinal 
Titular  of  the  church,  Giulio  della  Revere,  the  same  who, 
as  Pope  Julius  IL,  destroyed  the  old  S.  Peter's  and  eighty- 
seven  tombs  of  his  predecessors.  By  Pintelli  the  present 
capitals  were  added  to  the  columns  in  the  nave,  and  the 
horizontal  architrave  above  them  was  exchanged  for  a 
series  of  narrow  round-headed  arches. 

But,  in  spite  of  alterations,  the  interior  is  still  imposing. 
Two  long  lines  of  ancient  fluted  Doric  columns  (ten  on 
each  side),  relics  of  the  Baths  of  Titus  or  Trajan,  which 
once  covered  this  site,  lead  the  eye  to  the  high  altar,  sup- 
posed to  cover  the  remains  of  the  seven  Maccabean  broth- 
ers, and  to  the  tribune,  which  contains  an  ancient  episcopal 
throne,  and  is  adorned  with  frescoes,  illustrative  of  the  life 
of  S.  Peter,  by  Jacopo  Coppi,  a  Florentine  of  the  sixteenth 
century.  Beneath  these  is  the  tomb  of  Giulio  Clovio,  the 
great  miniature  painter  of  the  sixteenth  century,  who  was  a 
canon  of  this  church. 

On  the  left  of  the  entrance  is  the  tomb  of  Antonio  Polla- 
juolo,  the  famous  worker  in  bronze,  and  his  brother 
Pietro.  The  fresco  above,  which  is  ascribed  to  Pollajuolo, 
refers  to  the  translation  of  the  body  of  S.  Sebastian,  as 
"  Depulsor  Pestilitatis,"  from  the  catacombs  to  this  church 
— one  of  the  most  picturesque  stories  of  the  middle  ages. 
The  great  plague  a.d.  680  was  ushered  in  by  an  awful 
vision  of  the  two  angels  of  good  and  evil,  who  wandered 
through  the  streets  by  night,  side  by  side,  when  the  one 
smote  upon  the  door  where  death  was  to  enter,  unless 
arrested  by  the  other.  The  people  continued  to  die  by 
hundreds  daily.  At  length  a  citizen  dreamed  that  the  sick- 
ness would  cease  v/hen  the  body  of  S.  Sebastian  should  be 


4  24  IV A  LA'S  IN  ROME. 

brought  into  the  city,  and  when  this  was  done  the  pesti- 
lence was  stayed,  in  the  fresco  the  whole  story  is  told. 
In  the  background  the  citizen  tells  his  dream  to  Pope  Aga- 
tho,  who  is  seated  among  his  cardinals.  On  the  right  the 
angels  of  good  and  evil  (the  bad  angel  represented  as  a 
devil)  are  making  their  mysterious  visitation,  on  the  left  a 
procession  is  bringing  in  the  relics,  and  the  foreground  is 
strewn  with  the  corpses  of  the  dead.  The  general  invoca- 
tion of  S.  Sebastian  in  Italy,  and  the  frequent  introductic  n 
of  his  figure  in  art,  have  their  origin  in  this  story. 

At  the  entrance  of  the  left  aisle  is  a  fine  bass-relief  of  S. 
Peter  throned,  delivering  his  keys  to  an  angel,  who  ac- 
knowledges the  supremacy  of  the  apostle  by  receiving 
them  on  his  knees.  This  v\'ork  was  executed  in  1465,  and 
serves  as  a  monument  to  the  Cardinal  de  Cusa,  Bishop  of 
Brixen,  whose  incised  gravestone  lies  beneath. 

Over  the  second  altar  is  a  most  interesting  mosaic  of 
680,  representing  in  old  age,  the  S.  Sebastian  whom  we 
are  accustomed  to  see  as  a  beautiful  youth,  wounded  with 
arrows — which  he  survived  : 

"  A  single  figure  in  mosaic  exists  as  an  altar-piece  in  S.  Pietro  in 
Vincoli.  It  is  intended  for  S.  Sebastian,  whose  relics  were  removed 
to  tlie  churcli  by  Pope  Agathon,  on  occasion  of  the  plague  in  6S0,  and 
doubtless  executed  soon  after  this  date.  As  a  specimen  of  its  kind  it 
is  very  remarkable.  There  is  no  analogy  between  this  figure  and  the 
usual  youthful  type  of  S.  Sebastian  which  was  subsequently  adopted. 
On  the  contrary,  t  he  saint  is  represented  here  as  an  old  man  with  white 
hair  and  beard,  carrying  the  crown  of  martyrdom  in  his  hand,  and 
dressed  from  head  to  foot  in  true  Byzantine  style.  In  his  countenance 
there  is  still  some  life  and  dignity.  The  more  careful  shadowing  also 
of  the  drapery  shows  that,  in  a  work  intended  to  be  so  much  exposed 
to  the  gaze  of  the  pious,  more  pains  were  bestowed  than  usual  ;  never- 
theless, the  figure,  upon  the  whole,  is  very  inanimate  ;  the  ground  is 
blue.' ' — Kttgler. 

The  first  altar  in  the  right  aisle  has  a  picture  of  S. 
Augustine  by  Gucrcino  ;  then  come  tombs  of  Cardinals 
Margotti  and  Agucci,  from  designs  of  Domenichi/w,  who 
has  uitroduced  a  portrait  of  the  former  in  his  monument. 
At  the  end  of  this  aisle  is  a  beautiful  picture  of  S.  M.argaret 
and  the  Dragon  by  Guercino ;  the  saint  is  inspired,  and 
displaying  no  sign  of  fear, — an  earthly  impulse  only  appear- 
ing in  the  motion  of  her  hand,  which  seems  pushing  back 
the  dragon. 


S.    PIETRO  IN    VINCOLI.  425 

"  S.  Margaret  was  daughter  of  a  priest  of  Antioch  named  Theo- 
dosius,  and  was  brought  up  as  a  Christian  by  her  nurse,  whose  sheep 
she  watched  upon  the  hills,  while  meditating  upon  the  mysteries  of 
the  gospel.  The  governor  of  Antioch  fell  in  love  with  lier  and  wislied 
to  marry  her,  but  she  refused,  and  declared  herself  a  CiirisLian.  Her 
friends  thereupon  deserted  her,  and  the  governor  tried  to  subdue  her 
by  submitting  her  to  horrible  tortures,  amid  which  her  faith  did  not 
fail.  She  was  then  dragged  to  a  dungeon,  where  Satan,  in  the  form 
of  a  terrible  dragon,  came  upon  her  with  his  inflamed  and  hideous 
mouth  wide  open,  and  sought  to  terrify  and  confound  her  ;  but  she 
held  up  the  cross  of  the  Redeemer,  and  he  fled  before  it.  She  finally 
suffered  death  by  decapitation.  Her  legend  was  certainly  known  in 
the  fifth  century  ;  in  the  fourteenth  century  she  was  one  of  the  favorite 
saints,  and  was  specially  invoked  by  women  against  the  pains  of  child- 
birth. 

"  '  Mild  Margarete,  that  was  God's  maide  ; 

Maid  Margarete,  that  was  so  meeke  and  milde.'  " 

Sea  Jameson's  Sacred  and  Legendary  Art,  V.  i. 

Here  is  the  glory  of  the  church — the  famous  Moses  of 
Michael  Angela,  forming  part  of  the  decorations  of  the  un- 
finished monument  of  JuUus  II. 

"  This  pope,  whom  nature  had  intended  for  a  conqueror,  and  destiny 
clothed  with  the  robe  of  a  priest,  takes  his  place  by  the  side  of  the 
great  warriors  of  the  sixteenth  century,  by  the  side  of  Charles  V.,  of 
Francis  I.,  of  Gonsalvo,  of  Cortes,  of  Alba,  of  Bayard,  and  of  Doria. 
It  is  difficult  to  imagine  Julius  H.  murmuring  prayers,  or  saying  mass 
in  pontifical  robes,  and  performing,  in  the  midst  of  all  those  unmanly 
functions  and  thousand  passive  forms,  the  spirit-deadening  part  which 
is  assigned  to  the  popes,  while  his  soul  was  on  fire  with  great-hearted 
designs,  and  while  in  the  music  of  the  psalms  he  seemed  to  hear 
the  thunder  of  cannon.  He  wished  to  be  a  prince  of  the  church  ; 
and  with  the  political  instinct  of  a  prince  he  founded  his  state  in  the 
midst  of  the  most  difficult  wars  against  France,  and  unhesitatingly  con- 
quered and  took  possession  of  Bologna,  Piacenza,  Parma,  Reggio,  and 
Urbino.   .  .  . 

"  The  greatest  pope  since  Innocent  III.,  and  the  creator  of  a  new 
political  spirit  in  the  papacy,  he  wished,  as  a  second  Augustus,  to 
glorify  himself  and  his  creation.  He  took  up  again  the  projects  of 
Nicholas  V.  Rome  should  become  his  monument.  To  carry  out  his 
designs  he  found  the  genius  of  Eramante  and  Raffaelle,  and,  above 
all,  that  of  Michael  Angelo,  who  belonged  to  him  like  an  organ  of  his 
being.  S.  Peter's,  of  which  he  laid  the  foundation-stone,  the  paint- 
ings of  the  Sistine  the  loggie  of  Bramante,  the  stanze  of  Raffaelle, 
are  memorials  of  Julius  the  Second." — Gregorovius  Grabmaler  dcr 
Fapste. 

Most  of  all  Julius  11.  sought  immortality  in  his  tomb,  for 
ivhich  the  original  design  was  absolutely  gigantic.  Eigh- 
teen feet  high,  and  twelve  wide,  it  was  intended  to  contain 


426  WALKS  I.Y  ROME, 

more  that  forty  statues,  which  were  to  inckide  Moses,  S. 
Peter  and  S.  Paul,  Rachel  and  Leah,  and  chanicd  figures 
of  the  Provinces,  while  those  of  the  Heaven  and  the  Earth 
were  to  support  the  sarcophagus  of  tlie  pope.  This  project 
was  cut  short  by  the  death  of  Julius  in  1513,  when  only 
four  of  the  statues  were  finished,  and  eight  designed.'  Of 
those  which  were  finished,  three  statues,  the  Moses,  the 
Rachel,  and  the  Leah,  were  afterward  used  for  the  exist- 
ing memorial,  which  was  put  together  under  Paul  IIL  by 
the  Duke  of  Urbino,  heir  of  Julius  IL — in  this  church  of 
which  his  uncle  had  been  a  cardinal. 

"  The  eye  does  not  know  where  to  rest  in  this  the  masterpiece  of 
sculpture  since  the  time  of  the  Greeks.  It  seems  to  be  as  much  an 
incarnation  of  the  genius  of  Michael  Angelo  as  a  suitable  allegory  of 
Pope  Julius.  Like  Moses,  he  was  at  once  lawgiver,  priest  and  war- 
rior. The  figure  is  seated  in  the  central  niche,  with  long-flowing 
beard  descending  to  the  waist,  with  horned  head  and  deep-sunk  eyes, 
which  blaze,  as  it  were,  with  the  light  of  the  burning  bush,  with  a 
majesty  of  anger  which  makes  one  tremble,  as  of  a  passionate  being, 
drunken  with  fire.  All  that  is  positive  and  all  that  is  negative  in  him 
is  equally  dreadful.  If  he  were  to  rise  up,  it  seems  as  if  he  would 
shout  forth  laws  which  no  human  intellect  could  fathom,  and  which, 
instead  of  improving  the  world,  would  drive  it  back  into  chaos.  His 
voice,  like  that  of  the  gods  of  Homer,  would  thunder  forth  in  tones  too 
awful  for  the  ear  of  man  to  support.  Yes  !  there  is  something  infi- 
nite which  lies  in  the  Moses  of  Michael  Angelo.  Nor  is  his  counte- 
nance softened  by  the  twilight  of  sadness  which  is  stealing  from  his 
forehead  over  his  eyes.  It  is  the  same  deep  sadness  which  clouded 
the  countenance  of  Michael  Angelo  himself.  But  here  it  is  less  touch- 
ing than  terrible.  The  Greeks  could  not  have  endured  a  glance  from 
such  as  Moses,  and  the  artist  would  certainly  have  been  blamed,  be- 
cause he  had  thrown  no  softening  touch  over  his  gigantic  picture. 
That  which  we  have  is  the  archetype  of  a  terrible  and  quite  unap- 
proachable sublimity.  This  statue  might  take  its  place  in  the  cell  of 
a  colossal  temple,  as  that  of  Jupiter  Ammon,  but  the  tomb  where  it 
is  placed  is  so  little  suited  to  it,  that,  regarded  ev«-r.  only  as  its  frame,  it 
is  too  small." — Gi-egorovius. 

On  either  side  of  the  principal  figure  are  niches  contain- 
ing Michael  Angelo's  statues   of  Rachel  and  Leah, — em- 

-  "  Des  huit  figures  ^bauchdes  11  y  en  a  deux  aujourd'hut  au  musde  du  Louvre 
(les  deux  esclaves).  Lorsque  MichclAnpe  eul  renonce  ii  son  plan  primitif  i!  en 
fit  don  i  Roberto  Strozzi.  Des  mains  dc  Strozzi  elles  passerent  dans  cclles  de 
Francois  I",  ct  puis  dans  cclles  du  connc^table  de  Montmorency,  qui  les  pla^ai 
son  chateau  d'Ecouen,  d'ou  elles  sont  venues  au  Louvre.  Puatre  autres/r/jY)«- 
niers  sont  places  dans  la  grotte  dc  Buontalenti  au  .iardi"^ri  du  Palais  Patti,  ^ 
Florence.  Un  LToupe,  rcprdsentanl  une  fig-ure  virile  en  lerrassant  une  seconde, 
se  voit  aujaurd  hui  dans  la  grandc  salle  del  Cinouccetito,  au  Palais  vieux  dc 
Florence,  oil  elle  fut  placfe  par  Co  me  I"."     /'.  Sabaticr. 


THE   CHAINS  OF  S.   PETER.  ^zy 

blematic  of  active  and  contemplative  life.  Those  abo\e, 
of  the  Prophet  and  the  Sybil,  are  by  Raffaelle  da  Monte- 
lupo,  his  best  pupil  ;  on  the  summit  is  the  Madonna  with 
the  Infant  Jesus  by  Scherano  da  Settignano.  The  worst 
ligure  of  the  whole  is  that,  by  Maso  dal  Bosco,  of  the  pope 
himself,  who  seems  quite  overwhelmed  by  the  grandeur  of 
his  companions,  and  who  lies  upon  a  pitiful  sarcophagus, 
leaning  his  head  upon  his  hand,  and  looking  down  upon 
the  Moses.  He  is  represented  with  the  beard  which  he 
was  the  first  pope  to  re-introduce  after  an  interval  of 
many  centuries, — and  it  is  said  to  have  been  from  his 
example  that  Francis  I.,  Charles  V.,  and  others,  adopted 
it  also. 

After  all,  Julius  11.  was  not  buried  here,  and  the  tomb 
is  merely  commemorative.  He  rests  beneath  a  plain 
marble  slab  near  his  uncle  Sixtus  IV.,  in  the  chapel  of  the 
Sacrament  at  S.  Peter's. 

Close  to  the  Moses  is  the  entrance  to  the  chapel  in  which 
the  chains  are  preserved,  behind  a  bronze  screen — the 
work  of  Pollajuolo.  They  are  of  unequal  size,  owing  to 
many  fragments  of  one  of  them  (first  whole  links,  then 
only  filings)  having  been  removed  in  the  course  of  centu- 
ries by  various  popes  and  sent  to  Christian  princes  who 
have  been  esteemed  worthy  of  the  favor  !  ^  The  longest  is 
about  five  feet  in  length.  At  the  end  of  one  of  them  is  a 
collar,  which  is  said  to  have  encircled  the  neck  of  S.  Peter. 
They  are  exposed  on  the  day  of  the  "station"  (the  first 
Monday  in  Lent)  in  a  reliquary  presented  by  Pius  IX., 
adorned  with  statuettes  of  S.  Peter  and  the  angel — to 
whom  he  is  represented  as  saying,  "  Ecce  nunc  scio  vere."  * 
On  the  following  day  a  priest  gives  the  chains  to  be 
kissed  by  the  pilgrims,  and  touches  their  foreheads  with 
them,  saying,  "  By  the  intercession  of  the  blessed  Apostle 
Peter,  may  God  preserve  you  from  evil.     Amen." 

"  Peter,  therefore,  was  kept  in  prison  :  but  prayer  was  made  with- 
out ceasing  of  the  church  unto  God  for  him.  And  when  Herod  would 
have  brought  him  forth,  the  same  night  Peter  was  sleeping  between  two 
soldiers,  bound  with  two  chains  :  and  the  keepers  before  the  door  liept 
the  prison.  And,  behold,  the  angel  of  the  Lord  came  upon  him,  and 
a  light  shined  in  the  prison  :  and  he  smote   Peter  on  the  side,  and 

'  The  wife  of  Oswy,  king  of  Northumberland,  received  a  g^olden  key  contain- 
ing filings  of  the  chains  from  Pope  Vitalianus,  in  the  sixth  century. 
^  Acts  xii.  II. 


4  28  IVALKS  IN  ROME. 

raised  him  up,  saying,  Arise  up  quickly.     And  his  chains  fell  off  from 
his  liands." — Acts  xii.  5-7. 

Other  relics  preserved  here  are  portions  of  the  crosses  of 
S.  Peter  and  S.  Andrew,  and  the  body  of  S.  Costanza. 

The  sacristy,  opening  out  of  this  cliapel,  contains  a  num- 
ber of  pictures,  including  very  appropriately  the  Deliver- 
ance of  S.  Peter  from  Prison,  by  Domcnichino.  Here,  till 
a  few  years  ago,  was  preserved  the  famous  and  beautiful 
small  picture,  known  as  the  Speranza  of  Guido.  It  has 
lately  been  sold  by  the  monks  to  an  Englishman,  and  is  re- 
placed by  a  copy. 

In  this  church  Hildebrand  was  crowned  pope  as  Greg- 
ory VII.  (1073).  Stephen  IX.  was  also  proclaimed  here 
in  939.  rhe  adjoining  convent  was  built  from  designs  of 
Giuliano  San  Gallo.  Its  courtyard  contains  a  picturesque 
well  (with  columns),  bearing  the  arms  of  Julius  II.,  by  Si- 
mottt  Mosca.  The  arcades  were  decorated  in  the  present 
century  with  frescoes  by  Pielro  Camosd,  as  a  votive  offering 
for  his  recovery  from  cholera,  to  S.  Sebastian,  "  depulsori 
pestilitatis." 

Opposite  S.  Pietro  in  Vincoli  is  a  convent  of  Maronite 
monks,  in  whose  garden  is  a  tall  palm-tree,  perhaps  the 
finest  in  Rome.  In  the  view  from  the  portico  of  the  church 
(somewhat  spoilt  of  late  years)  it  forms  a  conspicuous 
feature,  and  the  combination  of  the  old  tower,  the  palm- 
tree,  and  the  distant  Capitol,  standing  out  against  the 
golden  sky  of  sunset,  is  one  very  familiar  to  Roman  artists. 

The  tall  machicolated  Tower  o\\  the  right  was  once  a 
fortress  of  the  Frangipani  family,  who  obtained  their  glori- 
ous surname  of  *'  bread-breakers "  from  the  generosity 
which  they  showed  in  the  distribution  of  food  to  the  poor 
during  a  famine  in  the  thirteenth  century.  The  tower  is 
now  used  as  a  belfry  to  the  adjoining  church  of  S.  Francesco 
(H  Paolo ^  being  the  only  medi;T3val  fortress  tower  applied  to 
this  purpose.  The  adjoining  building  is  known  as  the 
House  of  Ljicrezia  Borgia,  and  the  balcony  over  the  gateway 
on  the  other  side  is  pointed  out  as  that  in  which  she  used 
to  stand  meditating  on  her  crimes.  Here  Caesar  Borgia 
and  his  unhappy  brother,  the  Duke  of  Gandia,  supped  with 
Lucrezia  and  their  mother  Vanozza,  the  evening  before 
the  murder  of  the  duke,  of  whirh  Caesar  was  accused  by 
popular  belief.      It  is  worth  while  to  descend  under  the 


S.    MARTI  NO  AL   MONTE. 


429 


low-browed  arch  from  the  church  piazza,  and  look  back 
upon  this  lofty  house,  with  its  steep,  dark,  winding  stair- 
case,—a  most  picturesque  bit  of  street  architecture,  which 
looks  better  the  farther  you  descend.  The  Via  S.  Fran- 
cesco di  Paolo  is  considered  by  Ampere  '  to  have  been  the 
place  where  the  house  of  the  Horatii  and  the  Tigellum 
Sororis  once  stood. 

Following  tlie  narrow  lane  behind  S.  Pietro  we  reach,  on 
the  left,  S.  Martina  al  Monte,  the  great  church  of  the  Car- 
melites, which,  though  of  uninviting  exterior,  is  of  the 
highest  interest.  It  was  built  a.d.  500  by  S.  Symmachus, 
and  dedicated  to  the  saints  Silvestro  and  Martino,  on  the 
site  of  an  older  church  founded  by  S.  Sylvester  in  the  time 
of  Constantine.  After  repeated  alterations,  it  was  modern- 
ized in  1650  by  Filippini,  General  of  the  Carmelites.  The 
nave  is  separated  from  the  aisles  by  twenty-four  ancient 
Corinthian  columns.  The  aisles  are  painted  with  land- 
scapes by  Caspar  Poiissin,  having  figures  introduced  by 
his  brother  Nicholas.  The  roof  is  an  addition  by  S.  Carlo 
Borromeo. 

The  pillars  of  different  marbles  are  magnificent,  and  the 
effect  of  the  raised  choir,  with  winding  staircases  to  the 
crypt  below,  is  highly  picturesque.  On  the  walls  are  fres- 
coes by  Cavaluccio  (ob.  1795),  who  is  buried  in  the  left 
aisle.  The  collection  of  incised  gravestones  deserves  at- 
tention :  they  comprise  those  of  a  knight  in  mail  armor  of 
1349  ;  Cardinal  Diomede  Caraffa,  with  a  curious  epitaph  ; 
and  various  generals  and  remarkable  monks  of  the  Carmel- 
ite order.  Beneath  the  high  altar  rest  the  bodies  of  Popes 
Sergius,  Silvester,  Martin  I.,  Fabian,  Stephen  I.,  Soter, 
Ciriacus,  Anastasius  and  Innocent  I.,  with  several  saints 
not  papal,  removed  hither  from  the  catacombs.  In  the 
curious  crypt,  part  of  the  Baths  of  Titus,  the  early  Council 
of  Sylvester  and  Constantine  was  held,  as  represented  in 
the  fresco  in  the  left  aisle  of  the  upper  church.  The  back 
of  the  ancient  chair  of  Silvester  still  remains,  green  with 
age  and  damp.  In  the  chapel  on  the  left,  where  S.  Silves- 
ter used  to  celebrate  mass,  is  an  ancient  mosaic  of  the 
Madonna.  In  front  of  the  papal  chair  is  the  grand  sepul- 
chral figure  of  a  Carmelite,  who  was  General  of  the  Order 
in  the  time  of  S.  Teresa.     An  urn  contains  the  intestines 

'  Hist.  Rom-  i.  464. 


43° 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


of  the  "  Beato  "  Cardinal  Giuseppe-Marie  de  Tommasis, 
who  died  in  1713.  His  body  is  preserved  beneath  an  altar 
in  the  left  aisle  of  the  upper  church,  and  is  dressed  in  his 
cardinal's  robes. 

"  In  1650  was  reopened,  beneath  SS.  Martino  e  Silvestro,  the  long- 
forgotten  oratoiy  formed  (according  to  Anastasius)  by  Sylvester  among 
the  halls  of  Trajan's  Thermae — or,  more  probably,  in  an  antique  pal- 
ace adjacent  to  those  imperial  baths — and  called  by  Christian  writers 
'  Titulus  Equitii,'  from  the  name  of  a  Roman  priest  then  proprietor  of 
the  ground.  Now  a  gloomy,  time-worn  and  sepulchral  subterranean, 
this  structure  is  in  form  an  extensive  quadrangle,  under  a  high-hung 
vault,  divided  into  four  aisles  by  massive  square  piers  ;  the  central  bay 
of  one  aisle  adorned  with  a  large  red  cross,  painted  as  if  studded  with 
gems  ;  and  ranged  round  this,  four  books,  each  within  a  nimbus,  ear- 
liest symbolism  to  represent  the  Evangelists.  Among  the  much-faded 
and  dimly-seen  frescoes  on  these  dusky  walls,  are  figures  of  Ihe 
Saviour  between  SS.  Peter  and  Paul,  besides  other  saints,  each  crowned 
by  a  large  nimbus." — Hentans'  Ancient  Sacred  Art. 

Here  is  preserved  a  miter,  probably  the  most  ancient 
extant,  and  said  to  be  that  of  S.  Sylvester,  who  lived  intlie 
fourth  century,  and  who  was  the  first  Latin  bishop  to  wear 
the  miter  originally  worn  by  the  priests  of  pagan  temples. 
This  ancient  miter  is  so  low  as  to  rise  only  just  above- the 
crown  of  the  head. 

This  church  was  dedicated  to  S.  Martin,  the  Holy  Bishop 
of  Tours,  v.-ithin  a  hundred  years  after  his  death,  showing 
the  very  early  veneration  with  which  that  saint  was  re- 
garded. 

Leaving  S.  Martino  by  the  other  door,  near  the  tribune, 
we  emerge  at  the  top  of  the  steep  street  called  S.  Lucia  in 
Seici — so  named  from  being  paved — selciata — with  polyg- 
onal blocks  of  basalt.  The  street  is  the  same  as  that 
described  by  Martial  in  going  to  visit  the  younger  Pliny 
as — 

"  Altum  vincere  tramitem  Suburrae." 

Lib.  X.  Ep.  19,  5. 

And  again — 

"  Alta  Suburrani  vincenda  est  semita  cHvi." 

Lib.  V.  Ep.  23,  5. 

Here  is  a  whole  group  of  convents.  In  the  hollow  is 
the  convent  of  S.  Francesco  di  Paolo,  with  several  others. 
Just  above  (in  the  Via  Quattro  Cantoni)  is  the  convent  of 
the  Oratorians,  or  S.  Filippo  Neri.      At  this  point  also  are 


S.    PRASSEDE.  40  J 

two  medaeival  towers,  one  inclosed  within  the  convent 
walls  of  S.  Lucia  in  Selci,  the  other  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  street,  supposed  by  some  to  be  the  tower  of  T^Iaecenas, 
celebrated  by  Horace. 

On  the  left,  as  we  mount  the  street,  is  the  House  of 
Dotneiiichino  (Domenico  Zampieri),  whose  residence  here 
is  commemorated  by  an  inscription.  A  little  farther  we 
reach,  on  the  right,  the  picturesque  tenth-century  west  gate 
(a  high  narrow  arch  upon  Ionic  columns,  sadly  spoilt  and 
beplastered  of  late  years)  of  the  Church  of  S.  Frasscde, 
which  leads  into  the  atrium  of  the  church.  This  is  seldom 
open,  but  we  can  enter  by  a  door  in  the  north  aisle. 

S.  Prassede  was  sister  of  S.  Pudentiana,  and  daughter 
of  Pudens  and  his  wife  Claudia,  with  whom  S.  Paul  lodged, 
and  who  were  among  his  first  converts  (see  Chap.  X. ) 
She  gave  shelter  in  her  house  to  a  number  of  persecuted 
Christians,  twenty-three  of  whom  were  discovered  and 
martyred  in  her  presence.  She  then  buried  their  bodies  in 
the  catacombs  of  her  grandmother,  S.  Priscilla,  but  col- 
lecting their  blood  in  a  sponge,  placed  it  in  a  well  in  her 
own  house,  where  she  v.as  eventually  buried  herself.  An 
oratory  is  said  to  have  been  erected  on  the  site  by  Pius  I., 
A.D.  499,  when  it  is  mentioned  in  the  acts  of  a  Council. 
In  A.D.  82 2  the  original  church  was  destroyed,  and  the 
present  church  erected  by  Paschal  I.,  of  whose  time  are 
the  lov,-  tower,  the  porch,  the  terra-cotta  cornices,  and  the 
mosaics.  During  the  absence  of  the  popes  at  Avignon,  S. 
Prassede  was  one  of  the  many  churches  which  fell  almost 
into  ruin,  and  it  has  since  suffered  terribly  from  injudicious 
modernizations,  first  in  the  fifteenth  century  from  Rosellini, 
under  Nicholas  V.,  and  afterward  under  S.  Carlo  Bor- 
romeo  in  1564. 

The  interior  is  a  basilica,  the  nave  being  separated  from 
the  a.isles  by  sixteen  granite  columns,  many  of  which  have 
been  boxed  up  in  hideous  stucco  pilasters,  decorated  with 
frescoes  of  apostles  ;  but  their  Corinthian  capitals  are 
visible,  carved  with  figures  of  birds  (the  eagle,  cock  and 
dove)  in  strong  relief  against  the  acanthus  leaves.  The 
nave  is  divided  into  four  compartments  by  arches  rising 
from  the  square  pilasters  ;  the  roof  is  coft"ered. 

In  the  right  aisle  is  the  entrance  to  the  famous  chape), 
called,  from  its  unusual  and  mysterious  splendor,  the  Orti 


432 


WALKS  I.V  ROME. 


del  Paradiso — originally  dedicated  to  S.  Zeno,  then  to  the 
Virgin,  and  finally  to  the  great  relic  which  it  contains. 
Females  are  never  allowed  to  enter  this  shrine  except  upon 
Sundays  in  Lent,  but  can  see  the  relic  through  a  grating. 
Males  are  admitted  by  the  door  which  is  flanked  by  two 
columns  of  rare  black  and  white  marble,  supporting  a  richly- 
sculptured  marble  cornice,  above  which  are  two  lines  of 
mosaic  heads  in  circlets — in  the  outer,  the  Saviour  and  the 
twelve  apostles  ;  in  the  inner,  the  Virgin  between  S.  Ste- 
phen and  S.  Laurence,  with  eight  female  saints  ;  at  the 
angles  S.  Pudens  and  S.  Pastor.  In  the  interior  of  the 
chapel  four  granite  columns  support  a  lofty  groined  vault, 
which,  together  with  the  upper  part  of  the  vv-alls,  is  entirely 
covered  with  mosaic  figures,  standing  out  distinctly  from  a 
gold  ground. 

"  Here  are  SS.  Peter  and  Paul  before  a  throne,  on  which  is  the 
cross,  but  no  seated  figure  ;  the  former  apostle  holding  a  single  gold 
key,'  the  latter  a  scroll  ;  S.  John  the  Evangelist  with  a  richly-bound 
volume  ;  SS.  James  and  Andrew,  the  two  daughters  of  Pudens,  and 
S.  Agnes,  all  in  rich  vestments,  and  holding  crowns  ;  the  Virgin  Mary 
(a  vailed  matronly  figure),  and  S.  John  the  Baptist  standing  beside 
her  ;  under  the  arch  of  a  window,  another  half-figure  of  Mary,  with 
three  other  females,  all  having  the  nimbus,  one  crowned,  one  with  a 
square  halo  to  indicate  a  person  still  living  ;  above  these,  the  Divine 
Lamb  on  a  hill,  from  which  the  four  rivers  issue,  with  stags  drinking 
of  their  waters  ;  above  the  altar,  the  Saviour,  between  four  other 
saints, — figures  in  part  barbarously  sacrificed  to  a  modern  tabernacle 
that  conceals  them.  On  the  vault  a  colossal  half-figure  of  the  Saviour, 
youthful  but  severe  in  aspect,  with  cruciform  nimbus,  appears  in  a 
large  circular  halo  supported  by  four  archangels,  solemn  forms  in  long 
white  vestments,  that  stand  finely  distinct  in  the  dim  light.  Within  a 
niche  over  the  altar  is  another  mosaic  of  the  Virgin  and  Child,  with 
the  two  daughters  of  Pudens,  in  which  Rumohr  (Italienische  Forsche) 
observes  ruder  execution,  indicating  origin  later  than  the  ninth  cen- 
tury."— He/nans'  Ancient  Christian  Art. 

The  relic  preserved  here  (one  of  the  principal  objects  of 
pilgrimage  in  Rome)  is  the  column  to  which  our  Saviour  is 
reptited  to  have  been  bound,  said  to  have  been  given  by  the 
Saracens  to  Giovanni  Colonna,  cardinal  of  this  church,  and 
legate  of  the  crusade,  because,  v/hen  he  had  fallen  into 
their  hands  and  was  about  to  be  put  to  death,  he  was  res- 
cued by  a  marvelous  intervention  of  celestial  light.  Its  being 

'  "  Ciampini  j^ives  an  engraving  of  this  figure  without  the  key ;  a  detail,  there- 
fore, to  be  ascribed  to  restorers :— surely  neither  justifiable  nor  judicious." — He- 
mans. 


S.    PRASSEDE. 


433 


of  the  rarest  blood-jasper  is  a  reason  against  its  authentic- 
ity ;  the  pecuUarity  of  its  formation  having  even  given  rise 
to  the  mineralogical  term,  "  Granito  della  Colonna."  A 
disk  of  porphyry  in  the  pavement  marks  the  grave  of  forty 
martyrs  collected  by  Paschal  I.  The  mother  of  that  pope 
is  also  buried  here,  and  the  inscription  commemorating  her 
observes  an  ancient  ecclesiastical  usage  in  allowing  her  the 
title  of  "episcopa  :  "  Ubi  utique  benignissimae  suae  gcnitri- 
cis,  scilicet  Dominae  T/ieodorae,  Episcopae  corpus  quiescit."  In 
this  chapel  Paschal  I.  saw  the  spirit  of  his  nephew  dragged 
to  heaven  by  an  angel,  through  the  little  \vindov\^,  while  he 
was  saying  a  mass  for  his  soul. 

The  high  altar  covers  the  entrance  to  a  small  crypt,  in 
which  are  two  ancient  sarcophagi,  containing  the  remains 
of  the  sainted  sisters  Prassede  and  Pudentiana  An  altar 
here,  richly  decorated  with  mosaic,  is  shown  as  that  which 
existed  in  the  house  of  Prassede.  Above  is  a  fresco,  re- 
ferred to  the  twelfth  century,  representing  the  Madonna 
between  the  sainted  sisters.  At  the  end  of  the  left  aisle  is 
a  large  slab  of  granite  (nero-bianco)  upon  which  S.  Pras- 
sede IS  said  to  have  slept,  and  above  it  a  picture  of  her 
asleep.  In  the  center  of  the  nave  is  the  well  where  she 
collected  the  blood,  with  a  hideous  statue  of  her  squeezing 
it  out  of  a  sponge. 

The  chapel  at  the  end  of  the  left  aisle  is  that  of  S.  Carlo 
Borromeo,  who  was  cardinal  of  this  church,  and  contains 
his  episcopal  throne  (a  wooden  chair)  and  a  table,  at  which, 
like  S.  Gregory,  he  used  to  feed  and  wait  upon  twelve 
poor  men  daily.  The  pictures  in  this  chapel,  by  Louis 
Stem,  represent  S.  Carlo  in  prayer,  and  in  ecstacy  before 
the  Sacrament.  In  the  cloister  is  an  old  orange-tree  which 
was  planted  by  him,  and  which  is  still  flourishing. 

Opposite  the  side  entrance  of  the  Orto  del  Paradise  is 
the  tomb  of  Cardinal  Cetive  (1474),  with  his  sleeping  figure 
and  statuettes  of  SS.  Peter  and  Paul,  S.  Prassede,  and  S. 
Pudentiana.  This  will  recall  Browning's  quaint,  forcible 
poem  of  "  The  Bishop  who  orders  his  tomb  at  S.  Praxed's 
church." 

"  Srint  Praxe  I's  ever  was  the  chuicli  for  peace. 

And  there  how  I  shall  lie  through  centuries. 
And  hear  the  blessed  mutter  of  the  mass, 


434 


WALKS  IN  HOME. 

And  see  God  made  and  eaten  all  day  long, 
And  feel  the  steady  candle  ilanie,  and  taste 
Good  strong,  thick,  stupefying  incense-smoke  ! " 

Other  tombs  of  interest  are  those  of  Cardinal  Ancherus, 
who  was  assassinated  outside  of  the  Porta  S.  Giovanni  in 
1286 — a  most  noble  altar-tomb,  designed  by  one  of  the 
Cosmati,  in  a  chapel  close  to  the  side  entrance  ;  and  Mon- 
signor  Santoni,  a  bust  said  to  have  been  executed  by  Ber- 
nini wlien  only  ten  years  old. 

Two  pictures  in  side  chapels  are  interesting  in  a  Vallom- 
brosan  church,  as  connected  with  saints  of  that  order — one 
representing  S.  Pietro  Aldobrandini  passing  through  the 
furnace  at  Settimo  ;  and  another  the  martyrdom  of  Car- 
dinal Beccaria,  put  to  death  at  Florence  (whither  he  was 
sent  by  Alexander  IV.  to  make  peace  between  the  Guelfs 
and  Ghibellines) — and  consigned  to  hell  by  Dante. 

"  Quel  di  Eeccaria, 

Di  cui  sego  Fioienza  la  gorgiera." — Itifertto,  xxxii. 

Steps  of  magnificent  rosso-antico  lead  to  the  tribune, 
which  is  covered  with  mosaics  of  a.d.  817-824.  Those  on 
the  arch  represent  the  heavenly  Jerusalem  ;  within  is  the 
Saviour  with  a  cruciform  halo — the  hand  of  the  First  Per- 
son of  the  Trinity  holding  a  crown  over  his  head — and  S. 
Peter  and  S.  Paul  bringing  in  the  sainted  sisters  of  the 
church  ;  on  the  right  Pope  Paschal  I./  with  a  model  of  his 
church  ;  on  the  left,  S.  Zeno  (?).  Above  these  figures  is 
the  Adoration  of  the  spotless  Lamb,  and  beneath  their  feet 
the  Jordan  ;  below  all,  is  the  Lamb  again,  with  the  twelve 
sheep  issuing  from  the  mystic  cities  of  Jerusalem  and 
Bethlehem,  and  verses  recording  the  work  of  Paschal  L 

"  The  arrangement  of  saints  at  S.  Prassede  (Si 7)  is  altogether  dif- 
ferent from  that  at  Ravenna,  but  equally  striking.  Over  the  grand  arch 
which  separates  the  choir  from  the  nave  is  a  mosaic,  representing  the 
New  Jerusalem,  as  described  in  the  Revelations.  It  is  a  walled  in- 
closure,  with  a  gate  at  each  end,  guarded  by  angels.  Within  is  seen 
the  Saviour  of  the  World,  holding  in  his  hand  the  orb  of  sovereignty, 
and  a  company  of  the  blessed  seated  on  thrones  ;  outside,  the  noble 
army  of  martyrs  is  seen  approaching,  conducted  and  received  by  an- 
gels. They  are  all  arrayed  in  white,  and  carry  crowns  in  their  hands. 
Lower  down,  on  each  side,  a  host  of  martyrs  press  forward  with  palms 
and  crowns,  to  do  homage  to  the  Lamb,  throned  in  the  midst.     None 

'  With  a  square  nimbus,  denoting  execution  in  his  hfetime,  as  at  S.  Cecilia  and 
S.  Maria  in  Navicella. 


ARCH  GF   GALLIEXUS. 


435 


of  the  martyrs  are  distinguished  by  name,  except  those  to  whom  the 
church  is  dedicated — S.  Prassede  and  her  sister  Pudentiana." — Mrs. 
Jartieson. 

While  Pope  Gelasius  II.  was  celebrating  mass  in  this 
church,  he  was  attacked  by  armed  bands  of  the  inimical 
houses  of  Leone  and  Frangipani,  and  was  only  rescued  by 
the  assistance  of  his  nephew  Gaetano,  after  a  conflict  of 
some  hours.  Hence  in  1630,  Moriandi,  abbot  of  S.  Pras- 
sede, was  suddenly  carried  off  and  put  to  fearful  tortures, 
which  resulted  in  his  death,  ostensibly  on  account  of  ir- 
regularities in  his  convent,  but  really  because  he  had  been 
heard  to  speak  against  Urban  VIII.' 

In  the  sacristy  is  preserved  a  fine  picture  by  Giulio  Ro- 
mano of  the  Flagellation — especially  appropriate  in  the 
church  of  the  Colonna. 

Hence  the  curious  campanile  of  the  old  church  (built 
1 1 10  and  adorned  with  rude  frescoes)  may  be  entered,  and 
a  loggia  whence  the  great  relics  of  the  church  are  exhibit- 
ed at  Easter,  including — portions  of  the  crown  of  thorns, 
of  the  sponge,  of  the  Virgin's  hair,  and  a  miniature  portrait 
of  our  Saviour,  said  to  have  belonged  to  S.  Peter,  and  to 
have  been  left  by  him  with  the  daughters  of  Pudens. 

The  Monastery  attached  to  the  church,  founded  by 
Paschal  I. ,  was  first  occupied  by  Basilian,  but  since  11 98 
has  belonged  to  Vallombrosan  monks.  Nothing  remains 
of  the  mosaic-covered  chapel  of  S.  Agnes,  built  by  the 
founder  within  its  walls. 

Where  the  Via  S.  Prassede  crosses  the  road  leading  from 
S.  Maria  Maggoire  to  the  Lateran,  is  the  modern  gothic 
church  of  //  Santissimo  Redentore,  belonging  to  the  Redemp- 
torists. 

A  little  beyond  this,  attached  to  the  Church  of  S.  Vito, 
from  which  it  has  sometimes  been  named,  is  the  Anh  of 
Gallienus  (supposed  to  occupy  the  site  of  the  Esquiline 
gate  in  the  wall  of  Servius),  dedicated  to  Gallienus  (a.d. 
253-260)  and  his  Empress  Salonina,  by  Marcus  Aurelius 
Victor,  evidently  a  court-flatterer  of  the  period,  who  was 
prefect  of  Rome  and  possessed  gardens  on  this  spot. 
The  original  plan  had  three  arches :  only  that  in  the  cen- 
ter remains,  but  traces  of  another  m.ay  be  seen  on  the  side 
next  the  church.     Gallienus  was  a  cruel  and  self-indulgent 

'  Sec  Hemans"  Cathdi-:  I/:ily. 


436  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

emperor,  who  excited  the  indignation  of  the  Romans  by 
leaving  his  old  father,  Valerian,  to  die  a  captive  in  the 
hands  of  the  Persians,  so  that  the  inscription,  "  Clemerdis- 
simo  p7-indpi  cuius  invicta  virtus  sola  pietate  super aia  est,'  is 
singularly  false,  even  for  the  time. 

"  II  arrivait  a  Gallien  de  faire  tuer  trois  ou  quatre  mille  soldats  en 
un  jour,  et  il  ecrivait  des  lettres  comnie  celle-ci,  adresste  a  un  de  ses 
generaux  :  '  Tu  n'auras  pas  fait  assez  pour  inoi,  si  tu  ne  mats  a  mort 
que  des  hommes  armes,  car  le  sort  de  la  guerre  aurait  pu  les  faire 
perir.  II  faut  luer  quiconque  a  eu  une  intention  mauvaise,  quiconque 
a  mal  parlc  de  moi.  Dechire,  tue,  extermine  :  iacera,  occide,  concide." 
Eetre  dans  Byzance  en  promettant  leur  pardon  aux  troupes  qui  avaient 
combattu  centre  lui,  il  les  fit  egorger,  et  les  soldats  ravagerent  la  villa 
au  point  qu'il  n'y  resta  pas  un  habitant.  Voila  pour  la  cle'mence. 
Tandis  que  Valerien,  son  pere,  etait  prisonnier  du  roi  des  Perses 
Sapor,  qui  pour  monter  e  cheval  se  servait  du  dos  du  vieil  empereur 
comme  d'un  marche-pied,  en  attendant  qu'il  le  fit  empailler,  I'indigne 
fils  de  Valerien  vivat  au  sien  des  plus  honteuses  voluptes,  et  ne  tentait 
pas  un  seul  effort  pour  le  delivrer.  Voile  pour  la  vaillance  et  la 
\>\iti."— Ampere,  Enip.  ii.  334. 

Close  to  this,  Gallienus  had  ordered  a  statue  of  himself 
to  be  erected,  which  was  to  be  double  the  hight  of  the 
colossus  of  Nero,  but  it  was  unfinished  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  and  destroyed  by  his  successor.  From  the  center 
of  the  arch  hung,  from  the  thirteenth  century,  the  chain 
and  keys  of  the  gates  of  Viterbo,  removed  at  the  same 
time  as  the  great  bell  of  the  Capitol.  These  interesting 
memorials  of  middle-age  warfare  were  taken  down  in  1825. 

Passing  under  the  arch  we  enter  upon  the  Via  Maggiore, 
the  main  artery  leading  to  Santa  Croce.  Here,  till  1876, 
stood  the  humble  convent  of  the  Monache  Folacche, 
where  the  long-suffering  Madre  Makrena,  the  sole  survi- 
vor of  the  terrible  persecution  of  the  nuns  of  Mnisk, 
lived  in  the  closest  retirement  after  her  escape  in  1845. 

The  story  of  the  cruel  sufferings  of  the  Polish-Basilian  nuns  of 
Minsk  reminds  one  of  the  worst  persecutions  of  the  early  Christians, 
under  Nero  and  Diocletian.  Makrena  Miaczylslawska  was  abbess  of 
a  convent  of  thirty-eight  nuns,  whom  the  apostate  bishop  Siemasko 
first  tried  to  compel  to  the  Greek  faitli  in  the  summer  of  1838.  Their 
refusal  led  to  their  being  driven,  laden  with  chains,  to  Witepsk,  in 
Siberia,  where  they  were  forced  to  hard  labor,  many  of  them  being 
beaten  to  death,  one  roasted  alive  in  a  hot  stove,  and  another  having 
her  brains  beaten  out  with  a  stake  by  the  abbess  of  the  Czernicc  (apos- 
tate nuns),  on  their  persisting  in  their  refusal  to  change  their  religion. 
In  J  840  the  surviving  nuns  were  removed  to  Potock,  whore  they  were 


VILLA    PALOMBARA. 


437 


forced  to  work  at  building  a  palace  for  the  bishop  Siemasko,  and  where 
nine  of  them  perished  by  a  falling  scaffold,  and  many  others  expired 
under  the  heavy  weights  they  were  compelled  to  carry,  or  under  the 
lash.  In  1S42  their  tortures  were  increased  tenfold,  eight  of  the  sisters 
having  their  eyes  torn  out,  and  others  being  trodden  to  death.  In 
1843  those  who  still  survived  were  removed  to  jNiiad^ioly,  where  the 
"  protopope  Skrykin  "  said  that  he  would  "  drown  them  like  puppies." 
and  where  they  were  dragged  by  boats  through  the  shallows  of  the  half- 
frozen  Dwina,  up  to  their  necks  in  water,  till  many  died  of  the  cold. 
In  the  spring  of  1845,  Makrena,  with  the  only  three  nuns  who  survived 
with  the  use  of  their  limbs  (Eusebia  Wawrzecka,  Clotilda  Konarska 
and  Irene  Pomarnacka),  scaled  the  walls  of  their  prison  while  the 
priests  and  nuns  who  guarded  them  weie  lying  drunk  after  an  orgie. 
and  after  wandering  for  three  months  in  the  forests  of  Lithuania,  made 
good  their  escape.  The  nuns  remained  in  \'ienna  ;  the  abbess,  after  a 
series  of  extraordinary  adventures,  arrived  in  Rome,  where  she  was  at 
first  lodged  in  the  convent  of  the  Trinita  de'  Monti.  The  story  of  the 
nuns  of  Minsk  was  taken  down  from  her  dictation  at  the  same  time  by 
a  number  of  eminent  ecclesiastics  authorized  by  the  pope,  and  the  au- 
thenticity of  her  statements  verified  ;  after  which  she  retired  into  com- 
plete seclusion  in  the  Polish  convent  on  the  Esquiline.  where  she  long 
filled  the  humble  office  of  portress,  iler  legs  were  eaten  into  the  bone 
by  the  chains  she  wore  in  her  prison  life.  The  story  of  the  persecution 
at  Minsk  may  be  read  in  "  Le  Recit  de  Makrena  Miaczylslawska." 
published  at  Paris  by  Lecoffre,  in  1846  ;  in  a  paper  by  Charles 
Dickens,  in  the  "  Household  Words,"  for  May,  1854  ;  and  in  "  Pict- 
ures of  Christian  Heroism,"  1855. 

Nearly  opposite  the  site  of  this  convent  is  the  picturesque 
ruin  of  a  nymphaeum,  probably  of  the  time  of  Septimius 
Severus,  erroneously  called  The  Trophies  of  Marius,  from 
the  trophies  now  on  the  terrace  in  front  of  the  Capitol, 
which  were  found  here. 

Beyond  this,  on  the  right,  was  the  entrance  of  the  Villa 
Falombara^  occupying  a  great  part  of  the  site  of  the  Baths 
of  Titus. 

"  This  villa  once  belonged  to  Queen  Christina  of  Sweden,  who  has 
left  upon  the  little  doorway  exactly  opposite  the  ruin  called  the  Trophies 
of  Marius  a  curious  record  of  her  credulity.  It  consists  of  a  collection 
of  unintelligible  words,  signs  and  triangles,  given  her  by  some  alche- 
mist, as  a  rule  to  make  gold,  and  which,  no  doubt,  he  had  found  suc- 
cessful, having  obtained  from  her,  and  probably  from  many  other 
votaries,  abundance  of  that  precious  metal  in  exchange  for  it.  But  as 
she  could  make  nothmg  of  it,  she  caused  it  to  be  inscribed  here,  in 
case  any  passenger,  wiser  than  herself,  should  be  able  to  develop  the 
mystic  signs  of  this  golden  secret." — Eaton's  Rome. 

Though  the  existing  ruin  is  misnamed,  the  trophies 
erected  in  honor  of  the  victories  which  Marius  gained  over 


438  WALK'S  I.V  ROME. 

the  Cimbri  were  really  set  u[)  near  this;  and,  curiously 
enough,  on  this  site,  also,  Marius  was  defeated  at  the  "  Forum 
Esquiiinum "  by  Sulla,  who  suddenly  descended  upon 
Rome  from  Nola  with  six  legions,  and  entering  by  the  Porta 
Esquilina,  met  his  adversary  here,  and  forced  him  to  fly  to 
Ostia. 

On  the  left,  close  to  the  Trophies  of  Marius,  is  the 
entrance  to  the  courtyard  of  the  Church  and  Monastery  0/ 
S.  Eusebio,  built  upon  the  site  of  the  house  of  the  saint,  a 
priest  of  noble  family,  martyred  by  starvation  under  Con- 
stantius,  a.d.  357.  His  body  rests  under  the  high  altar, 
with  that  of  S.  Orosus,  a  Spanish  priest,  who  suffered  at 
the  same  time.  The  ceiling  of  the  church  is  painted  by 
Mengs,  and  represents  the  apotheosis  of  the  patron  saint. 
The  campanile  dr.tes  from  1220.  In  this  convent  (which 
was  conceded  to  the  Jesuits  in  1825  by  Leo  XII.)  English 
clergymen  about  to  join  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  used 
frequently  to  "  make  a  retreat  "  before  their  reception. 

Close  to  the  city  wall,  at  some  distance  on  the  left,  is 
the  desolate  Church  of  S.  Bibiana. 

In  the  time  of  Julian  the  Apostate  there  dwelt  in  Rome  a  Christian 
family,  consisting  of  Flavian,  his  wife  Dalfrosa,  and  his  two  daugh- 
ters, Bibiana  and  De.Tietria.  All  these  died  for  their  faith.  Flavian 
was  exiled,  and  died  of  starvation  ;  Dalfrosa  was  beheaded  ;  the  sisters 
were  imprisoned  (a.d.  362)  and  scourged,  and  Demetria  died  at  once 
under  the  torture.  Bibiana  glorified  God  by  longer  sufferings.  Ap- 
ronius,  the  prefect  of  the  city,  astonished  by  her  beauty,  conceived  a 
guilty  passion  for  her,  and  placed  her  under  the  care  of  one  of  his 
creatures  named  Ruhna,  who  was  gradually  to  bend  her  to  his  will. 
But  Bibiana  repelled  his  proposals  with  horror,  and  her  firmness  ex- 
cited him  to  such  fury  that  he  commanded  her  to  be  bound  to  a  col- 
umn and  scourged  to  compliance.  "  The  order  was  executed  with 
all  imaginable  cruelty ;  rivers  of  blood  flowed  from  each  wound,  and 
morsels  of  flesh  were  torn  away,  till  even  the  most  barbarous  specta- 
tors were  stricken  with  horror.  The  saint  alone  continued  immov- 
able, with  her  eyes  fixed  upon  heaven.  an<l  her  countenance  radiant 
with  celestial  peace, — until  her  body  being  torn  to  pieces,  her  soul  es- 
caped to  her  heavenly  bridegroom,  to  receive  the  double  crown  of 
virginity  and  martyrdom."  ' 

After  the  death  of  Bibiana,  her  body  was  exposed  to  dogs  for  three 
days  in  the  Forum  Boarium,  but  remained  unmolested  ;  after  which 
it  was  stolen  at  night  by  John  the  priest,  who  buried  it  here. 

The  church,  founded  in  the  fifth  century  by  Olympia,  a 
Roman  matron,  was  modernized  by   Bernini    for    Urban 

'  Croirct,   \'ie  dcs   Sat  nit. 


HORTI  LAMIANI. 


439 


VIII.,  and  has  no  external  appearance  of  antiquity.  The 
interior  is  adorned  with  frescoes  ;  those  on  the  right  are 
by  Agostino  Ciampclii  ;  those  on  the  left  are  considered  by 
Lanzi  as  the  best  works  of  Pictro  da  Cortona.  They 
portray  in  detail  the  story  of  the  saint : 

1.  Bibiana  refuses  to  sacrifice  to  idols. 

2.  The  death  of  Demetria. 

3.  Bibiana  is  scourged  at  the  column. 

4.  The  body  of  Bibiana  is  watched  over  by  a  dog. 

5.  Olympia  founds  the  church,  which  is  dedicated  by  Pope  Sim- 
plicius. 

The  statue  of  the  saint  at  the  high  altar  is  considered 
the  masterpiece  of  Bernini-  It  is  dignified  and  graceful, 
and  would  hardly  be  recognized  as  his  work. 

"  This  statue  is  one  of  his  earliest  works  ;  and  it  is  said  that  when 
Bernini,  in  advanced  life,  returned  from  France,  he  uttered  on  seeing 
it,  an  involuntary  expression  of  admiration.  '  But,'  added  he,  '  had  I 
always  worked  in  this  style,  I  should  have  been  a  beggar.'  This 
would  lead  us  to  conclude  that  his  own  taste  led  him  to  prefer  sim- 
plicity and  truth,  but  that  he  was  obliged  to  conform  to  the  cor- 
rupted predilection  of  the  age. " — Eaton  s  Rome. 

The  remains  of  this  saint  are  preserved  beneath  the 
altar,  in  a  splendid  sarcophagus  of  oriental  alabaster, 
adorned  with  a  leopard's  head.  A  column  of  rosso-an- 
lico  is  shown  as  that  to  which  S.  Bibiana  was  bound 
during  her  flagellation.  The  fete  of  the  martyred  sisters 
is  observed  with  great  solemnity  on  December  2. 

"  II  est  touchant  de  voir,  le  jour  de  la  fete,  le  Chapitre  entier  de  la 
grande  et  somptueuse  basUique  de  Sainte.Marie-Majeure  venirproces- 
sionnellement  a  cette  modeste  eglise  et  celebrer  de  solennelles  et  pom- 
peuses  ceremonies  en  I'honneur  de  ces  deux  vierges  et  leur  mere  : 
c'est  que  si  ces  trois  femmes  etaient  faibles  et  ignorees  selon  le  monde, 
elles  sont  devenues,  par  leur  foi,  fortes  et  sublimes  ;  et  I'Eglise  ne 
croit  pouvoir  trop  faire  pour  glori.'ier  une  pareille  grandeur." — Im- 
pressions (Tune  CathoUque  a  Rome. 

On  or  near  this  site  were  the  Horti  Lamiani,  in  which 
the  Emperor  Caligula  was  hastily  buried  after  his  assas- 
sination, A.D.  41,  though  his  remains  were  shortly  after- 
ward disinterred  by  his  sister  and  burned.  These  gardens 
were  probably  the  property  of  Aelius  Lamia,  to  whom 
Horace  addressed  one  of  his  odes.'     At  an  earlier  period 

»  I.  a6. 


440  WALKS  IN  ROME, 

Aelius  Tubero  lived  here,  celebrated  for  his  virtue,  his 
poverty,  and  his  little  house,  where  sixteen  members  of 
the  Aelian  Gens  dwelt  harmoniously  together.'  He  mar- 
ried the  daughter  of  L.  Aemiiius  Pauius,  "  who,"  says 
Plutarch,  "though  the  daughter  of  one  who  had  twice 
been  consul  and  twice  triumphed,  did  not  blush  for  the 
poverty  of  her  husband,  but  admired  the  virtue  which 
had  made  him  poor." 

Beyond  the  Trophies  of  Marius  is  an  open  plain  mapped 
out  for  the  streets  of  a  new  tov^'n,  which  will  probably 
never  be  finished.  Instead  of  having  Roman  names,  these 
streets  are  for  the  most  part  to  be  called  after  former  kings 
of  Sardinia,  utterly  without  interest  here.  Many  ancient 
fragments  have  been  destroyed,  but  here  and  there  the 
long  lines  of  the  level  are  still  broken  by  ruins,  of  which 
the  most  conspicuous  is  that  generally  known  as  the  Temple 
of  Minerva  Medica,  from  a  false  impression  that  the  Gius- 
tiniani  Minerva,  now  in  the  Vatican,  was  found  there." 

The  earlier  topographers  give  this  building  the  name  of 
Terme  di  Galuzze,  which  has  been  interpreted  to  refer  to 
baths  in  the  Garden  of  Gallienus.  The  ruin  is  a  decagon, 
with  a  vaulted  brick  roof,  and  nine  niches  for  statues  ; 
those  of  Aesculapius,  Antinous,  Hercules,  Adonis,  Pomona, 
and  (the  Farnese)  Faun,  have  been  found  on  the  site.  Un- 
til the  making  of  the  railway  amid  its  vineyards  and  gar- 
dens, this  ruin  was  one  of  the  most  desolate  in  Rome  ;  and 
until  the  spoiling  hand  of  Signor  Rosa  was  laid  upon  it, 
its  crown  of  lentiscus  and  other  shrubs  made  it  indescrib- 
ably picturesque.     Now  it  is  not  worth  a  visit. 

Near  this  is  a  curious  Columbarium  of  the  Arrutiiia 
Family,  and  a  brick-lined  hollow,  supposed  to  be  part  of 
the  Naumachia,  which  Dion  Cassius  says  that  Augustus 
constructed  "  in  the  grove  of  Caius  and  Lucius." 

Some  obscure  remains  discovered  near  this,  in  recent 
alterations,  and  resembling  a  miniature  theater,  have  been 
called,  without  much  reason,  the  Auditorium  of  Maecenas. 

Returning  toward  S.  Maria  Maggiore,  on  the  left  is  (or 
was)  a  Cross  on  a  pedestal  formed  by  a  cannon  reversed, 
and  inscribed  "  In  hoc  signo  vinces," — a  memorial  of  the 
absolution  given  by  Clement  VIII.  in  1595  to  Henry  IV. 

'  Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  iii.  177. 

"  It  was  found  in  the  gardens  of  the  convent  of  S.  Maria  sopra  Minerva. 


S.   A.VTOAVO   ABBATE.  441 

of  France,  on  his  being  received  into   the  Roman  Catholic 
Church. 

Opposite  this  is  a  pecuhar  round-arched  doorway — 
unique  in  Rome,  but  reached  by  steps  since  the  lowering 
of  the  street  in  1S76.  It  forms  the  entrance  to  the  Church 
of  S.  Antonio  Abbate,  said  to  occupy  the  site  of  a  temple 
of  Diana.  The  interior  is  decorated  with  very  coarsely- 
executed  frescoes  of  the  life  of  the  saint — his  birth,  his 
confirmation  by  a  bishop  who  predicted  his  future  saint- 
ship,  and  his  temptation  by  the  devil  in  various  forms, 

"  S.  Antonio,  called  '  the  patriarch  of  monks,'  became  a  hermit  in 
his  twentieth  year,  and  lived  alone  in  the  Egyptian  desert  till  his  fifty- 
fifth  year,  when  he  founded  his  monastery  of  Phaim,  where  he  died  at 
the  age  of  105,  having  passed  his  life  in  perpetual  prayer,  and  often 
having  tasted  no  food  for  three  days  at  a  time.  In  the  desert  Satan 
was  permitted  to  assault  him  in  a  visible  manner,  to  terrify  him  with 
dismal  noises  ;  and  once  he  so  grievously  beat  him  that  he  lay  almost 
dead,  covered  with  bruises  and  wounds.  At  other  times  the  fiends  at- 
tacked him  with  terrible  clamors,  and  a  variety  of  specters,  in  hideous 
shapes,  of  the  most  frightful  wild  beasts,  which  they  assumed  to  din- 
may  and  terrify  him  ;  till  a  heavenly  ray  of  light  breaking  in  upon  him, 
chased  them  away,  and  caused  him  to  cry  out,  '  Where  wast  thou,  my 
Lord  and  Master  ?  Why  wast  thou  not  with  me  ? '  And  a  voice  an- 
swered, '  Anthony,  I  was  here  the  whole  time  ;  I  stood  by  thee,  and 
beheld  thy  combat  :  and  because  thou  hast  manfully  withstood  thy 
enemies  I  will  always  protect  thee,  and  will  render  thy  name  famous 
throughout  the  earth.'  " — Butler  s  Lives  of  the  Saints. 

"  Surely  the  imagery  painted  on  the  inner  walls  of  Egyptian  tombs, 
and  probably  believed  by  Anthony  and  his  compeers  to  be  connected 
with  devil-worship,  explains  his  visions.  In  the  '  Words  of  the 
Elders '  a  monk  complains  of  being  troubled  with  '  pictures,  old  and 
new.'  Probably,  again,  the  pain  which  Anthony  felt  was  the  agony 
of  a  fever,  and  the  visions  which  he  saw  its  delirium." — Kingsley': 
Hermits. 

In  the  chapel  of  S.  Antonio  is  a  very  ancient  mosaic 
representing  a  tiger  tearing  a  bull. 

"  Le  tigre  en  mosaique  conserve  dans  I'eglise  de  S.  Antoine,  patron 
des  animaux,  est,  selon  toute  apoarence,  le  portrait  d'un  acteur  re- 
nomme." — Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  iv.  28. 

Hither  on  the  week  following  the  feast  of  S.  Anthony 
(January  17),  horses,  mules,  and  cows  are  brought  to  be 
blessed  as  a  preservative  against  accidents  for  the  year  to 
come.  On  the  23d,  the  horses  of  the  Pope,  Prince  Bor- 
ghese,  and  other  Roman  grandees  (about  half-past  two 
P.M.)    are    sent   for    this  purpose.      All  the   animals    are 


442 


jr.! LA'S  I.V  ROME. 


sprinkled  with  holy  water  by  a  priest,  who  receives  a  gift 
in  proportion  to  the  wealth  of  their  master,  and  recites 
over  each  group  the  formula — 

"  Per  intercessionem  beati  Antonii  Abbatis,  haec  animalia  liberentur 
a  malis,  in  nomine  Patris  et  Filii  et  Spiritus  Sancti.      Amen  ! " 

"  Les  bergers  remains  faisaient  la  lustration  de  leurs  taureaux  ;  ils 
puritiaient  leurs  brebis  a  la  fete  de  Pales  (pour  ecarter  d'eux  toute  in- 
fluence funeste),  comma  ils  les  font  encore  asperger  d'eau  benite  a  la 
fete  de  Saint  Antoine." — A?>ipere,  Hist.  Rom.  ii.  329.' 

"  '  Long  live  S.  Anthony,'  writes  Mabillon  (in  the  17th  century)  as 
he  describes  the  horses,  asses,  and  mules,  all  going  to  the  saint's  fes- 
tival to  be  sprinkled  with  holy  water,  and  receive  the  benediction  of  a 
reverend  father.  '  All  would  go  to  ruin,'  say  the  Romans,  '  if  this  act 
of  piety  were  omitted.'  So  nobody  escapes  paying  toll  on  this  occasion, 
not  even  Nostro  Signore  himself." — Stephens'  French  Benedictines. 

"  S.  Anthony,  the  abbot,  is  the  patron  of  the  four-footed  creation, 
and  his  feast  is  a  saturnalia  foi  the  usually  hard-worked  beasts  and  for 
their  attendants  and  drivers.  Gentlefolks  must  be  content  to-day  to 
stay  at  home  or  go  on  foot,  for  there  are  not  wanting  solemn  stories 
of  how  unbelievers  who  have  obliged  tlieir  coachmen  to  drive  out  on 
this  day,  have  been  punished  by  great  misfortunes.  The  church  of  S. 
Anthony  stands  in  a  large  piazza,  w  hich  usually  looks  like  a  desert, 
but  to-day  it  was  enlivened  by  a  varied  throng  :  horses  and  mules, 
their  tails  and  manes  splendidly  interlaced  with  ribbons,  are  brought 
to  the  small  chapel  standing  somewhat  apart  from  the  church,  where  a 
priest  armed  with  a  large  asperge  plentifully  besprinkles  the  animals 
with  the  holy  water,  which  is  placed  before  him  in  tubs  and  pails, 
sometimes  apparently  with  a  sly  wish  to  excite  them  to  gambol.  De- 
vout coachmen  bring  larger  or  smaller  wax  tapers,  and  their  masters 
send  gifts  and  alms  in  order  to  secure  to  their  valuable  and  useful 
animals  a  year's  exemption  from  disease  and  accident.  Horned  cattle 
and  donkeys,  equally  precious  and  serviceable  to  the  owners,  have 
their  share  in  the  blessing." — Goethe. 

"  At  the  blessing  of  the  animals  an  adventure  happened,  which  af- 
forded us  some  amusement.  A  countryman,  having  got  a  blessing  on 
his  beast,  putting  his  whole  trust  in  its  power,  set  off  from  the  church 
door  at  a  grand  gallop,  and  had  scarcely  cleared  a  hundred  yards  be- 
fore the  ungainly  animal  tumbled  down  with  him,  and  over  its  head  he 
roiled  into  the  dirt.  He  soon  got  up,  however,  and  shook  himself, 
and  so  did  the  hoise,  without  either  seeming  to  be  much  the  worse. 
'I  he  priest  seemed  not  a  whit  out  of  countenance  at  this  ;  and  some 
of  tlie  standers-by  exclaimed,  with  laudable  steadfastness  of  faith, 
'That  but  for  the  blessing,  they  might  have  broken  their  necks.'" — 
JEatons  Rome. 

'  This  paffan  benediction  of  the  animals  is  represented  in  a  bass-relief  in  the 
Vatican  (Museo  Pio-Clemcntino,  is7».  A  peasant  bearing  two  ducks  as  his  of- 
ferinfj,  brinp;s  his  cow  to  be  blessed  by  a  ijriest  at  the  door  of  a  chapel,  and  the 
priest  delaying  to  come  forth,  a  calf  drinks  up  the  holy  water.  Ovid  describes 
now  he  took  part  in  the  Feast  of  Pales,  and  sprinkled  the  cattle  with  a  laurel 
bcmgh."— j'^aj/j,  iv.  728. 


S.    MARIA    MAGGIORE. 


443 


"  Un  postilion  Italien,  qui  voyait  mourir  son  cheval,  priait  pourlui, 
et  s'ecriait :  '  O,  Sant'  Antonio,  abbiate  pieta  dell'  anima  sua.'" — 
Madame  de  Stael. 

"  The  hog  was  the  representative  of  the  demon  of  sensuality  and 
gluttony,  which  Anthony  is  supposed  to  have  vanquished  by  the  exer- 
cise of  piety  and  by  tlie  divine  aid.  The  ancient  custom  of  placing  in 
all  his  effigies  a  black  pig  at  his  feet,  or  under  his  feet,  j^ave  rise  to 
the  superstition  that  this  unclean  animal  was  especially  dedicated  to 
him  and  under  his  protection.  The  monks  of  the  Order  of  S.  An- 
thony kept  herds  of  consecrated  pigs,  which  were  allowed  to  feed  at 
the  public  charge,  and  which  it  was  a  profanation  to  steal  or  kill ; 
hence  the  proverb  about  the  fatness  of  a  '  Tantony  pig.'  " — Jameson's 
Sacred  Art,  p.  750. 

We  now  enter  the  Piazza  of  S.  Maria  Maggiore,  in  front 
of  which  stands  a  beautiful  Corinthian  column,  now  called 
Colonna  della  Vergine.  This  is  the  last  remaining  column 
of  the  Basilica  of  Constantine,  and  is  forty-seven  feet  high 
without  its  base  and  capital.  It  was  brought  hither  by 
Paul  V.  in  161 3.  The  figure  of  the  Virgin  on  the  top  is 
by  Bertelot. 

The  Basilica  of  S.  Maria  Maggiore,  frequently  named 
from  its  founder  the  Liber ian  Basilica,  was  founded  a.d.  352, 
by  Pope  Liberius,  and  John,'  a  Roman  patrician,  to  com- 
m'emorate  a  miraculous  fall  of  snow,  which  covered  this 
spot  of  ground  and  no  other,  on  the  5  th  of  August,  when 
the  Virgin,  appearing  in  a  vision,  showed  them  that  she  had 
thus  appropriated  the  site  of  a  new  temple.''  This  legend 
is  commemorated  every  year  on  the  5  th  of  August,  the 
festa  of  La  Madonna  della  Neve,  when,  during  a  solemn 
high  mass  in  the  Borghese  chapel,  showers  of  white  rose- 
leaves  are  thrown  down  constantly  through  two  holes  in 
the  ceiling,  "  like  a  leafy  mist  between  the  priests  and 
worshipers." 

This  church,  in  spite  of  many  alterations,  is  in  some  re- 
spects internally  the  most  beautiful  and  harmonious  build- 
ing in  Rome,  and  retains  much  of  the  character  which  it 
received  when  rebuilt  between  432  and  440,  by  Sixtus  III., 
who  thus  commemorated  the  Council  of  Ephesus,  at  which 
the  heresy  of  the  Nestorians  was  condemned,  who  refused 
the  solemn  title  of  "  Deipara"  to  the  Virgin.  Sixtus  dedi- 
cated the  church  to  S.  Maria  Mater  Dei,  and  established  it 

'  His  flat  tombstone  is  in  the  center  of  the  nave. 

-  This  story  is  the  subject  of  two  of  Murillo's  most  beautiful  pictures  in  the 
Academy  at  Madrid.  The  first  represents  the  vision  of  the  Virgin  to  John  and 
his  wife, — in  the  second  they  tell  what  they  have  seen  to  Pope  Liberius. 


444 


JVALA'S  I.V  ROME. 


as  one  of  the  four  patriarchal  basilicas,  whence  it  is  pro- 
vided with  the  "porta  santa,"  only  opened  by  the  pope, 
with  great  solemnity,  four  times  in  a  century. 

The  great  western  campanile  was  erected  by  Gregory  XI. 
in  1376,  on  his  return  from  Avignon,  and  is  the  highest 
tower  in  Rome.  The  west  front  was  added  under  Benedict 
XIV.  (Lambertini)  1741,  by  Ferdinando  Fuga,  destroying 
a  portico  of  the  time  of  Eugenius  III.,  of  which  the  only 
remnant  is  an  architrave,  inserted  into  which  is  an  inscrip- 
tion, quoted  by  its  defenders  in  proof  of  the  existence  of 
Mariolatry  in  the  twelfth  century. 

"  Tertius  Eugenius  Romanus  Papa  benignus 
Obtulit  hoc  inunus,  ^'irgo  Maria,  libi, 
Quae  Mater  Chrisli  fieri  merito  meruisti, 

Salva  perpetua  V'irginitate  tibi. 
Es  Via,  Vita,  Salus,  totius  Gloria  Mundi, 
Da  veniam  culpis,  Virginitatis  Honos." 

In  this  portico  is  a  statue  by  Lucenti,  of  Philip  IV.  of 
Spain,  who  gave  great  treasures  to  the  church.  In  the 
upper  story  are  preserved  the  mosaics  which  once  decorated 
the  old  facade,  some  of  them  representing  the  miracles 
which  led  to  the  foundation  of  the  building. 

"To  1300  belong  the  mosaics  on  the  upper  part  of  the  facade  of 
S.  Maria  Maggiore  (now  inserted  in  the  loggia),  in  which,  in  two  rows, 
framed  in  architectural  decorations,  may  be  seen  Christ  in  the  act  of 
benediction,  and  several  saints  above,  and  the  legend  of  the  founding 
of  the  church  below — both  well-arranged  compositions.  An  inscription 
gives  the  name  of  the  otherwise  unknown  master,  '  Philippus  Rusuti.' 
This  work  was  formerly  attributed  to  the  Florentine  mosaicist  Gaddo 
Gaddi,  who  died  1312." — Ktigler. 

Five  doors,  if  we  include  tlie  walled-up  Porta  Santa, 
lead  into  the  magnificent  nave  (280  feet  long,  60  broad), 
lined  by  an  avenue  of  white  marble  columns,  surmounted 
by  a  frieze  of  mosaic  pictures  from  the  Old  Testament  of 
A.D.  440 — unbroken,  except  where  six  of  the  subjects  have 
been  cut  away  to  make  room  for  arches  in  front  of  the  two 
great  side  chajiels.  The  mosaics  increase  in  splendor  as 
they  approach  the  tril)une,  in  front  of  which  is  a  grand 
baldacchino  by  Fuga,  erected  by  Benedict  XIV.,  supported 
by  four  porphyry  columns  wreathed  with  gilt  leaves,  and 
surmounted  by  four  marble  angels  by  Pietro  Bracci.  The 
pavement  is  of  the  most  glorious  opus-alexandrinum.  and 


S.    MARIA    MAGGIORE. 


445 


its  crimson  and  violet  hues  temper  the  white  and  gold  of 
the  walls.  The  flat  roof  (by  Sangallo),  paneled  and  carved, 
is  gilt  with  the  first  gold  brought  to  Spain  from  South 
America,  and  presented  to  Alexander  VI.  by  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella. 

"  The  mosaics  above  the  chancel  arch  are  valuable  for  the  illustra- 
tion of  Christian  doctrine  ;  tlie  throne  of  the  Lamb  as  described  in  tlie 
Apocalypse,  SS.  Peter  and  Paul  beside  it  (the  earliest  instance  of  their 
being  thus  represented);  and  the  four  symbols  of  the  Evangelists 
above  ;  the  Annunciation  ;  the  Angel  appearing  to  Zechaiiah  ;  the 
Massacre  of  the  Innocents  ;  the  Presentation  in  the  Temple  ;  the 
Adoration  of  the  Magi  ;  Herod  receiving  the  Head  of  S.  John  the 
Baptist  ;  and,  below  these  groups,  a  flock  of  sheep,  type  of  the  faith- 
ful,- issuing  from  the  mystic  cities,  Bethlehem  and  Jerusalem.  We 
see  here  one  curious  example  of  the  nimbus,  round  the  head  of  Herod, 
as  a  symbol  of  power,  apart  from  sanctity.  In  certain  details  these 
mosaics  have  been  altered,  with  a  view  to  adapting  them  to  modern 
devotional  bias,  in  a  manner  that  deserves  reprobation  ;  but  Ciampini 
(Monumenta  Vetera)  shows  us  in  engraving  what  the  originals  were 
before  this  alteration,  effected  under  Benedict  XIV.  In  the  group  of 
the  Adoration  the  Child  alone  occupied  the  throne,  while  opposite  (in 
the  original  work)  was  seated,  on  another  chair,  an  elderly  person  in  a 
long  blue  mantle  vailing  the  head  — concluded  by  Ciampini  to  be  the 
senior  among  the  Magi  ;  the  two  others,  younger,  and  both  in  the 
usual  Oriental  dress,  with  trousers  and  Phr)^gian  caps,  being  seen  to 
approach  at  the  same  side,  while  the  mother  itoad  beside  the  throne 
of  the  child — her  figure  recognizable  from  its  resemblance  to  others  in 
scenes  where  she  appears  in  the  same  series.  As  this  group  is  now 
before  us,  the  erect  figure  is  left  out  ;  the  seated  one  is  converted  into 
that  of  Mary,  with  a  halo  round  the  head,  though  in  the  original  even 
such  attribute  (alike  given  to  the  Saviour  and  to  all  the  angels  intro- 
duced) is  not  assigned  to  her." — Hemaiis   Ancient  Christian  Art. 

The  vault  of  the  tribune  is  covered  with  mosaics  by 
Jacopo  da  Turrita,  the  same  who  executed  those  at  the 
Lateran  basilica.  ; 

'■  A  general  affinity  with  the  style  of  Cimabue  is  observable  in  some 
mo-aics  executed  by  contemporary  artists.  Those  in  S.  Maiia  Mag- 
giore  are  inscribed  with  the  name  of  Jacobus  Torriti,  and  executed  be- 
tween 1287  and  1292.  They  are  surpassed  by  no  contemporary  work 
in  dignity,  grace,  and  decorative  beauty  of  arrangement.  In  a  blue, 
gold-starred  circle  is  seen  Christ  enthroned  with  the  Virgin  ;  on  each 
side  are  adoring  angels,  kneeling  and  flying,  on  a  gold  ground,  with 
S.  Peter  and  S.  Paul,  the  two  S-  Johns,  S.  Francis,  and  S.  Anthony 
(the  same  in  size  and  position  as  at  S.  J.  Lateran),  advancing  devoutly 
along.  The  upper  part  is  filled  with  graceful  vine-branches,  with 
symljolical  animals  among  them.  Below  is  Jordan,  with  small  river 
gods,  boats,  and  figures  of  men  and  animals.  Farther  below  are 
scenes  from  the  life  of  Christ  in  animated  arrangement.     The  group  in 


446  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

the  center  of  the  circle,  of  Christ  er.t'nroned  with  the  Virgin,  is  espe- 
ciaiiy  fine  :  v.-hile  tlie  Saviour  is  placing  the  crown  on  His  mother's 
head,  she  lifts  up  her  hands  with  the  expression  both  of  admiration  and 
of  modest  remonstrance.'  The  forms  are  very  pure  and  noble  ;  the 
execution  careful,  and  very  different  from  the  Roman  mosaics  of  the 
twelfth  century." — Kugler. 

In  front  of  and  beneath  the  high  altar  Pius  IX.  prepared 
a  monument  for  himself,  by  constructing  a  splendid  cham- 
ber approached  by  staircases,  and  lined  with  the  most  pre- 
cious alabaster  and  marbles,  but,  as  his  death  approached, 
his  wishes  changed  ;  and  he  desired  to  be  buried  "  with 
the  poor  "  at  S.  Lorenzo. 

On  the  right  of  the  western  entrance  is  the  tomb  of  the 
Rospigliosi  pope,  Clement  IX.  (1667-69),  the  work  of 
Ercole  Ferrata,  a  pupil  of  Bernini.  His  body  rests  before 
the  high  altar,  surrounded  by  a  number  of  the  members  of 
his  family.  Left  of  the  entrance  is  the  tomb  of  Nicholas 
IV.,  Masci  (12S8-92),  erected  to  his  memory  three  hun- 
dred years  after  his  death  by  Sixtus  V.  while  still  cardinal. 
He  is  represented  giving  benediction,  between  two  allegor- 
ical figures  of  Justice  and  Religion, — a  fine  work  of  Leo- 
nardo da  Sarzana. 

"  It  is  well  to  know  that  this  pope,  a  mere  upstart  from  the  dust, 
sought  to  support  himself  through  the  mighty  family  of  Colonna,  by 
raising  them  too  high.  His  friend,  the  Cardinal  Giacomo  Colonna, 
contributed  with  him  to  the  renewal  of  tlie  mosaics  which  are  in  the 
tribune  of  S.  Maria  Maggiore,  and  one  can  see  their  two  figures  there 
to  this  day.  It  was  in  this  reign  that  Ptoli-mais,  the  last  possession  of 
the  Christians  in  Asia,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Mohammedans.  Thus 
ended  the  era  of  the  Crusades." — Gregorovius. 

Behind  this  tomb,  near  the  walled-up  Porta  Santa,  is  a 
good  tomb  of  two  bishops,  brothers,  of  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury, and  in  the  same  aisle  arc  many  other  monuments  of 
the  sixteenth  century,  some  of  them  fine  in  their  way. 

Nearly  on  the  line  with  the  baldacchino  is  the  entrance  of 
the  Bor^:^hese  Chapel,  built  by  Flaminio  Ponzio  for  Paul  V. 
in  1608,  gorgeous  with  precious  marbles  and  alabasters. 
Over  its  magnificent  altar  of  jasper  and  lapis-lazuli  is  pre- 
served one  of  the  pictures  attributed  to  S.  Luke  (and  an- 

!  This  mosaic  will  bring  to  mind  the  beautiful  lines  of  Dante  :- 

"  L'amor  che  mosse  pia  1'  eterno  padre 
Per  fia;lia  aver  di  si'a  Deiia  trina 
Costci  chc  fu  del  fifli"  sue  poi  madre 
Dfir  universe  qui  fa  la  reirina." 


CAPPELLA    BORGHESE. 


447 


nounced  to  be  such  in  a  papal  bull  attached  to  the  walls  !), 
much  revered  from  the  belief  that  it  stayed  the  plague 
which  decimated  the  city  during  the  reign  of  Pelagius  II., 
and  that  (after  its  intercession  had  been  sought  by  a  pro- 
cession by  order  of  Innocent  VIII.)  it  brought  about  the 
overthrow  of  the  Moorish  dominion  in  Spain. 

"  On  conserve  a  Sainte  Marie  Majeure  une  des  images  de  la  Ma- 
donne  peintes  par  S.  Luc,  et  plusieurs  fois  on  a  trouve  les  anges 
chantant  les  litanies  autour  de  ce  tableau." — Stendal. 

"  The  '  scheme  of  decorations  in  this  gorgeous  chapel  is  so  remark- 
able, as  testifying  to  the  development  w^hich  the  theological  idea  of 
the  Virgin,  as  the  Sposa  or  personified  Church,  had  attained  in  the 
time  of  Paul  V. — the  same  pope  who  in  1615  promulgated  the  famous 
bull  relative  to  the  Immaculate  Conception  ' — that  the  insertion  of  the 
whole  passage  of  Mrs,  Jameson  on  this  subject  will  not  be  considered 
too  much." 

"  First,  and  elevated  above  all,  we  have  the  *  Madonna  della  Con- 
cezione,'  '  Our  Lady  of  the  Lnmaculate  Conception,'  in  a  glory  of 
light,  sustained  and  surrounded  by  angels,  having  the  crescent  under 
her  feet,  according  to  the  approved  treatment.  Beneath,  round  the 
dome,  we  read  in  conspicuous  letters  the  text  from  the  Revelation  : — 

SIGNUM  .  MAGNUM  .  APPARUIT.  IN  .  COELO  .  MULIER  .  AMICTA  .  SOLE  . 
ET  .  LUNA  .  SUB  .  PEDIBUS  .  EJUS  ,  ET  .  IN  .  CAPITE  .  EJUS  .  CORONA  . 
STELLARUM  .  DUODECi.M.  Lower  down  is  a  second  inscription  ex- 
pressing the  dedication.  mariae  .  christi  .  mater  .  semper  ,  viR- 
GINI  .  paulus  .  quintus  .  P.M.  The  decorations  beneath  the  cornice 
consist  of  eighteen  large  frescoes,  and  six  statues  in  marble,  above  life 
size.     We  have  the  subjects  arranged  in  the  following  order  : 

"  I.  The  four  great  prophets,  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel  and  Dan- 
iel in  their  usual  place  in  the  four  pendentives  of  the  dome. 

"  2.  Two  large  frescoes.  In  the  first  the  Vision  of  S.  Gregory 
Thaumaturgus,  and  Heretics  bitten  by  Serpents.  In  the  second,  S. 
John  Damascene  and  S.  Ildefonso  miraculously  rewarded  for  defend- 
ing the  majesty  of  the  Virgin. 

"3.  A  large  fresco,  representing  the  four  Doctors  of  the  Church 
who  had  especially  written  in  honor  of  the  Virgin  :  viz.,  Irenaeus  and 
Cyprian,  Ignatius  and  Theophilus,  grouped  two  and  two. 

"4.  S.  Luke,  who  painted  the  Virgin,  and  whose  gospel  contains 
the  best  account  of  her. 

"5.  As  spiritual  conquerors  in  the  nam.e  of  the  Virgin,  S.  Dominic 
and  S.  Francis,  each  attended  by  two  companions  of  his  Order. 

"6.  As  military  conquerors  in  the  name  of  the  Virgin,  the  Emperor 
Heraclius,  and  Narses,  the  general  against  the  Arians. 

"  7.  A  group  of  three  female  figures,  representing  the  three  famous 
saintly  princesses,  who  in  marriage  preserved  their  virginity,  Pulcheria, 
Edeltruda  (our  famous  Queen  Etheldreda),  and  Cunegunda. 

"  8.  A  group  of  three  learned  bishops,  who  had  especially  defended 
the  immaculate  purity  of  the  Virgin,  S.  Cyril,  S.  Anselm  and  S. 
Denis  (?), 


448  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

"  9.  The  miserable  ends  of  those  who  were  opposed  to  the  honor 
of  the  Virgin,  i.  The  death  of  Julian  the  Apostate,  very  oddly  repre- 
sented ;  he  lies  on  an  altar,  transfixed  by  an  arrow,  as  a  victim  ;  S. 
Mercurius  in  the  air.  2.  The  death  of  Leo  IV. ,  who  destroyed  the 
eftijies  of  the  Virgin.  3.  The  death  of  Constantine  IV.,  also  a  famous 
iconoclast. 

"  The  statues  which  are  placed  in  niches  are  ; 

"  1 — 2.  S.  Joseph,  as  the  nominal  husband,  and  S.  John  the  Evan- 
gelist, as  the  nominal  son,  of  the  Virgin  ;  the  latter,  also,  as  prophet 
and  poet,  with  reference  to  the  passage  in  the  Revelation,  xii.  1. 

"3 — 4.  Aaron,  as  priestly  ancestor  (because  his  wand  blossomed), 
and  David,  as  kingly  ancestor  of  the  Virg'n. 

"  5—6.  S.  Dionysius  the  Areopagite,  who  was  present  at  the  death 
of  the  Virgin,  and  S.  Bernard,  who  composed  the  famous  '  Salve 
Regina  '  in  her  honor. 

"  Such  is  this  grand  systematic  scheme  of  decoration,  which,  to  those 
who  regard  it  cursorily,  is  merely  a  sumptuous  confusion  of  colors  and 
forms,  or  at  best  a  '  fine  example  of  the  Guido  school  and  Bernini." 
It  is  altogether  a  very  complete  and  magnificent  specimen  of  the  prev- 
alent styles  of  art,  and  a  very  comprehensive  and  suggestive  expres- 
sion of  the  prevalent  tendency  of  thought  in  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  from  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century.  In  no  de- 
scription of  this  chapel  have  I  seen  the  names  and  subjects  accurately 
given  :  the  style  of  art  belongs  to  the  decadence,  and  the  taste  being 
worse  than  questionable,  the  orevailing  doctrinal  idea  has  been 
neglected,  or  never  understood.'*^ — Legends  of  the  Madonna,  Ixxi. 

On  the  right  is  the  tomb  of  Clement  VIII.  (1592-1605), 
the  Florentine  Ippolito  Aldobrandini,  the  builder  of  the 
new  palace  of  the  Vatican,  and  the  cruel  torturer  and  ex- 
ecutioner of  the  Cenci.  He  is  represented  in  the  act  of 
benediction.  The  bass-reliefs  on  his  monument  commem- 
orate the  principal  events  of  his  reign,  the  conclusion  of 
peace  between  France  and  Spain,  and  the  taking  of  Fer- 
rara,  which  he  seized  from  the  heirs  of  Alphonso  II. 

On  the  left  is  the  tomb  of  Paul  V.  (1605-1621),  Camillo 
Borghese,  in  whose  reign  S.  Peter's  was  finished,  as  every 
traveler  learns  from  the  gigantic  inscription  over  its  portico, 
— who  founded  the  great  Borghese  family,  and  left  to  his 
nephew.  Cardinal  Scipio  Borghese,  a  fortune  which  enabled 
him  to  buy  the  Borghese  Palace  and  to  build  the  Borghese 
Villa. 

"It  is  a  truly  herculean  figure,  with  a  grandly  developed  head, 
while  in  his  thick  neck,  pride,  violence  and  sensuality  seem  to  be 
united.  He  is  the  first  pope  who  wore  the  beard  of  a  cavalier,  like 
that  of  Henry  IV.,  which  recalls  the  Thirty-years'  War,  which  he  lived 
through  as  far  as  the  battle  of  the  White  Mountain.  In  this  round, 
domineering,  pride-swollen  countenance,  appears  the  »'iolcpt,  imperious 


S.    MARIA    iVAGGIORE. 


449 


spirit  of  Paul,  which  aimed  at  an  absolute  power.  Who  does  not  re- 
member his  famous  quarrel  with  Venice,  and  the  role  which  his  far 
superior  adversary  Paolo  Sarpi  played  with  such  invincible  courage? 
The  bass-reliefs  of  his  toml)  represent  the  reception  given  by  the  pope 
to  the  envoys  of  Congo  and  Japan,  the  building  of  the  citadel  of  Fer- 
rara,  the  sending  of  auxiliary  troops  to  Hungary  to  the  assistance  of 
Rudolph  II.,  and  the  canonization  of  S.  Francesca  Romana  and  S. 
Carlo  Borromeo. " — Grcgoyovius. 

The  frescoes  in  the  cupola  are  by  Cigoli ;  those  around 
the  altar  by  the  Cav.  d'Arpino  ;  those  above  the  tombs  and 
on  the  arches  by  Giddo,  except  the  Madonna,  which  is 
by  Lanfranco.  The  beloved  Princess  Borghese,  nee  Lady 
Gwendoline  Talbot,  was  buried  in  front  of  the  altar,  Oct. 
30,  1839,  all  Rome  following  her  to  the  grave. 

The  funeral  of  Princess  Borghese  proved  the  feeling  v/ith  which 
she  was  regarded.  Pier  body  lay  upon  a  car  which  was  drawn  by 
forty  young  Romans,  and  was  followed  by  all  the  poor  of  Rome,  the 
procession  swelling  like  a  river  in  every  street  and  piazza  it  passed 
through,  while  from  all  the  windows  as  it  passed  flowers  were  showered 
dov\-n.  In  funeral  ceremonies  of  great  personages  at  Rome  an  ancient 
custom  is  observed  by  which,  when  the  body  is  lowered  into  the  grave, 
a  chamberlain,  coming  out  to  the  church  door,  announces  to  the 
coachman,  who  is  waiting  with  the  family  carriage,  that  his  master 
or  mistress  has  no  longer  need  of  his  services  ;  and  the  coachman 
thereupon  breaks  his  staff  of  office  and  drives  mournfully  away. 
When  this  formality  was  fulfilled  at  the  funeral  of  Princess  Borghese, 
the  whole  of  the  vast  crowd  waiting  outside  the  basilica  broke  into 
tears  and  sobs,  and  kneeling  by  a  common  impulse,  prayed  aloud  for 
the  soul  of  their  benefactress. 

The  chapel  has  lately  been  the  scene  of  a  miraculous 
story,  with  reference  to  a  visionary  appearance  of  the 
Princess  Borghese,  which  has  obtained  great  credit  among 
the  people,  by  whom  she  is  already  looked  upon  as  a 
saint. 

The  first  chapel  in  the  right  aisle  is  that  of  the  Patrizi 
family,  and  close  by  is  the  sepulchral  stone  of  their  noble 
ancestor,  Giovanni  Patricino,  whose  bones  were  found  be- 
neath the  high  altar  and  deposited  here  in  1700.  A  little 
farther  is  the  chapel  of  the  Santa  Croce,  with  ten  porphyry 
columns.  Then  comes  the  Chapel  of  tJic  Holy  Saci-ament, 
built  by  Fontana  for  Sixtus  V.  while  still  Cardinal  of  Mon- 
talto.  Gregory  XIII.,  who  was  then  on  the  throne,  visited 
this  gorgeous  chapel  when  it  was  nearly  completed,  and  im- 
mediately decided  that  one  who  could  build  such  a  splendid 
temple  was  sufficiently  rich,  and  suppressed  the  cardinal's 


45© 


WALKS  I.V  ROME. 


pension.  Fontana  advanced  a  thousand  scudi  for  the  com- 
pletion of  the  work,  and  had  the  deHcacy  never  to  allow 
the  cardinal  to  imagine  that  he  was  indebted  to  him.  The 
chapel,  restored  1870,  is  adorned  Vvith  statues  by  Giobattista 
Pozzo,  Cesare  Nebbia  and  others.  Under  the  altar  is  a 
presepio — one  of  the  best  works  of  Bernini,  and  opposite 
to  it,  in  the  confession,  a  beautiful  statue  of  S.  Gaetano 
(founder  of  the  Theatines,  Avho  died  1547^),  with  tv/o  little 
children.  On  the  right  is  the  splendid  tomb  of  Pius  V., 
Michele  Ghislieri  (1566-72),  the  barefooted,  bareheaded 
Dominican  monk  of  S.  Sabina,  vi^ho  in  his  short  six  years' 
reign  beheld  among  other  events  the  victory  of  Lepanto, 
the  fall  of  the  Huguenots  in  France,  and  the  massacre  of 
S.  Bartholomew — events  which  were  celebrated  at  Rome 
with  festas  and  thanksgivings.  The  figure  of  the  pope,  a 
monk  wasted  to  a  skeleton  (by  Leonardo  de  Sarzana)  sits 
in  the  central  niche,  between  statues  of  S.  Dominic  and 
S.  Peter  Martyr.  A  number  of  bass-reliefs  by  different 
sculptors  represent  the  events  of  his  life.  Some  are  by  the 
Flemish  artists  Nicolas  d'Arras  and  Egidius. 

On  the  left  is  the  tomb  of  Sixtus  V.  (1585-90),  Felice 
Perretti,  who  as  a  boy  kept  his  father's  pigs  at  Montalto  ; 
who  as  a  young  man  was  a  Franciscan  monk  preaching  in 
the  Apostoli,  and  attracting  crowds  by  his  eloquence  ;  and 
who  then  rose  to  be  bishop  of  Fermo,  soon  after  to  be 
cardinal,  and  was  lastly  raised  to  the  papal  throne,  which 
he  occupied  only  five  years,  a  time  v.hich  sufficed  for  the 
prince  of  the  Church  who  loved  building  the  most,  to  re- 
new Rome  entirely. 

"If  anything  can  still  the  spectator  to  silence,  and  awaken  him  to 
great  recollections,  it  is  the  monument  of  this  astonishing  man,  who 
as  child,  herded  swine,  and  as  an  old  man  commanded  people  and 
kings,  and  who  filled  Rome  with  so  many  works,  that  from  every  side 
his  name,  like  an  echo,  rings  in  the  traveler's  ear.  We  never  cease  to 
be  amazed  at  the  wonderful  luck  which  raised  Napoleon  from  the  dust 
to  the  throne  of  the  world,  as  if  it  were  a  romance  or  a  fairy  story. 
But  if  in  the  history  of  kings  these  astonishing  changes  are  e.^tra- 
ordinary  accidents,  they  seem  quite  natural  in  the  history  of  the  popes  ; 
they  belong  to  the  very  essence  of  Christendom,  which  (loes  not  appeal 
to  the  ])crson,  but  to  the  spirit  ;  and  while  the  one  history  is  full  of 
ordinary  men,  who,  without  the  prerogative  of  their  crown,  would 
have  sunk  into  eternal  oblivion,  the  other  is  rich  in  great  men,  who, 

■  Sec  S.  Dorotca.  ch.  .xvii. 


S.    MARIA    MAGGIORE.  45 1 

placed  in  a  different  sphere,  would  have  been  equally  worthy  of  re- 
nown. " — Gregorovius. 

In  a  little  chapel  on  the  left  of  the  entrance  of  this — 
which  is,  as  it  were,  a  transept  of  the  church — is  a  fine  pict- 
ure of  S.  Jerome  by  Spagnoletto,  and  in  the  chapel  oppo- 
site a  sarcophagus  of  two  early  Christian  consuls,  richly 
wrought  in  the  Roman  imperial  style,  but  with  Christian 
subjects, — Daniel  in  the  den  of  lions,  Zaccheus  in  the 
sycamore  tree,  Martha  at  the  raising  of  Lazarus,  &c. 

At  the  end  of  the  right  aisle,  near  the  door,  is  perhaps 
the  finest  gothic  monument  in  Rome,  the  work  of  Giovanni 
Cosmati,  the  sculptor  of  the  great  mosaicist  family,  being 
the  tomb  of  Cardinal  Rodrigo  Consalvi,  archbishop  of 
Toledo  and  bishop  of  Albano,  c  1299.' 

"A  recumbent  statue,  in  pontifical  vestments,  rests  on  a  sarcopha- 
gus, and  two  angels  draw  aside  curtains  as  if  to  show  us  the  dead  ;  in 
the  background  is  a  mosaic  of  Mary  enthroned,  with  the  Child,  the 
apostle  Matthias,  S.  Jerome,  and  a  smaller  kneeling  figure  of  Consalvi, 
in  pontifical  robes  ;  at  the  apex  is  a  tabernacle  with  cusped  arch,  and 
below  the  epitaph,  '  Hoc  opus  fecit  Joannes  Magister  Cosmae  civis 
Romanus,'  the  artist's  record  of  himself.  In  the  hands  of  S.  Matthias 
and  S.  Jerome  are  scrolls  ;  on  that  held  by  the  apostle  the  words, 
'  Me  tenet  ara  prior  ;  "  on  R.  Jerome's,  '  Recubo  presepis  ad  antrum,' 
these  epigraphs  confirming  the  tradition  that  the  bodies  of  S.  Matthias 
and  S.  Jerome  repose  in  this  church,  while  indicating  the  sites  of  their 
tombs.  Popular  regards  have  distinguished  this  tomb  ;  no  doubt  in 
intended  honor  to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  lamps  are  kept  ever  burnmg, 
and  vases  of  flowers  ranged  before  her  mosaic  image." — Hemans' 
Mediaeval  Christian  Art. 

Near  the  other  end  of  the  right  aisle,  entered  through 
the  chapel  of  the  Patrizi,  is  the  Baptistery^  which  has  a  vast 
porphyry  vase,  found  underground  in  the  Forum,  as  a  font. 
Hence  we  reach  the  Sacristia,  in  the  inner  chamber  of 
which  are  some  exceedingly  beautiful  bass-reliefs  by  Mitio 
da  Fiesole. 

One  of  the  greatest  of  the  Christmas  ceremonies  is  the 
procession  at  5  a.m.,  in  honor  of  the  great  relic  of  the 
church — the  Santa  Culla — /.  e.,  the  cradle  in  which  our 
Saviour  was  carried  into  Egypt,  not,  as  is  frequently  im- 
agined, the  manger,  which  is  allowed  to  have  been  of  stone, 
and  of  which  a  single  stone  only  is  supposed  to  have  found 

1  There  are  two  other  known  works  of  Giovanni  Cosmati— the  tomb  of  Gugli 
elmo  Duranti  at  S.  Maria  sopra  Minerva,  and  that  of  Don  Stefano  Sturdi  at  S. 
Balbina. 


452 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


its  way  to  Rome,  and  to  be  preserved  in  the  altar  of  the 
Blessed  Sacrament.  The  "  Santa  Culla  "  is  preserved  in  a 
magnificent  reliquary,  six  feet  high,  adorned  with  bass-reUefs 
and  statuettes  in  silver.  On  the  afternoon  of  Christmas  eve 
the  public  can  visit  the  reHc  at  an  altar  in  a  little  chapel 
near  the  sacristy.  On  the  afternoon  of  Christmas  Day  it 
is  also  exposed,  but  upon  the  high  altar,  where  it  is  less 
easily  seen. 

"  Lc  Seigneur  Jesus  a  voulu  naitre  dans  une  etable  ;  mais  les  hommes 
ont  apporte  precieusement  le  petit  berceau  qui  a  recu  le  salut  du  monde 
dans  la  reine  des  cites,  et  ils  I'ont  enchasse  dans  Tor. 

"  C'est  bien  ici  que  nous  devons  accourir  avec  joie  et  redire  ce 
chant  triomphant  de  I'Eglise  :  Adeste^  Jidcles,  laeti  triumphantes ; 
venite,  venite  in  Bethlehem." — Une  Chretienne  a  Rome. 

Among  the  many  other  relics  preserved  here  are  two 
little  bags  of  the  brains  of  S.  Thomas  a  Becket. 

It  was  in  this  church  that  Pope  S.  Martin  I.  was  cele- 
brating mass  in  the  seventh  century,  when  a  guard  sent  by 
the  Exarch  Olympius  appeared  on  the  threshold  with 
orders  to  seize  and  put  him  to  death.  At  the  sight  of  the 
pontiff  the  soldier  was  stricken  with  blindness,  a  miracle 
which  led  to  the  conversion  of  Olympius  and  many  other 
persons. 

Platina,  the  historian  of  the  popes,  was  buried  here,  with 
the  epitaph  :  "  Quisquis  es,  si  pius,  Platynam  et  sua  ne 
vexes,  anguste  jacent  et  soli  volunt  esse." 

S.  Maria  Maggiore  was  the  scene  of  the  seizure  of  Hil- 
debrand  by  Cencius : 

"On  Christmas  Eve,  1075,  the  city  of  Rome  was  visited  by  a 
dreadful  tempest.  Darkness  brooded  over  the  land,  and  the  trem- 
bling spectators  believed  that  the  day  of  final  judgment  was  about  to 
dawn.  In  this  war  of  tlie  elements,  however,  two  processions  were 
seen  advancing  to  the  church  of  S.  Maria  Maggiore.  At  the  head  of 
one  was  the  aged  Hildebrand,  conducting  a  few  priests  to  worship  at 
the  shrine  of  the  Virgo  Deipara.  The  other  was  preceded  by  Cencius, 
a  Roman  noble.  At  each  pause  in  the  tempest  might  be  heard  the 
hallelujahs  of  the  worshipers,  or  the  voice  of  the  pontiff,  pouring  out 
benedictions  on  the  little  flock  which  knelt  before  him — when  Cencius 
grasped  his  person,  and  some  yet  more  daring  ruffian  inflicted  a  wound 
on  his  forehead.  Bound  with  cords,  stripped  of  his  sacred  vestments, 
beaten,  and  subjected  to  the  ba?,cst  indignities,  the  venerable  minister 
of  Christ  was  carried  to  a  fortified  mansion  within  the  walls  of  the 
city,  again  to  be  removed  at  daybreak  to  e.xile  or  death.  Women  were 
there,  with  woman's  sympathy  and  kindly  offices,  but  they  were  rudely 
put  aside  ;  and  a  drawn  sword  was  already    aimed   at   the   pontiff's 


S.    MA  J?  I  A    MAGCIORE.  453 

bosom,  when  the  cries  of  a  fierce  muhitude,  threatening  to  burn  or 
batter  down  the  house,  arrested  the  aim  of  the  assassin.  An  arrow, 
discharged  from  below,  reached  and  slew  him.  The  walls  rocked 
beneath  the  strokes  of  the  maddened  populace,  and  Cencius,  falling  at 
his  prisoner's  feet,  became  himself  a  suppliant  for  pardon  and  for  life. 
...  In  profound  silence,  and  with  undisturbed  serenity,  Hildebr„nd 
had  thus  far  submitted  to  these  atrocious  indignities.  The  occasional 
raising  of  his  eyes  toward  heaven  alone  indicated  his  consciousness  of 
them.  But  to  the  supplication  of  his  prostrate  enemy  he  returned  an 
instant  and  calm  assurance  of  forgiveness.  He  rescued  Cencius  from 
the  exasperated  besiegers,  dismissed  him  in  safety  and  in  peace,  and 
returned,  amid  the  acclamations  of  the  whole  Roman  people,  to 
complete  the  interrupted  solemnities  of  S.  Maria  Maggiore." — Ste- 
phen's Lectures  on  Eccles.  Hist. 

Leaving  the  church  by  the  door  behind  the  tribune,  we 
find  ourselves  at  the  top  of  the  steep  slope  of  the  Esquiline 
and  in  front  of  an  Obelisk  erected  here  by  Fontana  for 
Sixtus  v., — brought  from  Egypt  by  Claudius,  and  one  of 
two  which  were  used  to  guard  the  entrance  to  the  mauso- 
leum of  Augustus.  The  inscriptions  on  three  of  its  sides 
are  worth  notice  : — "  Christi  Dei  in  aeternum  viventis 
cunabula  laetissime  colo,  qui  mortui  sepulchro  Augusti 
tristis  serviebam." — "  Quem  Augustus  de  virgine  nascitu- 
rum  vivens  adoravit,  sed  deinceps  dominum  dici  noluit, 
adoro." — **Christus  per  invictam  crucem  populo  pacem 
praebeat,  qui  Augusti  pace  in  praesepe  nasci  voluit." 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

THE  BASILICAS  OF  THE  LATERAN,  SANTA  CROCE  AND 
S.  LORENZO. 

Via  S.  Giovanni — The  Obelisk  and  Baptistery — Basilica  and  Cloisters 
— Mosaic  of  the  Triclinium — Scala  Santa — Palace  of  the  Lateran — 
Villa  Massimo  Arsoli — SS.  Pietro  e  Marcellino — Villa  VVolkonski — 
(Porta  Furba — Tombs  of  the  Via  Latina — Basilica  of  S.  Stefano) — 
S.  Croce  in  Gerusalemme — Amphitheatrum  Castrense — Porta  Mag- 
giore — (Tomb  of  S.  Helena — Torre  dei  Schiavi — Cervaletto — 
Cervara) — Porta  and  Basilica  of  S.  Lorenzo  —  Catacomb  of  S. 
Hippolytus. 

BEHIND  the  Coliseum  the  Via  S.  Giovanni  ascends 
the  slope  of  the  Coelian.  In  mediaeval  times  this 
road  was  always  avoided  by  the  popes,  on  accoimt  (as  most 
authorities  state)  of  the  scandal  attaching  to  the  more  than 
doubtful  legend  of  Joan,  the  famous  papessa,  who  is  said  to 
have  horrified  her  attendants  by  giving  birth  to  a  child  on 
this  spot  during  a  procession  from  the  Lateran,  and  to  have 
died  of  shame  and  terror  immediately  afterward.  Joan  is 
stated  to  have  been  educated  at  Athens,  to  have  skillfully 
obtained  her  election  to  the  papal  throne,  disguised  as  a 
man,  between  the  reign  of  Leo  IV.  and  that  of  Benedict  III. 
(855),  and  to  have  taken  the  name  of  John  VIII.  In  the 
cathedral  of  Siena  the  heads  of  all  the  popes  in  teira-cotta 
(down  to  Alexander  III.)  decorate  the  frieze  above  the 
arches  of  the  nave,  and  among  them  was  that  of  Pope  Joan, 
inscribed  "Johannes  VIII.  Femina  de  Anglia,"  till  1600, 
when  it  was  changed  into  a  head  of  Pope  Zacharias  by  the 
Grand  D.ike,  at  the  request  of  Pope  Clement  VIII. 

On  the  left  of  this  street  is  S.  Clemente  (described  Chap. 
VII.)     On  the  right,  a  long  wall  flooded  by  a  cascade  of 
Banksia  roses  in  spring,  and  a  villa  inlaid  with  terra-cotta 
ornaments,  belong  to  the  favorite  residence  of  the  well- ' 
knoun  Marchcse  Campana,   the  learned  archaeologist  of 

454 


BAPTISTERY   OF    THE   LATER  AN.  455 

Etruria,  and  the  chief  benefactor  of  the  Etruscan  museum 
at  the  Vatican,  cruelly  imprisoned  and  exiled  by  the  papal 
government  in  1858,  upon  an  accusation  of  having  tam- 
pered with  tlie  revenues  of  the  Monte  di  Pieta. 

Beyond  the  turn  of  the  road  leading  to  S.  Stefano  Ro- 
tondo  (Chap.  VII.),  bass-reliefs  of  Our  Saviour's  Head 
(from  the  Acheiropoeton  in  the  Sancta  Sanctorum)  between 
two  candelabra — upon  the  different  buildings,  announce 
the  property  of  the  Lateran  chapter. 

The  Piazza  di  San  Giovanni  m  surrounded  by  a  remark- 
able group  of  buildings.  In  front  are  the  Baptistery  and 
Basilica  of  the  Lateran.  On  the  right  a  Hospital  for  women, 
capable  of  containing  600  patients  ;  on  the  left,  beyond  the 
modern  palace,  are  seen  the  buildings  which  inclose  the 
Santa  Scala,  and  some  broken  arches  of  the  Aqua  Marcia. 
In  the  center  of  the  piazza  is  the  Obelisk  of  the  Lateran, 
150  feet  high,  the  oldest  object  in  Rome,  being  referred  by 
translators  of  hieroglyphics  to  the  year  1740  B.C.,  when  it 
was  raised  in  memory  of  the  Pharaoh  Thothmes  IV.  It 
was  brought  from  the  temple  of  the  Sun  at  Heliopolis  to 
Alexandria  by  Constantine,  and  removed  thence  by  his  son 
Constantius  to  Rome,  where  it  was  used,  together  with  the 
obelisk  now  in  the  Piazza  del  Popolo,  to  ornament  the 
Circus  Maximus.  Hence  it  was  moved  to  its  present  site 
in  1588,  by  Fontana,  for  Sixtus  V.  The  obelisk  was  then 
broken  into  three  pieces,  and  in  order  to  piece  them  to- 
gether some  part  had  to  be  cut  off,  but  it  is  still  the  tallest 
in  the  city.  One  of  the  inscriptions  on  the  base  is  false, 
as  it  narrates  that  Constantine  received  at  the  Lateran 
the  baptism  which  he  did  not  receive  till  he  was  dying  at 
Nicomedia. 

An  octagonal  building  of  mean  and  miserable  exterior 
is  the  Baptistery  0/  the  Lateran,  sometimes  called  S.  Gio- 
vanni in  Fonte,  built,  not  by  Constantine,  to  whom  it  is 
falsely  ascribed,  but  by  Sixtus  III.  (430-40).  Of  his  time 
are  the  two  porphyry  columns  at  the  entrance  on  the  side 
nearest  the  church,  and  the  eight  which  form  a  colonnade 
round  the  interior,  supporting  a  cornice  from  which  rise 
the  eight  small  columns  of  v/hite  marble  which  sustain  the 
dome.  In  the  center  is  the  font  of  green  basalt  in  which 
Rienzi  bathed  on  the  night  of  August  i,  1347,  before  his 
public  appearance  as  a  knight,  when  he  summoned  Clem- 


4  56  WALK'S   IX  ROME. 

ent  VI.  and  other  sovereigns  of  Europe  to  appear  before 
him  for  judgment.  The  cupola  is  decorated  with  scenes 
from  the  life  of  John  the  Baptist  by  Andrea  Sacchi.  On 
the  walls  are  frescoes  portraying  the  life  of  Constantine  by 
Gcminiano,  Carlo  Maratta  and  Andrea  Camassei.  This 
building  served  as  the  model  of  all  the  many  ancient  bap- 
tisteries which  exist  in  Italy. 

On  the  right  is  the  Chapel  of  S.  John  the  Baptist,  h\\\\\. 
by  Pope  Hilary  (461-67).  Between  two  serpentine  col- 
umns is  a  figure  of  S.  John  Baptist  by  L.  Valadico  after 
Donatello. 

On  the  left  is  the  Chapel  of  S.  John  the  Evangelist,  also 
built  by  Hilary,  who  presented  its  bronze  doors  (said  to 
have  once  belonged  to  the  Baths  of  Caracalla),  in  remem- 
brance of  his  delivery  from  the  fury  of  fanatical  monks  at 
the  Second  Council  of  Ephesus,  where  he  appeared  as  the 
legate  of  Leo  I. — a  fact  commemorated  by  the  inscription  : 
"  Liberatori  suo  B.  Joanni  Evangelistae  Hilarius  Episcopus 
famulus  Christi."  The  vault  is  covered  with  mosaics  rep- 
resenting the  Spotless  Lamb  in  Paradise.  Here  is  a  statue 
of  S.  John  by  Landini. 

Close  by  is  the  entrance  to  the  Oratory  of  S.  Venanzio,^ 
built  in  640  by  John  IV.,  and  dedicated  to  S.  Venantius, 
from  a  filial  feeling  to  his  father,  who  bore  the  same  name. 
Nothing,  however,  remains  of  this  time  but  the  mosaics. 
Those  in  the  apse  represent  the  Saviour  in  the  act  of  bene- 
diction with  angels,  and  below  him  the  Virgin  (an  aged 
woman)  in  adoration,''  with  S.  Peter  and  S.  John  Baptist, 
S.  Paul  and  S.  John  the  Evangelist,  S.  Venantius  and  S. 
Domnus — and  another  figure  unnamed,  probably  John  IV., 
holding  the  model  of  a  church.  Outside  the  chancel  arch 
are  eight  saints,  v/ith  their  names  (Palmianus,  Julius, 
Asterius,  Anastasius,  Maurus,  Septimius,  Antiochianus, 
Cajanus),  the  symbols  of  the  Evangelists,  and  the  cities 
Bethlehem  and  Jerusalem  ;  also  the  verses : — 

"  Martyribus  Christ!  Domini  pia  voto  Johannes 
Reddidit  antistcs,  sanctificante  Deo. 

'  S.  Venantius  was  a  child  martyred  at  Camerino,  under  Dccius,  ia  250.  Pope 
Clement  X.,  who  had  been  bishop  of  Camerino,  had  a  peculiar  veneration  (or 
this  saint. 

-  This  firjure  of  the  Virgin  is  of  preat  interest,  as  introducing-  the  Greek  clas- 
sical type  under  which  she  is  so  often  afterward  represented  m  Latia  2.rt. 


THE  LATER  AN.  457 

At  sacri  fontis  similis  fulgente  inctallo, 

Providus  instanler  hoc  copulavit  opus  : 
Quo  quisquis  gradiens  et  Christum  pronus  adorans, 

Eftusasque  preces  impetrat  ille  suas." 

The  next  chapel,  called  the  CappeUa  Borgia^  and  used 
as  the  burial-place  of  that  family,  was  once  an  open  por- 
tico, but  this  character  was  destroyed  by  the  building  up 
of  the  intercolumniations.  On  its  facade  are  a  number  of 
fragments  of  ancient  friezes,  &:c.  Over  the  inner  door  is 
a  bass-relief  of  the  Crucifixion,  of  1494. 

The  piteous  modernization  of  this  ancient  gioup  of 
chapels  is  chiefly  due  to  the  folly  of  Urban  VIII.  The 
baptistery  is  used  on  Easter  Eve  for  the  ceremony  of  adult 
baptism,  the  recipients  being  called  Jews. 

The  Lateran  derives  its  name  from  a  rich  patrician 
family,  whose  estates  were  confiscated  by  Nero  when  their 
head,  Plautius  Lateranus,  was  put  to  death  for  taking  prrt 
in  the  conspiracy  of  Piso.'  Remains  of  this  villa  were  dis- 
covered near  the  apse  of  the  church  in  1876.  It  became 
an  imperial  residence,  and  a  portion  of  it  being  given  by 
Maximianus  to  his  daughter  Fausta,  second  wife  of  Con- 
stantine,  became,  under  the  name  of  "Domus  Fauslae," 
her  usual  residence.  It  was  this  which  was  given  by  Ccn- 
stantine  to  Pope  Melchiades  in  312, — a  donation  v>hich 
was  confirmed  to  S.  Sylvester,  in  whose  reign  the  first 
basilica  was  built  here  and  consecrated  on  November  9, 
324,  Constantine  having  labored  with  his  own  hands  at  the 
work.  This  basilica  v/as  overthrown  by  an  earthquake  in 
896,  but  was  rebuilt  by  Sergius  III.  (904-11),  being  then 
dedicated  to  S.  John  the  Baptist.  This  second  basilica, 
whose  glories  are  alluded  to  by  Dante, 

"  Quando  Laterano 

Alle  cose  mortali  ando  di  sopra." — Paradiso,  xxxi. 

was  of  the  greatest  interest,  but  was  almost  entirely  de- 
stroyed by  fire  in  1308.  It  was  rebuilt,  only  to  be  again 
burned  down  in  1360,  when  it  remained  for  four  years  in 
utter  ruin,  in  which  state  it  was  seen  and  mourned  over 
by  Petrarch.     The  fourth  restoration  of  the  basilica  was 

'  It  was  near  the  Lateran,  on  the  site  of  the  gardens  of  Plautius  Lateranus. 
that  the  famous  statues  of  the  Niobides,  attributed  to  Scopas,  now  at  Florence, 
were  found.    The  fine  tomb  of  the  Plautii  is  a  strikins  object  on  the  road  to 


45! 


IIALA'S  I.V  ROME. 


due  to  Urban  V.  (1362-70),  but  it  has  since  undergone  a 
series  of  mutilations  and  modernizations  which  have  de- 
plorably injured  it.  The  west  front  still  retains  the  in- 
scription "  Sacrosancta  Lateranensis  ecclesia,  Omnium 
urbis  et  orbis  Ecclesiarum  Mater  et  Caput  ;  "  the  Chapter 
of  the  Lateran  still  takes  precedence  even  over  that  of  S. 
Peter's  ;  and  every  newly  elected  Pope  comes  hither  for 
his  coronation. 

"S.  J.  Lateran  est  regarde  comma  le  siege  du  patriarchat  romain. 
A.  S.  Pierre  le  pape  est  souverain  pontifc.  A.  S.  J.  Lateran  il  est 
eveque  de  Rome.  Quand  le  pape  est  elu,  il  vient  i  S.  J.  Lateran 
prendre  possession  de  son  siege  comme  eveque  de  Rome." — A.  Du 
Pays. 

"  In  the  Lateran  is  the  true  Pontifical  throne,  on  the  platform  of 
which  are  written  the  words  Haec  est  papalis  sedes  ct  pontlficalis. 
Over  its  front  is  inscribed  the  decree,  Papal  and  Imperial,  declaring  it 
to  be  the  mother  and  mistress  of  all  churches." — A.  P.  Stanley, 
Christian  Institutions. 

The  west  end  of  the  basilica  is  in  part  a  remnant  of  the 
building  of  the  tenth  century,  and  has  two  quaint  towers 
(rebuilt  by  Sixtus  IV.)  at  the  end  of  the  transept,  and  a 
rich  frieze  of  terra-cotta.  The  church  is  entered  from  the 
transept  by  a  portico,  ending  in  a  gloomy  chapel  which 
contains  a  statue  of  Henry  IV.,  by  Niccoh  Cordieri.  The 
transept — rich  in  color  from  its  basement  of  varied  marbles, 
and  its  upper  frescoes  of  the  legendary  history  of  Constan- 
tine — is  by  far  the  finest  part  of  the  basilica,  which,  as  a 
whole,  is  infinitely  inferior  to  S.  Maria  Maggiore.  The  nave, 
consisting  of  five  aisles,  is  of  grand  proportions,  but  has 
been  hideously  modernized  under  Borromini,  who  has  in- 
closed all  its  ancient  columns,  except  two  near  the  tribune, 
in  tawdry  plaster  piers,  in  front  of  which  are  huge  statues 
of  the  apostles  ;  the  roof  is  gilt  and  gaudy,  the  tabernacle 
ugly  and  ill-proportioned — only  the  ancient  pavement  of 
opus-alexandrinum  is  fine.  Confessionals  for  different 
languages  are  placed  here  as  in  S.  Peter's.  The  tabernacle 
was  erected  by  Urban  V.  in  the  fourteenth  century.  Four 
granite  columns  support  a  gothic  canopy,  decorated  at  its 
angles  with  canopied  statuettes.  Between  these,  on  either 
side,  are  three  much-restored  frescoes  by  Berni  da  Siena, 
those  in  central  panels  representing  the  Annunciation,  the 
Crucifixion,  the  Coronation  of  the  Virgin,  and  the  Saviour 
as  a  shepherd  (very  beautifully  treated)  feeding  his  flock 


S.  JOHN  LATER  AN.  41:9 

with  corn.  The  skulls  of  SS.  Peter  and  Paul  are  said  to 
be  preserved  here.  The  altar  incloses  the  greater  part  of 
the  famous  Avooden  table  saved  at  great  risk  of  life  from 
the  conflagration  of  1308,  upon  which  S.  Peter  is  supposed 
to  have  celebrated  mass  in  the  house  of  Pudens.' 

In  the  confession,  in  front  of  the  altar,  is  the  bronze 
tomb  of  Martin  V.,  Oddone  Colonna  (1417-24),  the  wise 
and  just  pope  who  was  elected  at  the  Council  of  Constance 
to  put  an  end  to  the  schism  which  had  long  divided  the 
papacy,  and  which  had  almost  reduced  the  capital  of  the 
Church  to  ruins.  A  bronze  slab  bears  his  figure,  in  low- 
relief,  and  is  a  fine  work  of  Antonio  Filarete,  author  of  the 
bronze  doors  at  S.  Peter's.  It  bears  the  appropriate  sur- 
name which  was  given  to  this  justly-loved  pope — "  Tem- 
porum  suorum  felicitas. " 

The  tribune  is  of  the  time  of  Nicholas  IV.  (i  287-1 292). 
Above  the  arch  is  a  grand  mosaic  head  of  the  Saviour, 
attributed  to  the  time  of  Constantine,  and  evidently  of  the 
fourth  century — of  great  interest  on  this  spot,  as  commem- 
orating the  vision  of  the  Redeemer,  who  is  said  to  have 
appeared  here  on  the  day  of  the  consecration  of  the  church 
by  Sylvester  and  Constantine,  looking  down  upon  the 
people,  and  solemnly  hallowing  the  work  with  his  visible 
presence.  The  head,  which  is  grand  and  sad  in  expression, 
is  surrounded  by  six-winged  seraphim.  Below  is  an  orna- 
mented cross,  above  which  hovers  a  dove — from  whose 
beak,  running  down  the  cross,  flow  the  waters  which  sup- 
ply the  four  rivers  of  Paradise.  The  disciples,  as  harts 
(panting  for  the  water-brooks)  and  sheep,  flock  to  drink 
of  the  waters  of  life.  In  the  distance  is  the  New  Jerusalem, 
within  which  the  Phoenix,  the  bird  of  eternity,  is  seated 
upon  the  tree  of  Life,  guarded  by  an  angel  with  a  two- 
edged  sword.  Beside  the  cross,  stand  on  the  left,  the 
Virgin  with  her  hand  resting  on  the  head  of  the  kneeling 
pope,  Nicholas  IV.  ;  S.  Peter  with  a  scroll  inscribed  "  Tu 
es  Christus  filius  Dei  vivi ;  "  S  Paul  with  scroll  inscribed, 
"  Salvatorem  expectamus  Dominum  Jesum. "  On  the  right 
S.  John  the  Baptist,  S.  John  the  Evangelist,  S.  Andrew 
(all  with  their  names).  Between  the  first  and  second  of 
these  figures  are  others,  on  a  smaller  scale,  of  S.  Francis 
and  S.  Anthony  of  Padua.     All  these  persons  are  repre- 

'  See  S.  P-iuientiana.  ch.  x. 


40O  WALKS  /.V  ROME. 

sented  as  walking  in  a  flowery  Paradise,  in  which  the  souls 
of  the  blessed  are  disporting,  and  in  front  of  which  flows 
the  Jordan.  Below,  between  the  windows,  are  figures  of 
prophets,  and  (very  small)  of  two  Franciscans,  who  were 
the  artists  of  the  lower  portion  of  the  mosaic,  as  is  shown 
by  the  inscriptions,  "  Jacobus  Turriti,  pictor,  hoc  opus 
fecit ;  " — "  Fra  Jacobus  de  Camerino  socius  magistri." 

Behind  the  tribune,  much  mutilated  in  late  years,  is  all 
that  remains  internally  of  the  architecture  of  the  tenth 
century,  in  the  vaulted  passage  called  "  Portico  Leonino," 
from  its  founder,  Leo  I.  It  is  supported  on  low  marble 
and  granite  columns,  with  Ionic  and  Corinthian  capitals. 
Here  are  collected  a  variety  of  relics  of  the  ancient  basil- 
ica. On  either  side  of  the  entrance  are  mosaic  tablets, 
which  relate  to  the  building  of  the  church.  Then,  on  the 
right,  is  a  curious  kneeling  statue  of  Pope  Nicholas  IV., 
Masci  (1287-92).  On  the  left,  in  the  center,  is  an  altar, 
above  which  is  an  ancient  crucifix,  and  on  either  side  tenth- 
century  statues  of  SS.  Peter  and  Paul. 

On  the  right  is  the  entrance  to  the  sacristy  (whose  inner 
bronze  doors  date  from  1196),  which  contains  an  Annun- 
ciation by  Sebastian  del  Pionibo,  and  a  sketch  by  RaffacUe 
for  the  Madonna,  called  "  Delia  Casa  d'Alba,"  now  at  S. 
Petersburg  ;  also  an  ancient  bass-relief,  \\hich  represents 
the  old  and  humble  basilica  of  Pope  Sergius.  On  the  lefi, 
at  the  end  of  the  passage,  is  a  very  handsome  cinquecenlo 
ciborium,  and  near  it  the  "  Tabula  Magna  Lateranensis," 
containing  the  list  of  relics  belonging  to  the  church. 

Near  this,  opening  from  the  transept,  is  the  Cappella  del 
Coro,  with  handsome  wooden  stallwork.  It  contains  a  por- 
trait of  Martin  V.,  by  Scipione  Cactani. 

The  altar  of  the  Sacrament,  which  closes  the  transept, 
has  four  fluted  bronze  columns,  said  to  have  been  brought 
from  Jerusalem  by  Titus,  and  to  be  hollow  and  filled  with 
earth  from  Palestine.'  The  last  chapel  on  the  left  aisle  is 
the  Cappella  Coj-sini,  erected  in  1729  in  honor  of  S.  Andrea 
Corsini,  from  designs  of  Alessandro  Galilei.  It  is  in  the 
form  of  a  Greek  cross,  and  ranks  next  to  the  Borghese 
Chapel  in  the  richness  of   its    marble    decoration.     The 

'  These  columns  are  mentioned  in  the  thirteenth-centurv'  list  of  Lateran  relics, 
which  says  that  all  the  relics  of  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem  brought  by  Titus 
we»-<!  preserved  at  the  Lateran. 


S.  JOHN  LATER  AN.  461 

mosaic  altar-piece,  representing  S.  Andrea  Corsini,  is  a 
copy  from  Giiido.  The  founder  of  the  chapel,  Clement 
XII.,  Lorenzo  Corsini  (1730-40),  is  buried  ni  a  splendid 
porpliyry  sarcophagus  which  he  plundered  from  the  Pan- 
theon. Above  it  is  a  bronze  statue  of  the  pope.'  Opposite 
is  the  tomb  of  Cardinal  Neri  Corsini,  with  a  number  of 
statues  of  the  Bernini  school. 

Beneath  the  chapel  is  a  vault  lined  with  sarcophagi  of 
the  Corsini.  Its  altar  is  surmounted  by  a  magnificent  Pieta 
— in  whose  beautiful  and  repressive  figures,  it  is  difficult 
to  recognize  a  work  of  the  usually  coarse  and  theatrical 
artist  Bernini. 

Of  the  many  tombs  of  mediaeval  popes  which  formerly  existed  in 
this  basilica,^  none  remain  except  the  memorial  slab  and  epitaph  of 
Sylvester  II.,  Gerbert  (999-1003).  This  pope  is  said  (by  the  chronicler 
Martin  Polonas  de  Corenza)  to  have  been  a  kind  of  magician,  who  ob- 
tained first  the  archbishopric  of  Rheims,  then  that  of  Ravenna,  and 
then  the  papacy,  by  the  aid  of  the  devil,  to  whom,  in  return,  he  prom- 
ised to  belong  after  death.  When  he  ascended  the  throne,  he  asked 
the  devil  how  long  he  could  reign,  and  the  devil,  as  his  custom,  an- 
swered by  a  double-entendre,  "  If  you  never  enter  Jerusalem,  you  will 
reign  a  long  time."  He  occupied  the  throne  for  four  years,  one  month, 
and  ten  days,  when,  one  day,  as  he  was  officiating  in  the  basilica  of  S. 
Croce  in  Gerusalemme,  he  saw  that  he  had  passed  the  fatal  threshold, 
and  that  his  death  was  impending.  Overwhelmed  with  repentance,  he 
confessed  his  backslidings  before  the  people,  and  exhorted  them  to 
lay  aside  pride,  to  resist  the  temptations  of  the  devil,  and  to  lead  a 
good  life.  After  this  he  begged  of  his  attendants  to  cut  his  body  in 
pieces  after  he  was  dead,  as  he  deserved,  and  to  place  it  on  a  common 
cart,  and  bury  it  wherever  the  horses  stopped  of  their  own  accord. 
Then  was  manifested  the  will  of  the  divine  Providence,  that  repentant 
sinners  should  learn  that  their  God  preserves  for  them  a  place  of  par- 
don even  in  this  life — for  the  horses  went  of  their  own  accord  to  S. 
John  Lateran,  where  he  was  buried.  "  Since  then,"  says  Platina,  "  the 
rattling  of  his  bones,  and  the  sweat,  or  rather  the  damp,  with  which  his 
tomb  becomes  covered,  has  always  been  the  infallible  sign  and  fore- 
runner of  the  death  of  a  pope  !  " 

Against  the  second  pillar  of  the  right  aisle,  counting 
from  the  west  door,  is  a  very  interesting  fresco  of  Giotto, 
originally  one  of  many  paintings  executed  by  him  for  the 
loggia  of  the  adjoining  papal  palace,  whence  the  benedic- 

1  There  is  a  curious  mosaic  portrait  of  Clement  XII.  in  the  Palazzo  Corsini. 

2  Sergius  III.  ob.  on  ;  Agapetus  11.  ob.  956  •  John  XII.  ob.  96.4. ;  Sylvester  II. 
ob.  1003  ;  John  XVIII.  ob.  loog  ;  Alexander  11.  ob.  1073;  Paschal  II  ob.  1118; 
Calixtus  II.  ob.  1124  ;  Hononus  II.  ob.  114^;  Celestine  II.  ob.  1143  ;  Lucius  II. 
ob.  1145  ;  Anastasius  IV.  ob.  1154;  Alexander  III.  ob.  1159;  Clement  III.  ob. 
1191  ;  Celestine  III.  ob.  1198;  Innocent  V.  ob.  1276 — were  buried  at  S.John 
Lateran,  besides  those  later  popes  whose  tombs  still  exist. 


463  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

tion  and  "  plenary  indulgence  "  were  given  in  the  jubilee 
year.  It  represents  Boniface  VIII.  (Benedetto  Caetani, 
1294-1303),  the  founder  of  the  jubilee,  between  two 
priests. 

"  On  y  voit  Boniface  annon^ant  au  peuple  le  jubile.  Le  portrait  du 
pape  doit  etre  resjemblant.  J'ai  reconnu  dans  cette  physionomic,  ou 
il  y  a  plus  de  tinesse  que  de  force,  la  statue  que  j'avais  vue  couchee 
sur  le  tombeau  de  ce  pape,  dans  les  souterrainsdu  Vatican." — Avipcre, 
Voyage  Dantesqiie. 

Opening  from  this  aisle  are  several  chapels.  The  second 
is  that  of  the  newly  established  and  rich  family  of  Torlo- 
nia,  and  contains  a  marble  Pieta,  by  Tenerani,  with  some 
handsome  modern  monuments.  The  third  is  that  of  the 
Massimi  (designed  by  Giacomo  della  Porta),  which  has 
the  Crucifixion  by  Sennoneta  as  an  altar-piece.  Beyond 
this,  in  the  right  aisle,  are  several  remarkable  tombs  of 
cardinals,  among  which  is  the  monument  of  Cardinal  Guis- 
sano,  who  died  in  1287.  The  painters,  Cav.  d'Arpino  and 
Andrea  Sacchi,  are  buried  in  this  church.  In  the  left  aisle 
is  the  effigy  of  Cardinal  Riccardo  Annibaldi,  the  friend  of 
S.  Thomas  Aquinas,  a  renowned  leader  of  the  Guelphs. 

Entered  from  the  last  chapel  in  the  left  aisle  (by  a  door 
which  the  sacristan  will  open)  is  the  beautiful  twelfth-cent- 
ury Cloister  of  the  Monastery,  surrounded  by  low  arches 
supported  on  exquisite  inlaid  and  twisted  columns,  above 
which  is  a  lovely  frieze  of  colored  marbles,  the  work  of  the 
Cosmati — "  arte  marmoris  periti."  The  court  thus  inclosed 
is  a  garden  of  roses  ;  in  the  center  is  a  well  (adorned  with 
crosses)  of  the  tenth  century,  called  the  "  Well  of  the 
Woman  of  Samaria."  In  the  cloister  is  a  collection  of 
architectural  and  traditional  relics,  including  an  old  white 
marble  throne,  inlaid  with  mosaics,  a  candelabrum  resting 
on  a  lion,  and  several  other  exquisitely  wrought  details 
from  the  old  basilica  ;  also  a  porphyry  slab  upon  which  the 
soldiers  are  said  to  have  cast  lots  for  the  seamless  robe ; 
columns  which  were  rent  by  the  earthquake  of  the  Cruci- 
fixion ;  a  slab,  resting  on  pillars,  shown  as  a  measure  of 
the  height  of  our  Saviour,'  and  a  smaller  slab,  also  on 
pillars,  of  which  it  is  said  that  it  was  once  an  altar,  at  which 

•  Ccs  monuments,  consacrds  par  !.i  tradition,  n'ont  pas  ixi  jui^ds  cepfndnnl 
assez  authentiquespouretrc  solcnncllement  exposes  iila  veneration  dcs  ftdclcs.— 
Goumcri. 


S.  JOHN  LATERAN.  463 

the  officiating  priest  doubted  of  the  Real  Presence,  when 
the  wafer  fell  from  his  hand  through  the  stone,  leaving  a 
round  hole  which  still  remains. 

Five  General  Councils  have  been  held  at  the  Lateran, 
viz.  : 

I. — March  ig,  1 123,  under  Calixtus  II.,  with  regard  to  the  In- 
vestiture. 

II. — April  18,  1139,  under  Innocent  II.,  to  condemn  the  doctrines 
of  Arnold  of  Brescia  and  Peter  de  Bruys,  and  to  oppose 
the  antipope  Anacletus  II. 
III. — March  5,  1179,  under  Alexander  II.,  to  condemn  the  doc- 
trines of  Waldenses  and  Albigenses,  and  to  end  the  schism 
caused  by  Frederick  Barbarossa. 
IV. — Nov.  II,  1 21 5,  at  which  400  bisliops  assembled  under  Inno- 
cent III.  to  condemn  the  Albigenses  and  the  heresies  of 
the  Abbot  Joachim. 

V. — May  3,  1512,  under  Julius  II.  and  Leo  X.,  at  which  the 
Pragmatic  Sanction  was  abolished,  and  a  Concordat  con- 
cluded between  the  Pope  and  Francis  I.  for  the  destruction 
of  the  liberties  of  the  Galilean  Church. 

It  is  in  the  basilica  of  the  Lateran  that  the  Church 
places  the  first  meeting  betvv^een  S.  Francis  and  S.  Dom- 
inic. 

"  Une  nuit,  pendant  que  Dominique  dormait,  il  lui  sembla  voir 
Jesus-Christ  se  preparant  a  exterminer  les  superbes,  lesvoluptueux,  les 
avares,  lorsque  tout-a-coup  la  Vierge  I'apaisa  en  lui  presentant  deux 
hommes  :  I'un  d'eux  etait  lui-meme  ;  quanta  I'autre,  il  ne  le  connaissait 
pas  ;  mais  le  lendemain,  la  premiere  personne  qu'il  aper^ut,  en  entrant 
au  Lateran,  fut  I'inconnu  qui  lui  etait  apparu  en  songe.  II  etait  convert 
de  haillons  et  priait  avec  ferveur.  Dominique  se  precipita  dans  ses 
bras,  et  I'embrassant  avec  eflusion  :  '  Tu  es  mon  compagnon,'  lui  dit- 
il  ;  '  nous  courons  la  meme  carriere,  demeurons  ensemble,  at  aucun 
ennemi  ne  prevaudra  contre  nous.'  Et,  a  partir  de  ce  moment,  dit  la 
legende,  ils  n'eurent  plus  qu'un  coeur  et  qu'une  ame  dans  le  Seigneur. 
Ce  pauvre,  ce  mendiant,  etait  saint  Francois  d'Assise." — Gournerie, 
Rome  Chre'tienne. 

Issuing  from  the  west  door  of  the  basilica,  we  find  our- 
selves in  a  wide  portico,  one  of  whose  five  doors  is  a  Porta 
Santa.  At  the  end  is  appropriately  placed  an  ancient 
marble  statue  of  Constaritine,  who  is  in  the  dress  of  a  Ro- 
man warrior,  bearing  the  labarum,  or  standard  of  the  cross, 
which  is  here  represented  as  a  lance  surmounted  by  the 
monogram  of  Christ.  From  this  portico  we  look  down 
upon  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  characteristic  views  in 
Rome.     On  one  side  are  the  Alban  Hills,  blue  in  morning, 


464  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

or  purple  in  evening  light,  sprinkled  with  white  villages  of 
historic  interest — Albano,  Rocco  di  Papa,  Marino,  Frascati, 
Colonna  ;  on  the  other  side  are  the  Sabine  Mountains, 
tipped  with  snow  ;  in  the  middle  distance  the  long,  golden- 
hued  lines  of  aqueducts  stretch  away  over  the  plain,  till 
they  are  lost  in  the  pink  haze  ;  and  nearer  still  are  the 
desolate  basilica  of  Santa  Croce,  the  fruit  gardens  of  the 
Villa  Wolkonski,  interspersed  with  rugged  fragments  of 
massive  brickwork,  and  the  glorious  old  walls  of  the  city 
itself.  The  road  at  our  feet  is  the  Via  Appia  Nuova,  which 
leads  to  Naples,  and  which  immediately  passes  through  the 
modern  gate  of  Rome,  known  as  the  Porta  San  Giovanni 
(built  in  the  sixteenth  century  by  Gregory  XIII.).  Nearer 
to  us,  on  the  right,  is  an  ancient  gateway,  the  finest  on  the 
Aurelian  Wall,  bricked  up  by  Ladislaus,  king  of  Naples,  in 
1408.  By  this  gate,  known  as  the  Porta  Asiiiaria,iron\  the 
family  of  the  Asinarii,  Belisarius  entered  Rome  in  505,  and 
Totila,  through  the  treachery  of  the  Isaurian  Guard,  in 
546.  Here  also,  in  1084,  Henry  IV.  entered  Rome  against 
Hildebrand  with  his  anti-pope  Guibert  ;  and,  a  few  years 
after,  the  nariie  of  the  gate  itself  v/as  changed  to  Porta 
Perusta,  in  consequence  of  the  injuries  it  received  from 
Robert  Guiscard,  who  came  to  the  rescue  of  the  lawful 
pontiff. 

The  broad  open  space  which  vv^e  see  beneath  the  steps 
was  the  favorite  walk  of  the  mediaeval  popes. 

"  The  splendid  palace  of  the  Lateran  reflected  the  rays  of  the  evening 
sun  as  Francis  of  Assisi  with  two  or  three  of  his  disciples  approached 
it  to  obtain  the  papal  sanction  for  the  rules  of  his  new  Order.  A  group 
of  churchmen  in  sumptuous  apparel  were  traversing  with  slow  and 
measured  steps  its  lofty  terrace,  then  called  'the  Mirror,' as  if  afraid  to 
overtake  him  who  preceded  them,  in  a  dress  studiously  simple,  and 
with  a  countenance  wrapped  in  earnest  meditation.  Unruffled  by  pas- 
sion, and  yet  elate  witli  conscious  power,  that  ea.c^le  eye  and  those 
capacious  brows  announced  him  the  lord  of  a  dominion  which  might 
have  satislied  the  pride  of  Diogenes  and  the  ambition  of  Alexander. 
Since  the  Tugurium  was  built  on  the  Capitoline,  no  greater  monarch 
had  ever  called  the  seven  hills  his  own.  But,  in  his  pontificate  no  era 
had  occurred  more  arduous  than  that  in  which  Innocent  III.  saw  the 
mendicants  of  Assisi  prostrate  at  his  feet.  The  interruption  was  as 
unwelcome  as  it  was  abrupt ;  as  he  gazed  at  the  squalid  dress  and  faces 
of  his  suitors,  and  observed  theif  bare  and  unwashed  feet,  his  lip  curled 
with  disdain,  and  sternly  commanding  them  to  withdraw,  he  seemed 
again  to  retire  from  the  outer  world  into  some  of  the  deep  recesses  of 
that  capacious  mind.      Francis  and  his  companions  betook  themselves 


PALACE    OF    THE   LATER  AM.  465 

to  prayer  ;  Innocent  to  his  couch.  There  (says  the  legend)  he  dreamed 
that  a  palm-tree  sprouted  up  from  the  ground  beneath  his  feet,  and, 
swiftly  shooting  up  into  the  heavens,  cast  her  boughs  on  every  side,  a 
shelter  from  the  heat  and  a  refreshment  to  the  weary.  The  vision  of 
the  night  dictated  the  policy  of  the  morning,  and  assured  luKocent  that, 
under  his  fostering  care,  the  Franciscan  palm  would  strike  deep  her 
roots,  and  expand  her  foliage  on  every  side,  in  the  vineyard  of  the 
Church." — Stephen's  S.  Francis  of  Assisi. 

The  western  facade  of  the  basilica,  built  by  Alessandro 
Galilei  in  1734,  has  a  fine  effect  at  a  distance,  but  the 
statues  of  Christ  and  the  Apostles  which  line  its  parapet  are 
too  large  for  its  proportions. 

The  ancient  Palace  of  the  Lateran  was  the  residence  of 
the  popes  for  nearly  1,000  years.  Almost  all  the  events 
affecting  the  private  lives  of  a  vast  line  of  ecclesiastical 
sovereigns  happened  within  its  walls.  Plundered  in  each 
successive  invasion,  stricken  with  malaria  during  the  autumn 
months,  and  often  partially  burned,  it  was  finally  destroyed 
by  the  great  enemy  of  Roman  antiquities,  Sixtus  V,  Among 
the  scenes  which  occurred  within  its  walls,  perhaps  the 
most  terrible  was  that  when  John  X.,  the  completer  of  the 
Lateran  basilica,  was  invaded  here  by  Marozia,  who  was 
beginning  to  seize  the  chief  power  in  Rome,  and  who  car- 
ried the  pope  off  prisoner  to  S.  Angelo,  after  he  had  seen 
his  brother  Peter  murdered  before  his  eyes  in  the  hall  of 
the  pontifical  palace. 

The  only  remnants  preserved  of  this  famous  building  are 
the  private  chapel  of  the  popes  and  the  end  wall  of  their 
dining-hall,  known  as  the  Tricliniian^  which  contains  a 
copy,  erected  by  Benedict  XIV.,  of  the  ancient  mosaic  of 
the  time  of  Leo.  IIL  which  formerly  existed  here,  and  the 
remains  of  which  are  preserved  in  the  Vatican. 

"In  this  mosaic,  Hallam  ('Middle  Ages')  sees  proof  that  the  au- 
thority of  the  Greek  Emperor  was  not  entirely  abrogated  at  Rome  till 
long  after  the  period  of  papal  aggrandizement  by  Pepin  and  his  son, 
but  he  is  warranted  by  no  probabilities  in  concluding  that  Constantine 
v.,  whose  reign  began  a.d.  780,  is  intended  by  the  emperor  kneeling 
with  S.  Peter  or  Pope  Sylvester." — Hcmans'  Ancient  Christian  Art. 

Professor  Bryce  considers  that  the  theory  of  the  medi- 
aeval empire  is  unmistakably  set  forth  in  two  paintings, 
one  of  them  in  Rome,  the  other  in  Florence  (a  fresco  in 
the  chapter-house  of  S.  M.  Novella). 

"  The  first  of  these  is  the  famous  mosaic  of  the  Lateran  triclinium, 
20* 


466  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

constructed  by  Pope  Leo  III.  about  A.D.  800,  and  an  exact  copy  of 
which,  made  by  the  order  of  Sixtus  V.,  may  still  be  seen  over  against 
the  fa9ade  of  S.  John  Lateran.  Originally  meant  to  adorn  the  state 
banqueting  hall  of  the  popes,  it  is  now  placed  in  the  open  air,  in  the 
finest  situation  in  Rome,  looking  from  the  brow  of  a  hill  across  the 
green  ridges  of  the  Campagna  to  the  oliv.e  groves  of  Tivoli  and  the 
glistering  crags  and  snovv'-capped  summits  of  the  Umbrian  and  Habine 
Apennine.  It  represents  in  the  center  Christ  surrounded  by  the 
apostles,  whom  He  is  sending  forth  to  preach  the  gospel  ;  one  hand 
is  extended  to  bless  ;  the  uther  holds  a  book  with  the  words,  "  Pax  vo- 
bis."  Below  and  to  the  right  Christ  is  depicted  again,  and  this  time 
sitting  ;  on  His  right  hand  kneels  Pope  Sylvester,  on  Plis  left  the 
Emperor  Constantine  ;  to  the  one  He  gives  the  keys  of  heaven  and 
hell,  to  the  other  a  banner  surmounted  by  a  cross.  In  the  group  on 
the  opposite — that  is,  on  the  left — side  of  the  arch  we  see  the  Apostle 
Peter  seated,  before  whom,  in  like  manner,  kneel  Pope  Leo  III.  and 
Charles  the  Emperor,  the  latter  wearing,  like  Constantine,  his  crown. 
Peter,  himself  grasping  the  keys,  gives  to  Leo  the  pallium  of  an 
archbishop,  to  Charles  the  banner  of  the  Christian  army.  The  in- 
scription is  :  '  Beatus  Petrus  dona  vitam  Leoni  PP.  et  victoriam  Carulo 
regi  dona  ; '  while  round  the  arch  is  written,  'Gloria  in  excelsis  Deo, 
et  in  terra  pax  omnibus  bonae  voluntatis.' 

"  The  order  and  nature  of  the  ideas  here  symbolized  are  sufficiently 
clear.  First  comes  the  revelation  of  the  gospel,  and  the  divine  com- 
mission to  gather  all  men  into  its  fold.  Next,  the  institution,  at  the 
memorable  era  of  Constantine's  conversion,  of  the  two  powers  by 
which  the  Christian  people  are  to  be  respectively  taught  and  governed. 
Thirdly,  we  are  shown  the  permanent  Vicar  of  Cod,  the  apostle  who 
keeps  the  keys  of  heaven  and  hell,  re-establishing  these  same  powers 
on  a  new  and  firmer  basis.  The  badge  of  ecclesiastical  supremacy  he 
gives  to  Leo  as  the  spiritual  head  of  the  faithful  on  earth  ;  the  banner 
of  the  Church  militant  to  Charles,  who  is  to  maintain  her  cause  against 
heretics  and  infidels." — Holy  Roman  Umpire,  ch.  vii. 

In  the  building  behind  the  TricHnium,  attached  to  a 
convent  of  Passionist  monks,  and  erected  by  Fontana  for 
Sixtus  v.,  is  preserved  the  Scala  Santa.  This  famous 
staircase,  supposed  to  be  that  of  the  house  of  Pilate, 
ascended  and  descended  by  our  Saviour,  is  said  to  have 
been  brought  from  Jerusalem  by  Helena,  mother  of  Con- 
stantine the  Great,  and  has  been  regarded  with  especial 
reverence  by  the  Roinan  Church  for  1,500  years.  In  879 
it  was  injured  and  partially  thrown  down  by  an  earth- 
quake, but  was  re-erected  in  the  old  Lateran  palace,  whence 
it  was  removed  to  its  present  site  on  the  demolition  of  that 
venerable  building.  Clement  XII.  caused  the  steps  to  be 
covered  by  a  wooden  casing,  which  has  since  been  repeat- 
edly worn  out  by  the  knees  of  ascending  pilgrims.     Aper 


THE    SCALA    SAXTA.  467 

tirres  are  left,  through  which  the  marble  steps  can  be 
seen  ;  two  of  them  are  said  to  be  stained  with  the  blood  of 
the  Saviour. 

At  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  within  the  atrium,  are  fine 
sculptures  of  Giacometii,  representing  the  "  Ecce  Homo," 
— and  the  "  Kiss  of  Judas,"  purchased  and  placed  here  bv 
Pius  IX. 

Between  these  statues  the  pilgrims  kneel  to  comm.ence 
the  ascent  of  the  Scala  Santa.  The  effect  of  the  stair- 
case (especially  on  Fridays  in  Lent,  and  most  of  all  on 
Good  Friday),  with  the  figures  ascending  on  their  knees  in 
the  dim  light,  and  the  dark  vaulted  ceiling  covered  with 
faded  frescoes,  is  exceedingly  picturesque. 

"  Reason  may  condemn,  but  feeling-  cannot  resist  tlie  claim  to  reve- 
rential sympathy  in  the  spectacle  daily  presented  by  the  Santa  Scala. 
Numerous  indulgences  have  been  granted  by  different  popes  to  those 
who  ascend  it  wilh  prayer  at  each  step.  While  kneeling  upon  these 
stairs,  public  penance  used  to  be  performed  in  -the  days  of  the 
Church's  more  rigorous  discipline  ;  thus  the  saintly  matron  Fabiola 
there  appeared  a  penitent  before  the  public  gaze,  in  sackcloth  and 
ashes,  A.D.  390.  .  .  .  There  is  no  day  on  which  worshipers  may  not 
be  seen  slowly  ascending  those  stairs  ;  but  it  is  during  Holy  Week  the 
concourse  is  at  its  height  ;  and  on  Good  Friday  I  have  seen  this  struct- 
ure completely  covered  by  the  multitude,  like  a  swarm  of  bees  settling 
on  flowers  !  " — Henians  Ancient  Sacred  Art. 

"  Brother  Martin  Luther  went  to  accomplish  the  ascent  of  the  Scala 
Santa — the  Holy  Staircase — which  once,  they  say,  formed  part  of 
Pilate's  house.  He  slowly  mounted  step  after  step  of  the  hard  stone, 
worn  into  hollows  by  the  knees  of  penitents  and  pilgrims.  An  indul- 
gence for  a  thousand  years — indulgence  from  penance — is  attached  to 
this  act  of  devotion.  Patiently  he  crept  half-way  up  the  staircase, 
when  he  suddenly  stood  erect,  and  lifted  his  face  heaven-ward, 
and,  in  another  moment,  turned  and  walked  slovvly  down  again. 

"He  said  that,  as  he  was  toiling  up,  a  voice,  as  if  from  heaven, 
seemed  to  whisper  to  him  the  old.  well-known  words,  v/hicli  had  been 
his  battle-cry  in  so  many  a  victorious  combat : — '  The  just  shall  live 
by  faith.' 

"  He  seemed  awakened  as  if  from  a  nightmare,  and  restored  to  him- 
self. He  dared  not  creep  up  another  step  ;  but,  rising  from  his 
knees,  he  stood  upright,  like  a  man  suddenly  loosed  from  bonds  and 
fetters,  and,  with  the  firm  step  of  the  free  man,  he  descended  tlie  stair- 
case and  walked  from  the  place." — Schonberg-Cotta  Chronicles. 

"  Did  the  feet  of  the  Saviour  actually  tread  these  steps  ?  Are  these 
rehcs  really  portions  of  his  cross,  crown  of  thorns,  etc. ,  or  is  all  this 
fictitious  ?     To  me  it  is  all  one. 

"  '  He  is  not  here,  he  is  risen  ! '  said  the  angel  at  the  tomb.  The 
worship  of  the  bodily  covering  which  the  spirit  has  cast  off  belongs  to 
the  soul  still  in  the  larva  condition  ;  and  the  ascending  of  the  Scala 


468  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

Santa  on  the  knees  is  too  convenient  a  mode  for  obtaining  the  forgive- 
ness of  sins,  and  at  the  same  time  a  hindrance  upon  the  only  true  way." 
— Frederika  Bremer. 

Ascending  one  of  the  lateral  staircases — no  foot  must 
touch  the  Santa  Scala — we  reach  the  outside  of  the  Sanda 
Sanctorum,  a  chapel  held  so  intensely  sacred  that  none  but 
the  pope  can  officiate  at  its  altar,  and  that  it  is  ?iever  open 
to  others  except  on  the  morning  before  Palm  Sunday, 
when  the  canons  of  the  Latcran  come  hither  to  worship,  in 
solemn  procession,  with  torches  and  a  vailed  crucifix,  and, 
even  then,  none  but  the  clergy  are  allowed  to  pass  its 
threshold.  The  origin  of  the  sanctuary  is  lost  in  antiquity, 
but  it  was  the  private  chapel  of  the  mediaeval  popes  in  the 
old  palace,  and  is  known  to  have  existed  already,  dedicated 
to  S.  Laurence,  in  the  time  of  Pelagius  I.  (578-590),  who 
deposited  here  some  relics  of  S.  Andrew  and  S.  Luke.  It 
was  restored  by  Honorius  IIL  in  12 16,  and  almost  rebuilt 
by  Nicholas  III.  in  1277. 

It  is  permitted  to  gaze  through  a  grating  upon  the  pict- 
uresque glories  of  the  interior,  which  are  chiefly  of  the 
thirteenth  century.  The  altar  is  in  a  recess,  supported  by 
two  porphyry  columns.  Above  it  a  beautiful  silver  taber- 
nacle, presented  by  Innocent  III.  (i  198-12 16),  to  contain 
the  great  relic  which  invests  the  chapel  with  its  peculiar 
sanctity — a  portrait  of  our  Saviour  (placed  here  by  Stephen 
III.  in  752),  held  by  the  Roman  Church  as  authentic — to 
have  been  begun  by  S.  Luke  and  finished  by  an  angel, 
whence  the  name  by  which  it  is  known,  "  Acheiropoeton," 
or  the  "  picture  made  without  hands." 

"  The  different  theories  as  to  the  acheiropoeton  picture,  and  the 
manner  in  which  it  reached  this  city,  are  stated  with  naivete  by  Maroni 
— i.  e.,  that  the  apostles  and  the  Madonna,  meeting  after  the  ascension, 
resolved  to  order  a  portrait  of  the  Crucified,  for  satisfying  the  desire 
of  the  faithful,  and  commissioned  S.  I^uke  to  execute  the  task  ;  that 
after  three  days'  prayer  and  fasting,  such  a  portrait  was  drawn  in  out- 
line by  that  artist,  but,  before  he  had  begun  to  color,  the  tints  were 
found  to  have  been  filled  in  by  invisible  hands  ;  that  this  picture  was 
brought  from  Jerusalem  to  Rome,  either  by  S.  Peter  or  by  Titus  (to- 
gether with  the  sacred  spoils  of  the  temple)  ;  or  else  expedited  hither 
in  a  miraculous  voyage  of  only  twenty-four  hours  by  S.  Germanus, 
patriarch  of  Constantinople,  who  desired  thus  to  save  such  a  treasure 
from  the  outrages  of  the  Iconoclasts  ;  and  that,  about  A.n.  726,  Pope 
Gregory  II.,  apprised  of  its  arrival  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tiber  by  reve- 
Jation,  proceeded  to  carry  it  thence,  with  due  escort,  to  Rome  ;  since 


GALLERIES  OF    THE   LATE  RAN. 


469 


which  advent  it  has  remained  in  the  Sancta  Sanctorum." — Hetnans 
Mediaeval  Christian  Art. 

Above  the  altar  is,  in  gilt  letters,  the  inscription  "  non 
est  in  tota  sanctior  urbe  locus."  Higher  up,  under  gothic 
arches,  and  between  twisted  columns,  are  pictures  of 
sainted  popes  and  martyrs,  but  these  have  been  so  much 
retouched  as  to  have  lost  their  interest.  The  gratings  here 
are  those  of  the  relic  chamber,  which  contains  the  reputed 
sandals  of  our  Saviour,  fragments  of  the  true  cross,  etc. 
On  the  ceihng  is  a  grand  mosaic — a  head  of  our  Saviour 
within  a  nimbus,  sustained  by  six-winged  seraphim — 
ascribed  to  the  eighth  century.  The  sill  in  front  of  the 
screen  is  covered  with  money,  thrown  in  as  offerings  by  the 
pilgrims. 

The  chapel  was  once  much  larger.  Its  architect  was 
probably  Deodatus  Cosmati.  The  inscription  near  the  door 
tells  us,  "  Magister  Cosmatus  fecit  hoc  opus.'' 

Here,  in  the  time  when  the  Lateran  palace  was  inhab- 
ited, the  feet  of  twelve  sub- deacons  were  annually  washed 
by  the  pope  on  Holy  Thursday.  On  the  Feast  of  the  As- 
sumption the  sacred  picture  used  to  be  borne  in  triumph 
through  the  city,  halting  in  the  Forum,  where  the  feet  of 
the  pope  were  washed  in  perfumed  waters  on  the  steps  of 
S.  Maria  Nuova,  and  the  "  Kyrie  Eleison  "  was  chanted 
a  liundred  times.  This  custom  was  abolished  by  Pius  V. 
in  1566. 

The  Modern  Palace  of  the  Lateran  was  built  from  de- 
signs of  Fontana  by  Sixtus  V.  In  1693  Innocent  XII. 
turned  it  into  a  hospital — in  1843  Gregory  XVI.  appro- 
priated it  as  a  museum.  The  entrance  faces  the  obelisk 
in  the  Piazzi  di  San  Giovanni.  The  palace  is  shown  daily 
from  10  to  3  (two  custodes,  50c.  each),  but  the  terrible 
cold  which  pervades  it  makes  it  a  dangerous  place,  and  a 
visit  to  it  is  often  productive  of  fever.  The  best  time  to 
choose  for  visiting  this  museum  is  one  of  the  coldest  days 
of  mid-winter,  as  the  transition  from  the  outer  air  is  then 
less  felt  :  the  windows  are  never  opened. 

The  ground  floor  is  the  principal  receptacle  for  antiqui- 
ties found  in  Rome  in  the  last  few  years  of  the  papal 
power  ;  it  contains  a  number  of  very  beautiful  sarcophagi 
and  bass-reliefs.  Entering  under  the  corridor  on  the 
right,  the  most  rem.arkable  objects  are  : 


4  JO  11' A  LA'S   y.V   AOME. 

isl  Room  (once  a  Council  Hall). — 

Right  Wall :  Relief  of  the  Abduction  of  Helen. 

Lir/l  Wall :  High  relief  of  two  pugilists,  "  Dares  and  Entellus. " 

*  Grand  relief  of  Trajan  followed  by  senators,  from  the  Forum 
of  Trajan. 

The  sacred  oak  of  Jupiter. 

Bust  of  Marcus  Aurelius. 

2d  Room. — 

Beautiful  architectural  fragTnents,  chiefly  from  the  Forum  of 
Trajan. 

Tfd  Room. — 

Entrance  Wall  .•  Statue  of  Aesculapius,  found  at  Tivoli. 

Right  Wall :  *  Statue  of  Antinous,  called  the  Braschi,  found  at 
Palestrina.  Bought  from  the  Braschi  family  by  Gregory 
XVI.  for  12,000  scudi. 

Wall  of  Egress  :  Sarcophagus  of  a  child,  with  a  relief  represent- 
ing pugilists. 

^th  Room. — 

Entrance  Wall :  Greek  relief  of  Medea  and  the  daughters  of 
Peleus. 

"The  wicked  enchantress  is  seen  approaching  with  solemn  step 
wearing  the  Phrygian  cap  and  the  Asiatic  sleeved  jacket,  and  is  pre- 
paring to  cast  the  magic  charm  from  her  mysterious  casket  into  the 
cauldron,  which  she  assures  the  unsuspecting  maidens  will  restore 
youth  to  their  aged  father  when  he  has  been  thrown  piecemeal  into 
the  cauldron.  In  contrast  to  her,  the  two  daughters  appear  in  the 
light  garments  of  Greek  maidens,  lovely  and  graceful,  like  the  most 
refined  figures  of  Attic  art.  One,  quickly  deluded,  is  bending  forward 
to  adjust  the  cauldron,  while  the  other,  who  in  the  composition  forms 
a  contrast,  and  at  the  same  time  the  symmetrical  balance  to  Medea,  is 
thoughtfully  resting  her  right  hand  with  the  dagger  against  her  cheek, 
as  thougli  a  doubt  were  arising  in  her  mind  as  to  the  good  result  of 
such  a  horrible  design. " — Liibke. 

Above  (one  of  a  number  of  busts),  762.      Beautiful  head  of  a 
Bacchante. 

Statue  of  Germanicus. 
Right  Wall :  Statue  of  Mars. 
V/all  of  Egress  :  Copy  of  the  Faun  of  Praxiteles. 
In  the  Center :  A  fine  vase  of  Lumachella. 

A  passage  is  crossed  to  the  ^th  Room. — 

In  the  Center:  i.  Sacrifice  of  Mithras.  2.  A  stag  of  basalt, 
found  in  the  garden  of  Caesar  at  Porta  Portese.     3.   A  cow. 

Right  Wall :  Sepulchral  urn,  with  a  curious  relief  representing 
children  and  cock-fighting. 


GALLERIES   OF    THE   LATER  AX.  471 

(>th  Room. — 

An  interesting  collection  of  statues,  from  Cervetri  (Caere),  in- 
cluding grand  imperfect  (seated)  statues  of  Tiberius  and 
Claudius  ;  between  them  Agrippina,  sixth  wife  of  Claudius, 
— and  others  less  certain. 

Between  the  Windows  :  Drusilla,  sister  of  Claudius;  and,  on  the 
wall,  part  of  her  epitaph. 

']th  Room. — 

Right   JVall :  Faun  dancing, — found  near  S.  Lucia  in  Selce. 
Facing   the   Entj-ance  :  *A   grand  statue  of  Sophocles  [Xh^  %^xx\. 

of  the  collection),   found  at  Terracina,   1838.     Given  by  the 

Antonelli  family. 

"  Sophocle,  dans  une  pose  aisee  et  here,  un  pied  en  avant,  un  bras 
enveloppe  dans  son  manteau  qu'il  serre  contre  son  corps,  contemple 
avec  une  majestueuse  serenite  la  nature  humaine  et  la  domine  d'un 
regard  sur  et  tranquille." — Ampere  Hist.  Rom.  iii.  573. 

8///  Room. — 

Statue  of  Neptune,  found  at  Porto  in  1824 — the  legs  and  arms 
restored. 

()th  Room. — 

Architectural  fragments  from  the  Via  Appia  and  Forum.  In  the 
center  a  triangular  altar  found  near  the  pillar  of  Phocas. 

\oth  Room. — 

A  series  of  interesting  reliefs,  found   1848,  at  the  tomb  of  the 

Aterii  at  Centocellae,   representing  the  preparations  for  the 

funeral  solemnities  of  a  great  Roman  lady. 
Entrance  Wall:    The   building   of    the    sepulcher.      A   curious 

machine  for  raising  heavy  stones  is  introduced. 
Right  Wall :    The   body  of    the   dead  surrounded  by  burning 

torches,  the  mourners  tearing  their  hair  and   beating  their 

breasts. 
Wall  of  Egress :  Showing  several  Roman  buildings  which  the 

funeral  procession  would  pass, — among  them  the  Coliseum 

and  the    Arch  of    Titus — inscribed,    "  Arcus   in    sacra    via 

summa." 

Signor  Rosa  has  considered  this  last  relief  of  great  importance,  as 
indicating  by  the  different  monuments  the  route  which  a  well-ordeied 
funeral  procession  ought  to  pursue. 

A  second  passage  is  crossed  to  the  i  ith  Room. — 
Containing  several  fine  sarcophagi. 

\2th  Room. — 
Entrance  Wall :  Sarcophagus,  with  the  story  of  Orestes. 


472  M' A  LA'S  IN  ROME. 

Right  Wall :  Sarcophagus  decorated  with  Cupids  bearing  gar- 
lands, and  supporting  a  head  of  Augustus. 

Wall  of  Egress  :  Sarcophagus  representing  the  destruction  of 
the  children  of  Niobe. 

13///  Room. — 

Entrance  IVall :  Statue  of  C.  Caelius  Saturninus. 
In  the  Center  :  Sarcophagus  of  P.  Caecilius  Vallianus,  represent- 
ing a  funeral  banquet. 

i^th  Room. — 

Left  Wall:  Unfinished  statue  of  a  captive  barbarian,  with 
sculptor's  marks  remaining,  intended  to  guide  the  work- 
man's chisel. 

1 5///  Room. — 

This  and  the  next  room  are  devoted  to  objects  found  in  the  ex- 
cavations at  Ostia.  We  may  notice  especially  the  mosaic  in 
a  niche  on  the  left  wall. 

xdth  Roovu — 

In  the  Center  :  Reclining  statue  of  Atys. 

Right  Wall :  Frescoes  of  the  story  of  Orpheus  and  Eurydice, 
from  a  tomb  at  Ostia. 

The  Christian  Mtisaim  is  one  of  the  most  precious  of 
the  countless  services  which  Pius  IX.  rendered  to  Rome, 
and  one  of  its  richest  mines  of  instruction.  It  was  ar- 
ranged by  Padre  Marchi  and  the  CavaUere  Rossi.  In  the 
iirst  hall  is  a  statue  of  Christ  by  Sosnoivsky,  and  in  the 
wall  behind  it  three  mosaics,  two  from  the  catacombs,  that 
in  the  center — of  Christ  with  SS.  Peter  and  Paul— from  the 
old  S.  Peter's.  Hence  we  ascend  a  staircase  lined  with 
Christian  sarcophagi.  At  the  foot  are  two  statues  of  the 
Good  Shepherd. 

"  Une  des  compositions  de  Calamis  ne  doit  pas  ttre  oublie'e  a  Rome, 
carce  sujet  paien  a  ete  adopte  par  I'art  chretien  des  premiers  temps. 
Les  representations  du  Bon  Pasteur  rapportant  la  brebis,  expressions 
touchante  de  la  misericorde  divine,  ont  leur  origine  dans  le  Mercure, 
■porte-b^lier  (Criophore).  Queiquefois  c'est  un  berger  qui  porte  un  belier, 
une  trebis  ou  un  agne.iu  ;  Ton  se  rapproche  ainsi  i  I'idee  du  bon  fasteur. 
En  general,  le  bon  pasteur,  dans  les  monuments  Chretiens,  porte  une 
brcbis,  le  brebis  egaree  de  I'Evangile  ;  mais  queiquefois  aussi  il  porte 
un  belier,  et  alors  le  souvenir  de  I'original  paien  dans  la  composition 
chretienne  est  manifcste." — Ampere,  Hist,  Rofn.  iii.  256. 

The  sarcophagus  on  the  left,  which  tells  the  story  of 
Jonah,  is  especially  fine.     The  corridor  above  is  also  lined 


THE    CHRISTIAN  MUSEUM. 


473 


with  sarcophagi.  The  best  are  on  the  left  ;  of  these  the 
most  remarkable  are,  the  ist,  the  marriage  at  Cana  ;  4th, 
the  Good  Shepherd  repeated  several  times  among  vines, 
with  cherubs  gathering  the  grapes  ;  7th,  a  sarcophagus 
with  a  canopy  supported  by  two  pavonazzetto  columns, 
and  on  the  wall  behind  frescoes  of  the  Good  Shepherd, 
&c.  At  the  raised  end  of  the  corridor  is  the  seated 
statue  of  Hippolytus,  Bishop  of  Porto  in  the  third  century 
(the  upper  part  a  restoration),  found  in  the  Catacomb  of 
S.  Ciriaca,  and  moved  hither  from  the  Vatican  Library  ; 
upon  the  chair  is  engraved  the  celebrated  Paschal  Calen- 
dar, which  is  supposed  to  settle  the  unorthodoxy  of  those 
early  Christians  who  kept  Easter  at  the  same  time  as  the 
Jews.  The  form  of  the  letters  in  this  inscription  marks 
the  statue  as  a  work  of  the  sixth  century. 

Hence,  three  rooms  lined  with  drawings  from  the  paint- 
ings in  the  different  catacombs  lead  to  the  Picture  Gallery, 

\st  Room. — 

Entrance  Wall :  Giulio  I'omano  :  Cartoon  of  the  Stoning  of 
Stephen. 

Below  this  is  the  celebrated  mosaic  called  Asaro/os,  representing  an 
unswept  floor  after  a  banquet.  It  is  inscribed  with  the  name  of  its 
artist,  Heraclilus,  but  is  a  copy  from  one  of  the  two  famous  mosaics  of 
Sosus  of  Pergamus  (the  other  is  "  Pliny's  Doves").  It  was  found  on 
the  Aventine  in  1833  in  the  gardens  of  Servilius,  and  "  probably 
adorned  a  dining-room  where  Caesar  may  have  supped  with  Servilia, 
the  half-sister  of  Cato,  and  mother  of  Brutus."  A  similar  pavement 
is  alluded  to  by  Statius  : 

"  Varias  ubi  picta  per  artes 
Gaudet  humus  superare  novis  asarota  figuris." 

Silv.  i.  3,  55. 

Left  Wall :   Camuccini  :  Christ  and  S.  Thomas — a  cartoon. 
Window  Wall  :  Datiiele  da  Volterra  :  The  first  sketch  for  the 
famous  fresco  of  the  Descent  from  the  Cross  at  the  Triniti 
de'  Monti. 

.  On  the  right  is  the  entrance  of  the  2d  Room. — 

Entrance  Wall :  Cav.  d'Arpino  :  Annunciation. 

Right  Wall:  Lawrence  :  George  IV.  of  England  (most  strangely 

out  of  place). 
Wall  of  Egre.<:s  :  After  Guercino  :  Assumption  of  the  Virgin. 

From  the  corner  of  this  room,  on  the  right,  a  staircase 
leads  to  a  gallery,  whence  one  may  look  down  upon  the 


474 


V/ A  LA'S  IN  HOME. 


huge  and  hideous  mosaic  pavement — with  portraits  of 
twenty-eight  athletes — found  in  the  Baths  of  Caracalla  in 
1822. 

"  Les  gladiateurs  de  la  niosaique  de  Saint  Jean  de  Lateran  ont  re9u 
la  forte  alimentation  qu'on  donnait  a  leurs  pareils  ;  ils  ont  bien  cet  air 
de  resolution  brutale  que  devaient  avoir  ceux  qui  prononi^aient  ce  feroce 
serment  que  nous  a  conserve  Petrone  :  '  Nous  jurons  d'obeir  a  notre 
maitre  Eumolpe,  qu'il  nous  ordonne  de  nous  laisser  bruler,  enchainer, 
frapper,  tuer  par  le  fer  ou  autrement  ;  at  comme  vrais  gladiateurs, 
nous  devouons  a  notre  maitre  nos  corps  et  nos  vies.'  " — Ampere,  Hist. 
Fo/ii.  iv.  33. 

On  the  left  of  ist  room  is  the  id  Room. — 

Entrance  Wall:    Marco  Palmezzano  di    Forli,  1537:   Madonna 

with  SS.  Peter,  Dominic  and  Anthony  on  the  right,  and  SS. 

John  Baptist,  Laurence  and  Francis  on  the  left. 
In  the  Left  Corner :    Carlo  Crivelli,  1482:   Madonna  and  Saints. 
Left  IVall :  Benozzo  Gozzoli  :  S.  Thomas  receiving  the  girdle  of 

the  Virgin  (the  Sacra  Cintola  of  Prato) — with  a  predella. 
Wall  of  Egress  :  Palmezzano  :  Madonna  with  S.   John   Baptist 

and  S.  Jerome. 

4  Ik  Room. — 

Entrance  Wall :  Sassoferrato  :  Sixtus  V.  as  Cardinal. 

Carlo  Crivelli,  1482  :  *  Madonna — very  highly  hnished. 
Left  Wall  :  Domenichino  (?) :   Sixtus  V.  as  Pope. 

Two    Gobelins    from    pictures    of    Fra    Bartolommeo    at    the 
Quirinal. 
Wall  of  Egress  :  Caravaggio  :  Christ  with  the  Tribute  Money. 

Sl/i  Room.  — 

Right  Wall :  Venetian  School :  Entombment. 
Entrance   Wall:  Pictro  Nocchi,  1840;  Greek  Baptism. 
Windoiu  Wall:  Andrea  del  Sarto  :   Holy  Family. 

6///  Room. — 

Entrance  Wall :   Cesare  da  Sesio  :  Baptism  of  Christ. 

Left  Wall:  Luca  Signorelli  :   SS.  Agnes  and    Fmerentiana  ;  F, 

Francia  :  Annunciation  ;  Ltica  Signorelli :  SS.  Laurence  and 

Benedict  (very  peculiar,  as  scarcely  showing  their  faces  at  all, 

but  magnificent  in  color). 
Wall  of  Egress  :  F.  Filippo  Lippi  :  Coronation  of  the  Virgin 

with  wings,  of  saints,  angels  and  doves. 
Bet~ojeen  the    Windows  :    Giovanni  Sanzio,  father  of  Kaffaelle  : 

"S.  Jerome,  in  tempera. 

7//i  Room. — 

Entrance  Wall  :   Caravaggio  (?)  :   Pagan  Sacrifice. 
Left  Wall:  Altar-piece  by  Antonio  de  Murano.  1464. 
Wall  of  Egresx  :   Caravaggio  :  Christ  ai  F.m.n»aas. 


VILLA   MASSIMO   ARSOLI. 


475 


^th  Room. — 

An  oil  copy  of  the  fresco  at  S.  Gregorio  of  the  Flagellation  of 
S.  Andrew  by  Domenichino. 

■^t'l  Room. — 

A  set  of  beautiful  terra-cotta  busts  and  reliefs  by  Pettrich,  illus- 
trative of  North  American  Indian  life.  This  room  is  called 
the  Hall  of  Council,  and  is  surrounded  by  fresco  portraits  of 
popes,  and  pictures  allegorical  of  their  arms,  &c. 

The  walls  of  the  open  galleries  on  this  floor  of  the 
palace  have  been  covered  with  early  Christian  inscriptions 
from  the  catacombs,  which  have  been  thus  arranged  in 
arches : 

1-3.   Epitaphs  of  martyrs  and  others  of  temp.  Daraasus  I.  (366  to 

384).  . 
4-7.   Dated  inscriptions  from  238  to  557. 
8-9.   Inscriptions  relating  to  doctrine. 
10.   Inscriptions  relating  to  popes,  presbyters  and  deacons. 
II-12.   Inscriptions  relating  to  simple  ecclesiastics. 
13.    Inscriptions  of  affection  to  relations  and  friends. 
14-16.  Symbolical. 
17.  Simple  epitaphs  from  different  catacombs. 

On  the  third  floor  of  the  palace  arc  casts  from  the  bass- 
reliefs  on  the  column  of  Trajan. 

Before  leaving  the  Lateran  altogether,  we  must  notice, 
among  its  early  institutions,  the  famous  school  of  music 
which  existed  here  throughout  the  middle  ages. 

"  Gregory  the  Great,  whose  object  it  seems  to  have  been  to  render 
religion  a  thing  of  the  senses,  was  the  founder  of  the  music  of  the 
Church.  He  instituted  the  school  for  it  in  the  Lateran,  whence  the 
Carlovingian  monarchs  obtained  teachers  of  singing  and  crgan-play- 
ing.  The  Prankish  monks  were  sent  thither  for  instruction." — Dyers 
Hist,  of  the  City  of  Rome. 

Opposite  the  palace  is  the  entrance  of  the  Villa  Massimo 
Arsoli,  to  which  admission  may  be  obtained  by  a  permesso 
given  at  the  Palazzo  Massimo  alle  Colonne.  There  is  little 
to  see  here,  however,  except  a  casino  beautifully  decorated 
with  scenes  taken  from  the  great  Italian  poets  by  the 
modern  German  artists,  Schnorr,  Kock,  Ph.  Veit^  Over- 
beck,  and  Fuhrich. 

"  Les  sujets  sont  tires  de  Dante,  de  I'Arioste,  et  du  Tasse.  Dante 
a  ete  confie  a  Cornelius,  I'Arioste  k  Schnorr,  le  Tasse  k  Overbeck,  les 
irois  plus  cil^bres  noms  de  cette  ecole  qui  croit  pouvoir  remonter  par 


476 


JVALA'S  /.V  ROME. 


une   imitation  savante  a  la  naivete  du  xV.  siecle." — Ampere^   Voyage 
Dantcsque. 

Leading  from  the  Piazza  di  San  Giovanni  to  S.  Maria 
Maggiore  is  the  Via  Immerulana,  where,  in  the  hollow,  is 
the  strange-looking  Church  of  SS.  Pietro  e  Marcellino,  in 
which  is  preserved  a  miraculous  painting  of  the  Crucifixion  ; 
the  figure  upon  the  cross  is  supposed  to  move  the  eyes 
when  regarded  by  the  faithful.  This  picture,  a  small  replica 
of  the  magnificent  Guido  at  S.  Lorenzo  in  Lucina,  is  (or 
was)  shown,  behind  a  grille,  by  a  nun  of  S.  Teresa,  vailed 
from  head  to  foot  in  blue,  like  an  immovable  pillar  of  blue 
drapery. 

"  SS.  Pietro  e  Marcellino  stands  in  the  valley  behind  the  Esquiline, 
in  the  long,  lonely  road  between  S.  Maria  Maggiore  and  the  Lateran. 
SS.  Peter  Exorcista  and  Marcellinus  are  always  represented  together 
in  priestly  habits,  bearing  their  palms.  Their  legend  relates,  that  in 
the  persecution  under  Diocletian  they  were  cast  into  prison.  Artemius, 
keeper  of  the  dungeon,  had  a  daughter  named  Paulina,  and  she  fell 
sick  ;  and  S.  Peter  offered  to  restore  her  to  health  if  her  father  would 
believe  in  the  true  God.  And  the  jailer  mocked  him,  saying.  '  If  I 
put  thee  into  the  deepest  dungeon,  and  load  thee  with  heavier  chains, 
will  thy  God  deliver  thee?  If  he  doth,  I  will  believe  in  him.'  And 
Peter  answered,  '  Be  it  so,  not  out  of  regard  to  thee  ;  for  it  matters 
little  to  our  God  whether  such  an  one  as  thou  believe  in  him  or  not, 
but  that  the  name  of  Christ  may  be  glorified,  and  thyself  confounded.' 

"  And  in  the  middle  of  the  night  Peter  and  Marcellinus,  in  white, 
shining  garments,  enter-;d  the  chamber  of  Artemius  as  he  lay  asleep, 
who,  being  struck  with  awe,  fell  down  and  worshiped  the  name  of 
Christ ;  and  he,  his  wife,  daughter,  and  three  hundred  others  were 
baptized.  After  this  the  two  holy  men  were  condemned  to  die  for  the 
faith,  and  the  executioner  was  ordered  to  lead  them  to  a  forest  three 
miles  from  Rome,  that  the  Christians  might  not  discover  their  place  of 
sepulture.  And  when  he  had  brought  them  to  a  solitary  thicket  over- 
grown with  brambles  and  thorns,  he  declared  to  them  that  they  were 
to  die,  upon  which  they  cheerfully  fell  to  work  and  cleared  away  a 
space  fit  for  the  purpose,  and  dug  the  grave  in  which  they  were  to  be 
laid.  Then  they  were  beheaded  (June  2),  and  died  encouraging  each 
other. 

"  The  fame  of  SS.  Pietro  e  Marcellino  is  not  confined  to  Rome.  In 
the  reign  of  Charlemagne  they  were  venerated  as  martyrs  throughout 
Italy  and  Gaul ;  and  Eginhard,  the  secretary  of  Charlemagne,  who 
married  his  daughter  Emma,  is  said  to  have  held  them  in  particular 
honor.  Every  one,  I  believe,  knows  the  beautiful  story  of  Eginhard 
and  Emma, — and  the  connection  of  these  saints  with  them,  as  their 
c'.iosen  protectors,  lends  an  interest  to  their  solitary  deserted  church. 
In  the  '  Roma  Sotterranea  '  of  Bosio  there  is  an  ancient  fragment 
found  in  the  catacombs  which  represents  S.  Peter  Exorcista,  S.  Mar- 
cellinus and  Paulina,  standing  together.'- — Mrs.  Jameson. 


THE    VIA    LA  TINA. 


477 


Behind  the  Scala  Santa,  a  narrow  lane  leads  to  the  Villa 
Wolkonski  (a  "  permesso  "  for  Wednesdays  and  Saturdays 
may  be  obtained  through  a  banker),  a  most  beautiful 
garden,  running  along  the  edge  of  the  hiil,  intersected  by 
the  broken  arches  of  the  Aqua  Claudia,  and  possessing 
exquisite  views  over  the  Campagna,  with  its  lines  of  aque- 
ducts, to  the  Alban  and  Sabine  mountains. 

"  The  villa  itself  is  not  a  palace,  but  a  dwelling-house  built  in  the 
delightfully  irregular  style  of  Italian  architecture.  The  staircase  is 
quite  open,  and  can  be  seen  from  the  outside.  Through  the  garden 
lengthways  run  the  ruins  of  an  aqueduct,  which  they  have  turned  to 
account  in  various  ways,  building  steps  outside  the  arches,  putting  seats 
at  the  top,  and  filling  the  vacant  places  in  the  iv-y-mantJed  walls  with 
statues  and  busts.  Roses  climb  up  as  high  as  they  can  find  support, 
and  aloes,  Indian  fig-trees,  and  palms  run  wild  among  capitals  of 
columns,  ancient  vases,  and  fragments  of  all  kinds.  As  for  the  roses, 
there  are  millions  of  them,  in  bushes  and  trees,  arbors  and  hedges,  all 
flourishing  luxuriantly  ;  but  never  more  lovely  and  poetic  than  when 
clinging  to  the  dark  cypress-trees.  The  beauty  here  is  of  a  serious  and 
touching  type,  with  nothing  small  and  '  pretty.'  " — Letter  from  Fanny 
Hcnsel,  n/e  Mendelssohn. 

About  a  mile  beyond  the  Porta  S.  Giovanni  a  road 
branches  off  to  the  left  to  the  Porta  Furba,  an  arch  of  the 
Aqua  Felice,  founded  on  the  line  of  the  Claudian  and 
Marcian  aqueducts.  Artists  may  find  a  picturesque  sub- 
ject here  in  a  pretty  fountain  with  a  portion  of  the  decay- 
ing aqueduct.  Beyond  the  arch  is  the  mound  called  Monte 
del  Grano,  which  has  been  imagined  to  be  the  burial-place 
of  Alexander  Severus.  Beyond  this,  the  road  (to  Frascati) 
passes  on  the  left  the  vast  ruins,  called  Selte  Basst. 

The  direct  road — which  leads  to  Albano — reaches,  about 
two  miles  from  the  gate,  a  queer  building,  called  the  Casa 
del  Diavolo,  on  the  outside  of  which  some  rude  frescoes 
testify  to  the  popular  belief  as  to  its  owner.  Just  beyond 
this  a  field  track  on  the  left  leads  to  the  Via  Latina.^  of 
wnich  a  certain  portion,  pa\ed  with  huge  polygonal  blocks 
of  lava,  is  now  laid  bare.  Here  are  some  exceedingly  in- 
teresting and  well-preserved  tombs,  richly  ornamented  with 
painting  and  stucco.  The  view,  looking  back  upon  Rome, 
or  forward  to  the  long  line  of  broken  arches  of  the  Claudian 
aqueduct,  seen  between  these  ruined  sepulchers,  is  most 
striking  and  beautiful. 

Close  by  have  been  discovered  remains  of  a  villa  of  the 
Servilii,  which  afterward  belonged  to  the  Asinarii.     Here, 


4  78  IVALKS  IX  ROME. 

also,  in  1858  (on  the  left  of  the  Via  Latina),  Signor  Fortu- 
nati  discovered  the  long-buried  and  forgotten  Basilica  of 
S.  Si/ano.  It  is  recorded  by  Anastasius  that  this  basilica 
was  founded  in  the  time  of  Leo  I.  (440-461)  by  Demetria, 
a  lady  who  escaped  from  the  siege  by  the  Goths,  with  her 
mother,  to  Carthage,  where  she  became  a  nun.  It  was  re- 
stored by  Leo  III.  at  the  end  of  the  eighth  century.  The 
remains  are  interesting,  though  they  do  little  more  than 
show  perfectly  the  substruction  and  plan  of  the  ancient 
building.  An  inscription  relating  to  the  foundation  of  the 
church  by  Demetria  has  been  found  among  the  ruins. 

Not  far  from  this  is  the  Catacomb  of  the  Santi-Qunttro. 

Three  and  a  half  miles  from  Rome  is  the  Osteria  of  Ta- 
volalo,  near  which  is  one  of  the  most  striking  and  pictur- 
esque portions  of  the  Claudian  Aqueduct.  It  is  on  the 
rising  ground  between  this  aqueduct  and  the  road,  that  the 
Temple  0/  For  tuna  Mulichis  is  believed  to  have  stood.  This 
was  the  temple  which  Valeria,  the  sister  of  Publicola,  and 
Volumnia,  the  mother  of  Coriolanus,  claimed  to  erect  at 
their  own  expense,  when  the  senate  asked  them  to  choose 
their  recompense  for  having  preserved  Rome  by  their 
entreaties. 

"  As  Valeria,  sister  of  Publicola,  was  sitting  in  the  temple,  as  a  sup- 
pliant before  the  image  of  Jupiter,  Jupiter  himself  seemed  to  inspire 
her  with  a  sudden  thought,  and  she  immediately  rose,  and  called  upon 
all  the  other  noble  ladies  who  were  with  her,  to  arise  also,  and  she 
led  them  to  the  house  of  Volumnia,  the  mother  of  Caius  (Coriolanus). 
There  she  found  Virgilia,  the  wife  of  Caius,  with  his  mother,  and  also 
his  little  children.  Valeria  then  addressed  Volumnia  and  Virgilia  and 
said,  '  Our  coming  here  to  you  is  our  doing  ;  neither  the  senate  nor 
any  mortal  man  have  sent  us  ;  but  the  god  in  whose  temple  we  were 
sitting  as  suppliants  put  it  into  our  hearts  that  we  should  come  and 
ask  you  to  join  with  us,  women  with  women,  without  any  aid  of  men, 
to  w  in  for  our  country  a  great  delivercnce,  and  for  ourselves  a  name, 
glorious  above  all  women,  even  above  those  Sabine  wives  in  the  old 
time,  who  stopped  the  battle  between  their  husbands  and  their  fathers. 
Come,  then,  with  us  to  the  camp  of  Caius.  and  let  us  pray  to  him  to 
show  us  mercy.'  Volumnia  said,  '  We  will  go  \\ith  you  :'  and  Vir- 
gilia took  her  young  children  with  her,  and  they  all  went  to  the  camp 
of  the  enemy. 

"  It  was  a  sad  and  solemn  sight  to  see  this  noble  train  of  ladies,  and 
the  very  Volscian  soldiers  stood  in  silence  as  they  passed  by,  and  pitied 
them  and  honored  them.  They  found  Caius  sitting  on  the  general's 
seat,  in  the  midst  of  the  camp,  and  the  Volscian  chiefs  were  standing 
round  him.  When  he  first  saw  them  he  wondered  what  it  could  be  ; 
but  presently  he  knew  his  mother,  who  was  walking  at  the  head  of  the 


TEMPLE   OF  rORTUXA    MULIEBRIS.  479 

train,  and  then  he  could  not  contain  himself,  but  leaped  down  from  his 
seat,  and  ran  to  meet  her,  and  was  going  to  kiss  her.  But  she  stopped 
him,  and  said,  '  Ere  thou  kiss  me,  let  me  know  whether  I  am  speaking 
to  an  enemy  or  to  my  son  ;  whether  I  stand  in  thy  camp  as  thy  prisoner 
or  thy  mother  ? '  Caius  could  not  answer  her  ;  and  then  she  went  on 
and  said,  '  Must  it  be,  then,  that  had  I  never  borne  a  son,  Rome  never 
would  have  seen  the  camp  of  an  enemy  ;  that  had  I  remained  childless, 
I  should  have  died  a  free  woman  in  a  free  city  ?  But  1  am  too  old  to 
bear  much  longer  either  thy  shame  or  my  misery.  Rather  look  to  thy 
wife  and  children,  whom,  if  thou  persistest,  thoa  art  dooming  to  an 
untimely  death,  or  a  long  life  of  bondage.'  Then  Virgilia  and  his 
children  came  up  to  him  and  kissed  him,  and  all  the  noble  ladies  wept, 
and  bemoaned  their  own  fate  and  the  fate  of  their  country.  At  last 
Caius  cried  out,  '  O  mother,  what  hast  thou  done  to  me  ? "  and  he  wrung 
her  hand  vehemently,  and  said,  '  Mother,  thine  is  the  victory — a  happy 
victory  for  thee  and  for  Rome,  but  shame  and  ruin  to  thy  son.'  Then 
he  fell  on  her  neck  and  embraced  her,  and  he  embraced  his  wife  and 
his  children  and  sent  them  back  to  Rome,  and  led  away  the  army  of 
the  Volscians,  and  never  afterward  attacked  Rome  any  more.  The 
Romans,  as  was  right,  honored  Volumnia  and  Valeria  for  their  deed, 
and  a  temple  was  built  and  dedicated  to  '  Woman's  Fortune,'  just  on 
the  spot  where  Caius  had  yielded  to  his  mother's  words  ;  and  the  first 
priestess  of  the  temple  was  Valeria,  into  whose  heart  Jupiter  had  first 
put  the  thought  to  go  to  Volumnia,  and  to  call  upon  her  to  go  out  to 
the  enemy's  camp  and  entreat  her  son." — Arnold's  Hist,  of  Rome, 
vol.  i. 

"  II  y  a  peu  de  scenes  dans  I'histoire  plus  emouvantes  que  celle-la, 
et  elle  ne  perd  rien  a  la  decoration  du  theatre  ;  en  se  pla(^ant  sur  un 
tertre  a  quatre  milles  de  Rome,  pres  de  la  voie  Latine,  dans  un  lieu  oil 
il  n'y  a  aujourd'hui  que  les  tombeau.\  et  de  mines,  on  pent  se  figurer 
le  camp  des  Volsques,  dont  les  armes  et  les  tentes  e'tincellent  au  soleil. 
Les  montagnes  s'elevent  a  I'horizon.  A  travers  la  plaine  ardente  et 
poudreuse  defile  una  foule  voilee  dont  les  gemissements  retentissent 
dans  le  silence  de  la  campagne  romaine.  Bientot  Coriolan  est  entoure 
de  cette  multitude  suppliante  dont  les  plaintes,  les  cris,  devaient  avoir 
la  vivacite  des  demonstrations  passionnees  des  Romaines  de  nos  jours. 
Coriolan  eat  resiste  a  tout  ce  bruit,  il  eut  peut-etre  re'siste  aux  larmes 
de  sa  femme  et  aux  caresses  de  ses  enfants  ;  il  ne  resista  pas  a  la 
severite  de  sa  mere. 

"  Le  soir,  par  un  glorieux  coucher  du  soleil  de  Rome  qui  eclaire  leur 
joie,  la  procession  triomphante  s'eloigne  en  adressant  un  chant  de 
reconnaissance  aux  dieux,  et  lui  se  retire  dans  sa  tente,  etonne  d'avoir 
pu  ceder." — Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  ii.  402. 

The  return  drive  to  Rome  may  be  varied  by  turning  to 
the  right  about  a  mile  beyond  this,  into  a  lane  which  leads 
past  the  so-called  temple  of  Bacchus  to  the  Via  Appia 
Vecchia. 


We  may  now  follow  the  lines  of  white  mulberry  trees 


48o  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

across  the  open  space  in  front  of  S.  John  Lateran,  which  is 
a  continuation  of  the  ancient  papal  promenade  of  "  the 
mirror,"  to  S.  Croce.  The  sister  basiUcas  look  at  each 
other,  and  at  S.  Maria  Maggiore,  down  avenues  of  trees. 
On  the  left  are  the  walls  of  Rome,  upon  which  run  the 
arches  of  the  Aqua  Marcia. 

"  Few  Roman  churches  are  set  within  so  impressive  a  picture  as 
Santa  Croce,  approached  on  every  side  through  these  soHtudts  of  vine- 
yards and  gardens,  quiet  roads,  and  long  avenues  of  trees,  that  occupy 
such  immense  extent  within  the  walls  of  Rome.  The  scene  from  the 
Lateran,  looking  towards  this  basilica  across  the  level  common,  between 
lines  of  trees,  with  the  distance  of  Campagna  and  mountains,  the  cas- 
tellated walls,  the  arcades  of  the  Claudian  aqueduct,  amid  gardens  and 
groves,  is  more  than  beautiful,  full  of  memory  and  association.  The 
other  approach,  by  the  unfrequented  Via  di  S.  Croce,  presents  the 
finest  distances,  seen  through  a  foliage  beyond  the  dusky  towers  of  the 
Honorian  walls,  and  a  wide  extent  of  slopes  covered  with  vineyards, 
amid  which  stands  at  intervals  some  of  those  forlorn  cottage  farms, 
gray  and  dilapidated,  that  form  characteristic  features  in  Roman 
scenery.  The  majestic  ruins  of  Minerva  Medica,  the  so-called  temple 
of  Venus  and  Cupid,  the  fragments  of  the  baths  of  S.  Helena,  the 
Castrense  Amphitheater,  the  arches  of  the  aqueduct,  half  concealed  in 
cypress  and  ivy,  are  objects  which  must  increase  the  attractions  of  a 
walk  to  this  sanctuary  of  the  cross.  But  the  exterior  of  the  church  is 
disappointing  and  inappropriate,  retaining  nothing  antique  except  the 
square  Lombardic  tower  of  the  twelfth  century,  in  stories  of  narrow- 
arched  windows,  its  brickwork  ornamented  with  disks  of  colored  mar- 
ble, and  a  canopy,  with  columns,  near  its  summit,  for  a  statue  no 
longer  in  its  place." — Heinans'  Catholic  Italy,  vol.  i. 

The  site  of  the  Basilica  of  S.  Croce  in  Gertisalemmev^z.'S, 
once  occupied  by  the  gardens  of  Heliogabalus,  and  after- 
ward by  the  palace  of  the  Empress  Helena,  mother  of  Con- 
stantine,  whose  residence  here  was  known  as  the  Palatiura 
Sessorianum,  whence  the  name  of  Sessorian,  sometimes 
given  to  the  basilica. 

The  church  was  probably  once  a  hall  in  the  palace  of 
Helena,  to  which  an  apse  was  added  by  Constantine,  in 
whose  reign  it  was  consecrated  by  Pope  Sylvester.  It  was 
repaired  by  Gregory  H.  early  in  the  eighth  century  ;  the 
monastery  was  added  by  Benedict  VH.  about  975,  and  the 
whole  was  rebuilt  by  Lucius  H.  in  1144.  The  church  was 
completely  modernized  by  Benedict  XIV.  in  the  last  cent- 
ury, and  scarcely  anything  excej)t  the  tov/er  now  remains, 
externally,  which  is  even  as  old  as  the  twelfth  century. 
The  fine  columns  of  granite  and  bigio-lumachellato  whicb 


5.    CROCE   IN   GERUSALEMME.  481 

now  adorn  the  fagade  were  plundered  from  the  neighbor- 
ing temple  in  1744. 

The  interior  of  the  church  is  devoid  of  beauty,  owing  to 
modernizations.  Four  out  of  twelve  fine  granite  columns, 
which  divided  its  nave  and  aisles,  are  boxed  up  in  sense- 
less plaster  piers.  The  high  altar  is  adorned  with  an  urn 
of  green  basalt,  sculptured  with  lions'  heads,  which  con- 
tains the  bodies  of  SS.  Anastasius  and  Caesarius.  Two  of 
the  pillars  of  the  baldacchino  are  of  breccia-corallina.  The 
fine  frescoes  of  the  tribune  of  Finturicchio  have  been  much 
retouched.  They  were  executed  under  Alexander  VI.,  on 
a  commission  from  Cardinal  Carvajal,  who  is  himself  rep- 
resented as  kneeling  before  the  cross,  which  is  held  by  the 
Empress  Helena. 

"  The  very  important  frescoes  of  the  choir  apsis  of  S.  Croce  (now 
much  overpainted)  are  of  Pinturicchio's  better  time.  They  represent 
the  finding  of  the  Cross,  with  a  colossal  Christ  in  a  nimbus  among 
angels  above — a  figure  full  of  wild  grandeur." — Kiigler. 

"  Near  the  entrance  of  the  church  is  a  valuable  monument  of  the 
papal  history  of  the  tenth  century,  in  a  metrical  epitaph  to  Benedict 
VII.,  recording  his  foundation  of  the  adjoining  monastery  for  monks, 
who  were  to  sing  day  and  night  the  praises  of  the  Deity  ;  his  charities 
to  the  poor  ;  and  the  deeds  of  the  anti-pope  Fianco,  called  by  Baronius 
(with  play  upon  his  assumed  name  Boniface)  Malefacius,  who  usurped 
the  Holy  See,  imprisoned  and  strangled  the  lawful  Pope,  Benedict 
VI.,  and  pillaged  the  treasury  of  S.  Peter's,  but  in  one  month  was 
turned  out  and  excommunicated,  when  he  fled  to  Constantinople.  The 
chronology  of  this  epitaph  is  by  the  ancient  system  of  Indictions,  the 
death  of  the  pope  dated  XII.  Indiction,  corresponding  to  the  year 
9S4  :  and  the  Latin  style  of  the  tenth  century  is  curiously  exemplified 
in  lines  relating  to  the  anti-pope  : 

'  Hie  primus  repulit  Franconis  spurca  superbi 
Culmina  qui  invasit  sedis  apostolicae 
Qui  dominumque  suum  captum  in  castro  habebat 
Carceris  interea  auctis  constrictus  in  uno 
Strangulatus  ubi  exuerat  hominem.  '  " 

Hcniaus"  Catholic  Italy. 

The  consecration  of  the  Golden  Rose,  formerly  sent  to 
foreign  princes,  used  to  take  place  in  this  church.  The 
principal  observances  here  now  are  connected  with  the  ex- 
hibition of  the  relics,  of  which  the  principal  is  the  Title  of 
the  True  Cross. 

"  In  1492,  when  some  repairs  were  ordered  by  Cardinal  Mendoza,  a 
niche  was  discovered  near  the  summit  of  the  apse,  inclosed  by  a  brick 


482  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

front,  inscribed  '  Titulus  Crucis.'  In  it  was  a  leaden  coffer,  contain- 
ing an  imperfect  plank  of  wood,  2  inches  thick,  ij  palm  long,  I  palm 
broad.  On  this,  in  letters  more  or  less  perfect,  was  the  inscription  in 
Hebrew,  Greek,  and  Latin,  _/fjv«,  Nazarene  King.  It  was  venerated 
by  Innocent  VIII.,  with  the  college  of  cardinals,  and  inclosed  by  Men- 
doza  in  tlie  silver  shrine,  where  it  is  exposed  three  times  a  year  from 
the  balcony.  The  relics  are  exposed  on  the  4th  Sundr^Mn  Lent  On 
Good  Friday  the  rites  are  more  impressive  here  than  in  any  oth'::r 
church,  the  procession  of  white-robed  monks,  and  the  deep  toll  of  the 
bell  announcing  the  display  of  the  relics  by  the  mitercd  abljot  are  very 
solemn,  and  it  is  surprising,  that  while  crowds  of  strangers  sul)mit  to 
be  crushed  in  the  Sistine,  scarcely  one  visits  this  ancient  basilica  on 
that  day." — Hemans    Catholic  Italy. 

"  The  list  of  relics  on  the  right  of  the  apsis  of  S.  Croce  includes,  the 
finger  of  S.  Thomas,  Apostle,  with  which  he  touched  the  most  holy 
side  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ;  one  of  the  pieces  of  money  with  which 
the  Jews  paid  the  treachery  of  Judas  ;  great  part  of  the  vail  and  hair 
of  the  most  blessed  Virgin  ;  a  mass  of  cinders  and  charcoal  united  in 
the  form  of  a  loaf,  with  the  fat  of  S.  Laurence,  martyr  ;  one  bottle  of 
the  most  precious  blood  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ;  another  of  the  milk 
of  the  most  blessed  Virgin  ;  a  little  i)iece  of  the  stone  where  ChrisI 
was  born  ;  a  little  piece  of  the  stone  where  our  Lord  sat  when  he 
pardoned  Mary  Magdalen  ;  of  the  stone  where  our  Lord  wrote  the 
law,  given  to  Moses  on  Mount  Sinai  ;  of  the  stone  where  reposed  SS. 
Peter  and  Paul  ;  of  the  cotton  which  collected  the  blood  of  Christ  ;  of 
the  manna  wliich  fed  the  Israelites  ;  of  the  rod  of  Aaron,  wliich  flour- 
ished in  the  desert  ;  of  the  relics  of  the  eleven  prophets  !  "  —  Pory's 
Romanism. 

Two  Staircases  near  the  tribune  lead  to  the  subterranean 
church,  which  has  an  altar  with  a  Pieta,  and  statues  of  SS. 
Peter  and  Paul  of  the  twelfth  century.  Hence  opens  the 
chapel  of  S.  Helena,'  which  women  (by  a  perversion  espe- 
cially strange  in  this  case)  are  never  allowed  to  enter 
except  on  the  festival  of  the  saint,  August  18.  It  is  built 
upon  a  soil  composed  of  earth  brought  by  the  empress 
from  Palestine.  Her  statue  is  over  the  altar.  The  vault 
has  mosaics  (originally  erected  under  Valentinian  HI.,  but 
restored  by  Zucchi  in  1593),  representing,  in  ovals,  a  half- 
length  figure  of  the  Saviour  ;  the  Evangelists  and  their 
symbols  ;  the  Finding  of  the  True  Cross ;  SS.  Peter  and 
Paul ;  S.  Sylvester,  the  conservator  of  the  church  ;  and  S. 
Helena,  with  Cardinal  Carvajal  kneeling  before  her. 

Here  the  feast  of  the  "  Invention  of  the  True  Cross " 

'  S.  Helena  is  claimed  as  an  English  saint,  and  all  the  best  authorities  allow 
that  she  was  born  in  lint,'land — according  to  Gibbon,  at  York  according  to 
others  at  Colchc-ster,  which  town  bears  as  its  arms  a  cro.ss  between  three  crowns, 
in  allusion  to  this  claim.  S  )me  say  that  she  was  an  innkeeper's  daughter,  others 
that  her  father  was  a  powerful  British  prince,  Coilus  cr  Cocl. 


AMPHITHEATRUM   CASTRENSE.  483 

(May  3)  is  celebrated  with  great  solemnity,  when  the 
hymns  "  Pange  Lingua  "  and  "  Vexilla  Regis  "  are  sung, 
and  the  antiphon  : 

''  O  Cross,  more  glorious  than  the  stars,  world  famous,  l)eauteous 
of  aspect,  holiest  of  things,  which  alone  was  worthy  to  sustain  the 
weight  of  the  world  ;  dear  wood,  dear  nails,  dear  burden-bearing  ; 
save  those  present  assembled  in  thy  praise  to-day.     Alleluia." 

And  the  collect : 

"OGod,  who  by  the  glorious  uplifting  of  the  salvation-bearing 
cross,  hast  displayed  the  miracles  of  thy  passion,  grant  that  by  the 
merit  of  that  life-giving  wood  we  may  attain  the  suffrages  of  eternal 
life,"  etc. 

The  adjoining  Monastery  belongs  to  the  Cistercians 
Only  part  of  one  wing  is  ancient.  The  library  formerly 
contained  many  curious  MSS.,  but  most  of  these  were  lost 
to  the  basilica  when  the  collection  was  removed  to  the 
Vatican  during  the  French  occupation  and  the  exile  of 
Pius  VIT. 

The  garden  of  the  monastery  contains  the  ruin  generally 
known  as  the  Temple  of  Venus  and  Cupid  from  the  statue 
in  the  Vatican,  which  was  found  there,  and  which  was 
long  supposed  to  be  a  Venus,  but  is  now  discovered,  from 
a  name  upon  the  pedestal,  to  be  that  of  the  Roman  ma- 
tron Sallustia.  Dr.  Braun  considers  the  ruins  to  be  those 
of  the  Sessorian  Basilica  or  law-court,  where  the  causes  of 
slaves  (who  were  allowed  to  appeal  to  no  other  court) 
were  wont  to  be  heard.  Behind  the  monastery  is  the 
Amphitheatruni  Castrense,  attributed  to  the  time  of  Nero, 
when  it  is  supposed  to  have  been  erected  for  the  games  of 
two  cohorts  of  soldiers  quartered  near  here.  It  is  ingrafted 
into  the  line  of  the  Honorian  walls,  and  is  best  seen  from 
the  outside  of  the  city.  Its  arches  and  pillars,  with  Co- 
rinthian capitals,  are  all  of  brick. 

(On  the  left,  the  Via  S.  Croce,  which  leads  hence  to  S. 
Maria  Maggiore,  is  the  gate  of  the  'Villa  Altieri,  chiefly 
remarkable  for  its  grand  umbrella  pine,  the  finest  in  the 
city.     Farther,  on  the  right,  is  a  tomb  of  unknown  origin.) 

Turning  to  the  right  from  the  basilica,  we  follow  a  lane 
which  leads  beneath  some  fine  brick  arches  of  an  aque- 
duct of  the  tim.e  of  Nero,  cited  by  Ampere,^  as  exemplify- 

>  Emp.  ii.  43. 


484  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

ing  the  perfection  to  which  architecture  attained  in  the 
reign  of  this  emperor,  ''  by  the  quaUty  of  the  bricks  and 
the  excellence  and  small  quantity  of  the  cement."  These 
ruins  are  popularly  called  the  Baths  of  S.  Helena. 

Passing  these  arches  we  find  ourselves  facing  the  Porta 
Maggiore,  formed  by  two  arches  of  the  Claudian  Aqueduct, 
formerly  known  as  the  Porta  Labicana  and  Porta  Pienes- 
tina,  of  which  the  former  was  closed  in  the  time  of  Hono- 
rius,  and  has  never  been  reopened.  Three  inscriptions 
remain,  the  first  relating  to  the  building  of  the  aqueduct 
by  the  Emperor  Tiberius  Claudius  ; — the  second  and  third 
to  its  restoration  by  Vespasian  and  Titus.  Above  the 
Aqua  Claudia  flowed  a  second  stream,  the  Anio  Novus. 

Outside  the  gate,  only  lacely  disclosed,  upon  the  removal 
of  constructions  of  the  time  of  Honorius  (the  fragments  of 
those  worth  preserving  are  placed  on  the  opposite  wall), 
is  the  Tomb  of  the  Baker  Ei/rysaces,  who  was  also  one  of 
the  inspectors  of  aqueducts.  The  tomb  is  attributed  to 
theearly  years  of  the  Empire.  Its  first  story  is  suimounted 
by  the  inscription  :  "  Est  hoc  monimentum  Marcei  Ver- 

GILEI  EVRYSACIS  PiSTORIS    ReDEMPTORIS  ApPARET."       ItS 

second  story  is  composed  of  rows  of  the  mortars  used  in 
baking,  placed  sideways,  and  supporting  a  frieze  with  bass- 
reliefs  telling  the  story  of  a  baker's  A\Grk,  ficm  the  bring- 
ing of  the  corn  into  the  mill  to  its  distribution  as  bread. 
In  the  front  of  the  tomb  was  formerly  a  relief  of  the  baker 
and  his  wife,  with  a   sarcophagus,    and   the  inscription  : 

"  FUIT  ATISTIA  UXOR    MIHEI FEMINA     OPTVMA     VEIXSIT 

QUOIVS  CORPORIS  REl-IQUIAE — QUOD  SUPERANT  SUNT  1N-- 

Hoc  PANARio."  This  has  been  foolishly  removed,  and  is 
now  to  be  seen  upon  the  opposite  wall. 


From  this  gate  many  pleasant  excursions  may  be  taken. 
The  direct  road  leads  to  Palestrina  by  Zagarolo,  and  at  i  J 
miles  from  the  gate  passes,  on  the  left,  Torre  Tig/iatara, 
the  tomb  of  S.  Helena,  whence  the  magnificent  porphyry 
sarcophagus,  now  in  the  Vatican,  was  removed.  The 
name  is  derived  from  \.\\q  pignatte,  or  earthern  pots,  used  in 
the  building.  Beneath  it  is  a  catacomb,  now  closed.  The 
adjoining  Catacomb  0/ SS.  Pictro  e Marccllim)  contains  some 
well-preserved  paintings  ;  the  most  interesting  is  that  of 
the  Divine  Lamb  on  a  mound  (from  which  four  risers  flow 


PONTE  DI  N-fiVO.  485 

as  in  the  mosaics  of  the  ancient  basiUcas),  with  figures  of 
Petrus,  Gorgonius,  MarcelHnus,  and  Tiburtius.  At  three 
miles  from  the  gate  the  road  reaches  Centccclle,  whence, 
near  the  desolate  tower  called  2\n-re  Fernice,  there  is  a 
most  picturesque  view  of  the  aqueduct  Aqua  Alexandrina, 
built  by  Alexander  Severus,  with  a  double  line  of  arches 
crossing  the  hollow.  At  five  miles,  on  the  right,  is  the 
Borghese  farm  of  Torre  Nuova,  with  a  fine  group  of  old 
stone  pines. 

The  road  which  turns  left  from  the  gate  leads  by  the 
Aqua  Bollicante,  where  the  Arvales  sang  their  hymn,  to  the 
picturesque  ruins  of  the  Torre  dei  Sc/ilavi,  the  palace  of 
the  Emperors  Gordian  (a.d.  238),  adjoining  which  are  the 
remains  of  a  round  temple  of  Apollo.  This  is,  perhaps, 
one  of  the  most  striking  scenes  in  the  Campagna  and — 
backed  by  the  violet  mountains  above  Tivoli — is  a  favorite 
subject  with  artists.  The  splendid  statue  of  Livia  in  the 
Torlonia  Museum  was  found  here. 

"  Les  Gordiens,  tres-grands  personnages,  furent  de  tres-petits  em- 
pereurs.  lis  montrent  ce  qu'et:.it  devenu  I'aristocratie  romaine  de- 
generee.  Le  premier,  honnete  et  pusillanime,  com  me  le  prouvent  son 
election  et  sa  mort,  etait  un  peu  replet  et  avait  dans  I'air  du  visage 
quelque  chose  de  solennel  et  de  theatral  {poinpali  vultu).  II  aimait 
et  cultivait  les  lettres.  Son  fils  t'galement  se  fit  quelque  reputation  en 
ce  genre,  grace  surtout  a  sa  bibliotheque  de  soixante  mille  volumes  ; 
mais  il  avait  d'autres  gouts  encore  que  celui  des  livres  :  on  lui  donne 
jusqu'a  vingt-deux  concubines  en  titre,  et  de  chacune  d'elles  il  eut 
trois  ou  quatre  enfants.  II  menait  une  vie  epicurienne  dans  ses  jardins 
et  sous  des  ombrages  delicieux  :  c'etaient  les  jardins  et  les  ombrages 
d'une  villa  magnifique  que  les  Gordiens  avaient  sur  la  voie  Prenestine, 
et  dont  Capitolin,  au  temps  duquel  elle  existait  encore,  nous  a  laisse 
une  description  detaillee.  Le  peristyle  etait  forme  de  deux  cents 
colonnes  des  marbres  les  plus  precieux,  le  cipollin,  le  pavonazetto,  le 
jaune  et  le  rouge  antiques.  La  villa  renfermait  trois  basiliques  et  les 
thermes  que  ceux  de  Rome  surpassaient  a  peine.  Telle  etait  I'opu- 
lence  d'une  habitation  privee  vers  le  milieu  du  troisieme  siecle  de  I'em- 
pire." — Afnpcre,  Einp,  ii.  328. 

The  road  which  continues  in  a  straight  line  from  hence 
passes,  on  the  left,  the  Torre  Tre  Teste.  The  eighth  mile- 
stone is  of  historic  interest,  being  described  by  Livy  (v. 
49)  as  the  spot  where  the  dictator  Camillus  overtook  and 
exterminated  the  army  of  Gauls  who  were  retreating  from 
Rome  with  the  spoils  of  the  Capitol. 

At  the  ninth  mile  is  the  Ponte  di  Nona,  a  magnificent 


486  WALK'S  IX  ROME. 

old  bridge  with  seven  lofty  arches  of  lapis-gabinus.  This 
leads  (twelve  miles  from  Rome)  to  the  dried-up  lake  and 
the  ruins  of  Gabii  (Castiglione),  including  that  of  the  tem- 
ple of  Juno  Gabina. 

"  Quique  arva  Gabinae 
Junonis,  gelidumque  Anienem,  et  roscida  rivis 
Hernica  saxa  colunt." 

Virgil,  A  en.  vii.  682. 

The  road  which  branches  off  on  the  left  leads  (twelve 
miles  from  Rome)  to  Luiighezza,  the  fine  old  castle  of  the 
Strozzi  family,  situated  on  the  little  river  Osa.  Hence  a 
beautiful  walk  through  a  wood  leads  to  Castello  del  Osa, 
the  ruins  of  the  ancient  Col/atia,  so  celebrated  from  the 
tragedy  of  Lucretia.  Two  miles  beyond  the  Torre  dei 
Schiavi,  on  the  left,  is  the  fine  castellated  farm  of  Cervaletto, 
a  property  of  the  Borghese.  A  field  road  of  a  mile  and 
half,  passing  in  front  of  this  (practicable  for  carriages), 
leads  to  another  fine  old  castellated  farm  (five  miles  from 
Rome),  close  to  which  are  the  extraordinary  Grottoes  of 
Cervara — a  succession  of  romantic  caves  of  great  size,  in 
the  tufa  rocks,  from  which  the  material  of  the  Coliseum 
was  excavated.  Here  the  "  Festa  degli  Artisti  "  is  held  in 
May,  which  is  well  worth  seeing — the  artists  in  costume 
riding  in  procession,  and  holding  games,  amid  these  minia- 
ture Petra-like  ravines.  Beyond  Cervara  are  remains  of  a 
villa  of  Lucius  Verus,  and,  on  the  bank  of  the  Anio,  the 
romantically-situated  castle  of  Rustica. 

From  the  Porta  Maggiore  we  may  follow  a  lane  along 
the  inside  of  the  wall,  crossing  the  railway — whence  there 
is  a  picturesque  view  of  the  temple  of  Minerva  Medica — to 
The  Porta  S.  Lorenzo,  anciently  called  the  Porta  Tiburtina 
(the  road  to  Tivoli  passes  through  it),  built  in  402,  by  the 
Emperors  Arcadius  and  Honorius,  on  the  advice  of  Stili- 
cho,  as  we  learn  from  an  inscription  over  the  archway  of 
the  Marcian,  Tepulan,  and  Julian  Aqueducts,  now  half 
buried  within  the  later  brick  gateway. 

The  road  just  beyond  the  gate  is  connected  with  the 
story  of  the  favorite  saint  of  the  Roman  people. 

"  When  S.  Francesca  Romana  had  no  resource  but  to  beg  for  the 
sick  under  her  care,  she  went  to  the  basilica  of  S.  Lorenzo  Fuori  le 
Mura,  where  was  the  station  of  the  day,  and  seated  herself  among  the 
crowd  of  l)eggars,  who,  according  to  custom,  were  there  assembled. 


PORTA    S.    LORENZO.  487 

From  the  rising  of  the  bun  to  the  ringing  of  the  vesper-bell  she  sat 
there,  side  by  side  with  the  lame,  the  deformed,  and  the  blind.  She 
held  out  her  hand  as  they  did.  gladly  enduring,  not  the  semblance,  but 
the  reality,  of  that  deep  humiliation.  When  she  had-  received  enough 
wherewith  to  feed  the  poor  at  home,  she  rose,  and,  entering  the  old 
basilica,  adored  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  and  then  walked  back  the  long 
and  weary  way,  blessing  God  all  the  while." — Lady  G.  Fullerton. 

A  quarter  of  a  mile  beyond  the  gate  we  come  in  sight  of 
the  church  and  monastery,  but  the  effect  is  much  spoilt  by 
the  hideous  modern  cemetery,  formed  since  the  following 
description  was  written  : 

"  S.  Lorenzo  is  as  perfect  a  picture  of  a  basilica  externally  as  S. 
Clemente  is  internally.  Viewing  it  from  a  little  distance,  the  whole 
pile — in  its  gray  reverend  dignity — the  row  of  stones  indicating  the 
atrium,  with  an  ancient  cross  in  the  center — the  portico  overshadowing 
faded  frescoes — the  shelving  roof,  the  body-wall  bulging  out  and  lap- 
ping over,  like  an  Egyptian  temple — the  detached  Lombard  steeple — 
with  the  magic  of  sun  and  shadow,  and  the  background  of  the  Cam- 
pagna,  bounded  by  the  blue  mountains  of  Tivoli — together  with  the 
stillness,  the  repose,  interrupted  only  by  the  chirp  of  the  grasshopper, 
and  the  distant  intermitted  song  of  the  Contadino — it  forms  altogether 
such  a  scene  as  painters  love  to  sketch,  and  poets  to  lepeojjle  with  the 
shadows  of  past  ages  ;  and  I  open  a  wider  heaven  for  either  fraternity 
to  fly  their  fancies  in,  when  I  add  that  it  was  there  the  ill-fated  Peter 
de  Courtenay  was  crowned  Emperor  of  the  East." — Lord  Lindsay, 
Christian  Art. 

"  To  S.  Laurence  was  given  a  crown  of  glory  in  heaven,  and  upon 
earth  eternal  and  universal  praise  and  fame  ;  for  there  is  scarcely  a 
city  or  town  in  all  Christendom  which  does  not  contain  a  church  or 
altar  dedicated  to  his  honor.  The  lirst  of  these  was  built  by  Constan- 
tine  outside  the  gates  of  Rome,  on  the  spot  where  he  was  buried  ;  and 
another  was  built  on  the  summit  of  tlie  hill  where  he  was  martyred  ; 
besides  these,  there  are  at  Rome  four  others  ;  and  in  Spain  the  Escu- 
rial,  and  at  Genoa  the  Cathedral." — Mrs.  Jameson. 

We  have  already  followed  S.  Laurence  to  the  various 
spots  in  Rome  connected  with  his  story — to  the  green 
space  at  the  Navicella,  where  he  distributed  his  alms  before 
the  house  of  S.  Ciriaca  (in  whose  catacomb  he  was  first 
buried) ;  to  the  basilica  in  the  Palace  of  the  Caesars,  where 
he  was  tried  and  condemned  ;  to  S.  Lorenzo  in  Fonte, 
where  he  was  imprisoned  ;  to  S.  Lorenzo  Pane  e  Perna, 
where  he  died  ;  to  S.  Lorenzo  in  Lucina,  where  his  sup- 
posed gridiron  is  preserved  ;  and  now  we  come  to  his  grave, 
where  a  grand  basilica  has  arisen  around  the  little  oratory, 
erected  by  Constantine,  vvhich  marked  his  first  burial-place 
in  the  catacombs. 


4 88  IVALKS  IN  HOME. 

The  first  basilica  erected  here  was  built  in  the  end  of 
the  sixth  century,  by  Pope  Pelagius  II.,  but  this  was  re- 
peatedly enlarged  and  beautified  by  succeeding  popes,  and 
at  length  was  so  much  altered  in  1216,  by  Honorius  III., 
that  the  old  basilica  became  merely  the  choir  or  tribune  of 
a  larger  and  more  important  church.  So  many  other 
changes  have  since  taken  place,  that  Bunsen  remarks  upon 
S.  Lorenzo  as  more  difficult  of  explanation  than  any  othei 
of  the  Roman  churches. 

In  front  of  the  basilica  stands  a  bronze  statue  of  S. 
Laurence,  upon  a  tall  granite  pillar.  The  portico  of  the 
church  is  supported  by  six  Ionic  columns,  four  of  them 
spiral.  Above  these  is  a  mosaic  frieze  of  the  thirteenth 
century.  In  the  center  is  the  Spotless  Lamb,  having  on 
the  right,  S.  Laurence,  Honorius  III.,  and  another  figure  ; 
and  on  the  left  three  heads,  two  of  whom  are  supposed  to 
be  the  virgin  martyr  S.  Ciriaca,  and  her  mother  Tryphoena, 
buried  in  the  adjoining  cemetery.  Above  this  is  a  very 
richly  decorated  marble  frieze,  boldly  relieved  with  lions' 
heads.  The  gable  of  the  church  is  faced  with  modern 
mosaics  of  saints.  Within  the  portico  are  four  splendid 
sarcophagi  ;  that  on  the  left  of  the  entrance  is  adorned 
with  reliefs  representing  a  vintage,  with  cupids  as  the  vine- 
gatherers,  and  contains  the  remains  of  Pope  Damasus  II., 
who  died  in  1049,  after  a  reign  of  only  twenty-three  days. 
At  the  sides  of  the  door  are  two  marble  lions.  The  walls 
of  the  portico  are  covered  with  a  very  curious  series  of 
frescoes,  lately  repainted.  They  represent  four  consecutive 
stories. 

On  the  right  : 

A  holy  hermit,  living  a  life  of  solitude  and  prayer,  heard  a  rushing 
noise,  and,  looking  out  of  his  window,  saw  a  troop  of  demons,  who 
told  him  that  the  Emperor  Henry  II.  had  just  expired,  and  that  they 
were  hurrying  to  lay  claim  to  his  soul.  The  hermit  trembled,  and 
besought  them  to  let  him  know  as  they  returned  how  they  had  suc- 
ceeded. Some  days  after,  they  came  back  and  narrated  that  when  the 
Archangel  was  weighing  the  good  and  evil  deeds  of  the  emperor  in  his 
balance,  the  weight  was  falling  in  their  favor — when  suddenly  the 
roasted  S.  Laurence  appeared,  bearing  a  golden  chalice,  which  the 
emperor,  shortly  before  his  death,  had  bestowed  upon  the  Church,  and 
cast  it  into  the  scale  of  good  deeds,  and  so  turned  the  balance  the 
other  way,  but  that  in  revenge  they  had  broken  off  one  of  the  golden 
handles  of  the  chalice.     And  when  the  hermit  heard  these  things  he 


S.    LORENZO  FUORI  LE   MURA. 


4^9 


rejoiced  greatly  ;  and  the  soul  of  tlie  emperor  was  saved  and  he  became 
a  canonized  saint, — and  the  devils  departed  blaspheming. 

The  order  of  the  frescoes  representing  this  legend  is  : 

I,  2.  Scenes  in  the  life  of  Henry  II. 

3.  The  Emperor  offers  the  golden  chalice. 

4.  A  banquet  scene. 

5.  The  hermit  discourses  with  the  devils. 

6.  The  death  of  Henry  II. — 1024. 

7.  Dispute  for  the  soul  of  the  Emperor. 

8.  It  is  saved  by  S.  Laurence. 

The  second  series  represents  the  whole  story  of  the  acts, 
trial,  martyrdom,  and  burial  of  S.  Laurence  ;  one  or  two 
frescoes  in  this  were  entirely  effaced,  and  have  been  added 
by  the  restorer.     Of  the  old  series  were  : 

1.  The  investiture  of  S.  Laurence  as  deacon. 

2.  S.  Laurence  washes  the  feet  of  poor  Christians. 

3.  He  heals  S.  Ciriaca. 

4.  He  distributes  alms  on  the  Coelian. 

5.  He  meets  S.  Sixtus  led  to  death,  and  receives  his  blessing. 

6.  He  is  led  before  the  prefect. 

7.  He  restores  sight  to  Lucillus. 

8.  He  is  scourged. 

9.  He  baptizes  S.  Hippolytus. 

II.  He  refuses  to  give  up  the  treasures  of  the  Church. 
13,  14,  15.   His  burial  by  S.  Hippoljiius. 

The  third  series  represents  the  story  of  S.  Stephen, 
followed  by  that  of  the  translation  of  his  relics  to  this 
basilica. 

The  relics  of  S.  Stephen  were  preserved  at  Constantinople,  whither 
they  had  been  transported  from  Jerusalem  by  the  Empress  Eudoxia, 
wife  of  Theodosius  II.  Hearing  that  her  daughter  Eudoxia,  wife  of 
Valentinian  II.,  Emperor  of  the  West,  was  afflicted  with  a  devil,  she 
begged  her  to  come  to  Constantinople  that  her  demon  might  be  driven 
out  by  the  touch  of  the  relics.  The  younger  Eudoxia  wished  to 
comply,  but  the  devil  refused  to  leave  her,  unless  S.  Stephen  was 
brought  to  Rome.  An  agreement  was  therefore  made  that  the  relics 
of  S.  Stephen  should  be  exchanged  for  those  of  S.  Laurence.  S. 
Stephen  arrived,  and  the  empress  was  immediately  relieved  of  her 
devil,  but  when  the  persons  who  had  brought  the  relics  of  S.  Stephen 
from  Constantinople  were  about  to  take  those  of  S.  Laurence  back 
with  them,  they  all  fell  down  dead  !  Pope  Pelagius  prayed  for  their 
restoration  to  life,  which  was  granted  for  a  short  time,  to  prove  the 
efficacy  of  prayer,  but  they  all  died  again  ten  days  after  !  Thus  the 
Romans  knew  that  it  would  be  criminal  to  fulfill  their  promise,  and 
part  with  the  relics  of  S.  Laurence,  and  the  bodies  of  the  two  martyrs 
were  laid  in  the  same  sarcophagus. 


49° 


JJ'ALA'S  JX  ROM/:. 


The  frescoes  on  the  left  wall  represent  a  separate 
story  : 

A  holy  sacristan  arose  before  the  dawn  to  enjoy  solitary  prayers  be- 
fore the  altars  of  this  church.  Once  when  he  was  thus  employed,  he 
foupd  that  he  was  not  alone,  and  beheld  three  persons,  a  priest,  a 
deacon,  and  a  sub-deacon  officiating  at  the  altar,  and  the  church  around 
him  filled  with  worshipers,  whose  faces  bore  no  mortal  impress. 
Tremblingly  he  drew  near  to  him  whom  he  dreaded  the  least,  and  in- 
quired of  the  deacon  who  this  company  might  be.  "  The  priest  whom 
thou  seest  is  the  blessed  Apostle  Peter,"  answered  the  spirit,  "and  I 
am  Laurence  who  suffered  cruel  torments  for  the  love  of  my  master, 
Christ,  upon  a  Wednesday,  which  was  the  day  of  his  betrayal  ;  and  in 
remembrance  of  my  martyrdom  we  are  come  to-day  to  celebrate  here 
the  mysteries  of  the  Church  ;  and  the  sub-deacon  who  is  w  ith  us  is  the 
first  martyr,  S.  Stephen, — and  the  worshipers  are  the  apostles,  the 
martyrs,  and  virgins  who  liave  passed  with  me  into  Paradise,  and  have 
come  back  hither  to  do  me  honor  ;  and  of  this  solemn  service  thou  art 
chosen  as  the  witness.  When  it  is  day,  therefore,  go  to  the  pope  and 
tell  what  thou  hast  seen,  and  bid  him,  in  my  name  to  come  hither 
and  to  celebrate  a  solemn  mass  with  all  his  clergy,  and  to  grant  in- 
dulgences to  the  faithful."  But  the  sacristan  trembled  and  said.  "  If 
I  go  to  the  pope  he  will  not  believe  me  :  give  me  some  visible  sign, 
then,  which  will  show  what  I  have  seen."  And  S.  Laurence  ungirt  his 
robe,  and  giving  his  girdle  to  the  sacristan,  bade  him  show  it  in  proof 
of  what  he  told.  In  tlie  morning  the  old  man  related  what  he  had 
seen  to  the  abbot  of  the  monastery,  who  bore  the  girdle  to  the  then  pope, 
Alexander  II.  The  pope  accompanied  him  back  to  the  basilica  ;  and 
on  their  way  they  were  met  by  a  funeral  procession,  when,  to  test  the 
power  of  the  girdle,  the  pope  laid  it  on  the  bier,  and  at  once  the  dead 
arose  and  walked.  Then  all  men  knew  that  the  sacristan  had  told 
what  was  true,  and  the  pope  celebrated  mass  as  he  had  been  l)idden, 
and  promised  an  indulgence  of  forty  years  to  all  who  should  visit  on  a 
Wednesday  any  church  dedicated  to  S,  Laurence. 

This  Story  is  told  in  eight  pictures  : 

1.  The  sacristan  sees  the  holy  ones. 

2.  The  Phantom  Mass. 

3.  The  sacristan  tells  the  abbot. 

4.  The  abbot  tells  the  pope. 

5.  The  pope  consults  his  cardinals. 

6.  The  dead  is  raised  by  the  girdle. 

7.  Mass  is  celebrated  at  S.  Lorenzo,  and  souls  are  freed  from  pur- 
gatory by  the  intercession  of  the  saint. 

8.  Prayer  is  made  at  the  shrine  of  S.  Laurence. 

The  nave — which  is  the  basilica  of  Honorius  III. — is 
divided  from  its  side  aisles  by  twenty-two  Ionic  columns  of 
granite  and  cipollino.  The  sixth  column  on  the  right  has 
a  lizard  and  a  frog  among  the  decorations   of  its   capital, 


CATACOMBS   OF  S.    CIRIACA. 


491 


which  led  Winckelmann  to  the  supposition  that  these 
columns  were  brought  hither  from  the  Portico  of  Octavia, 
because  Pliny  describes  that  the  architects  of  the  Portico 
of  Metellus,  which  formerly  occupied  that  site,  were  two 
Spartans,  named  Sauros  and  Batrachus,  who  implored  per- 
mission to  carve  their  names  upon  their  work  ;  and  that 
when  leave  was  refused,  they  introduced  them  under  this 
form, — Batrachus  signifying  a  frog,  and  Sauros  a  lizard. 

Above  the  architrave  are  frescoes  by  Fracassini,  of  the 
lives  and  martyrdoms  of  SS.  Stephen  and  Laurence.  High- 
er up  are  saints  connected  with  the  history  of  the  basilica. 
The  roof  is  painted  in  patterns.  The  splendid  opus-alex- 
andrinum  pavement  is  of  the  tenth  century.  On  the  left 
of  the  entrance  is  a  baptismal  font,  above  which  are  more 
frescoes  relating  to  the  story  of  S.  Laurence.  On  the 
right,  beneath  a  mediaeval  canopy,  is  a  very  fine  sarcoph- 
agus, sculptured  with  a  wedding  scene, — adapted  as  the 
tomb  of  Cardinal  Fieschi,  nephew  of  Innocent  IV.,  who 
died  in  1256.  Inside  the  canopy  is  a  fresco  of  Christ 
throned,  to  whom  S.  Laurence  presents  the  cardinal,  and 
S.  Stephen  Innocent  IV.  Behind  stand  S.  Eustace  and 
S.  Hippolytus.  The  west  end  of  the  church  is  closed  by 
the  inscription,  "  Hi  sunt  qui  venerunt  de  tribulatione 
magna,  et  lavarunt  stolas  suas  in  sanguine  agni." 

The  splendid  ambones  in  the  nave,  inlaid  with  serpen- 
tine and  porphyry,  are  of  the  twelfth  century.  That  on  the 
right,  with  a  candelabrum  for  the  Easter  candle,  was  for 
the  gospel  ;  that  on  the  left  for  the  epistle. 

At  the  end  of  the  left  aisle,  a  passage  leads  down  to  a 
subterranean  chapel,  used  for  prayer  for  the  souls  in  pur- 
gatory. Here  is  the  entrance  to  the  Catacombs  of  S.  Ciriaca, 
which  are  said  to  extend  as  far  as  S.  Agnese,  but  which 
have  been  much  and  wantonly  injured  in  the  works  for  the 
new  cemetery.  Here  the  body  of  S.  Laurence  is  related 
to  have  been  found.     Over  the  entrance  is  inscribed  : 

"  Haec  est  tumba  ilia  toto  orbe  terrarum  celeberrima  ex  cimeterio  S. 
Ciriacae  Matronae  ubi  sacrum  si  quis  fecerit  pro  defunctis  eorum  ani- 
mas  e  purgatorii  poenis  divi  Laurentii  meritis  evocabit."  ' 

Passing  the  triumphal  arch,  we  enter  the  early  basilica 
of  Pope  Pelagius  11.  (572-590),  Avhich  is  on  a  lower  level 

'  The  existence  of  this  inscription  makes  the  destruction  of  this  catacomb  un- 
der Pius  IX.  the  more  c.xtraordin<>r>' 


4Q2 


WALK'S  IN  ROME. 


than  that  of  the  nave.  Here  are  twelve  splendid  columns 
of  pavonazzetto,  the  two  first  of  which  bear  trophies  carved 
above  the  acanthus-leaves  of  their  capitals.  These  support 
an  entablature  formed  from  various  antique  fragments,  put 
together  without  uniformity — and  a  triforium,  divided  by 
twelve  small  columns. 

On  the  inside,  which  was  formerly  the  outside,  of  the 
triumphal  arch,  is  a  restored  mosaic  of  the  time  of  Pela- 
gius,  representing  the  Saviour  seated  upon  the  world,  having 
on  the  right  S.  Peter,  S.  Laurence,  and  S.  Pelagius,  and  on 
the  left  S.  Paul  and  S.  Stephen,  and  with  them,  in  a  war- 
rior's dress,  8.  Hippolytus,  the  soldier  who  was  appointed 
to  guard  S.  Laurence  in  prison,  and  who,  being  converted 
by  him,  was  dragged  to  death  by  wild  horses,  after  seeing 
nineteen  of  his  family  suffer  before  his  eyes.  He  is  the 
patron  saint  of  horses.  Here  also  are  the  mystic  cities, 
Bethlehem  and  Jerusalem. 

A  long  poetical  inscription  is  known  to  have  once  ex- 
isted here  ;  only  two  lines  remain  round  the  arch  : 

"  Martyrium  flammis  olim  Levita  subisti 
Jure  tuis  templis  lux  veneranda  redit." 

The  high  altar,  with  a  baldacchino,  supported  by  four 
porphyry  columns,  covers  the  remains  of  SS.  Laurence  and 
Stephen,  enclosed  in  a  silver  shrine  by  Pelagius  H.,  a  pope 
so  munificent  that  he  had  given  up  his  own  house  as  a  hos- 
pital for  aged  poor.     S.  Justin  is  also  buried  here 

"  No  one  knew  what  had  become  of  the  body  of  S.  Stephen  fur  400 
years,  when  Lucian,  a  priest  of  Carsamagala,  in  Palestine,  was  visited 
in  a  dream  by  Gamaliel,  the  doctor  of  the  law  at  whose  feet  Paul  was 
brought  up  in  all  the  learning  of  the  Jews  ;  and  Gamaliel  revealed  to 
him  that  after  the  death  of  Stephen  he  had  carried  away  the  body  of 
the  saint,  and  had  buried  it  in  his  own  sepulcher,  and  had  also  de- 
posited near  it  the  body  of  Nicodemus  and  other  saints  ;  and  this 
dream  having  been  repeated  three  times,  Lucian  went  with  others  de- 
puted by  the  bishop,  and  dug  with  mattocks  and  spades  in  the  spot 
which  had  been  indicated — a  sepulcher  in  a  garden — and  found  what 
they  supposed  to  be  the  remains  of  S.  Stephen,  their  peculiar  sanctity 
being  proved  by  many  miracles.  These  relics  were  first  deposited  in 
Jerusalem,  in  the  church  of  Sion,  and  afterward  by  the  younger 
Theodosius  carried  to  Constantinople,  whence  they  were  taken  to  Rome, 
and  placed  by  the  Pope  Pelagius  in  the  same  tomb  with  S.  Laurence. 
It  is  related  that  when  they  opened  the  sarcophagus,  and  lowered  into 
it  the  body  of  S.  Stephen,  S.  Laurence  moved  on  one  side,  giving  the 
place  of  honor  on  the  right  hand  to   S.  Stephen  ;  hence  the  common 


MONASTERY  OF  S.    LORENZO.  493 

people  of  Rome  have  conferred  on  S.  Laurence  the  title  of  '  II  cor- 
tese  Spagnuolo  ' — the  courteous  Spaniard. " — Jameson's  Sacred  and  Le- 
gendary Art. 

Behind  the  altar  is  a  mosaic  screen,  with  panels  of  por- 
phyry and  serpentine,  and  an  ancient  episcopal  throne. 
Hither,  by  his  dying  desire,  instead  of  to  the  grand  mauso- 
leum which  he  had  prepared  at  S.  Maria  Maggiore,  the 
remains  of  the  beloved  Pope  Pius  IX.  were  brought  from 
S.  Peter's  in  1881 — to  "be  buried  among  the  poor." 

The  lower  church  was  filled  up  with  soil  till  1864,  when 
restorations  were  ordered  here.  These  were  intrusted  to 
Count  Vespignani,  and  have  been  better  carried  out  than 
most  church  alterations  in  Rome  ;  but  an  interesting  por- 
tico, with  mosaics  by  one  of  the  famous  Cosmati  family, 
has  been  destroyed  to  make  room  for  some  miserable  ar- 
rangements connected  with  the  modern  cemetery. 

It  was  in  this  basilica  that  Peter  Courtenay,  Count  of 
Auxerre,  with  Yolande,  his  wife,  received  the  imperial 
crown  of  Constantinople  from  Honorius  III.  in  12 17. 

Adjoining  the  church  is  the  very  picturesque  Cloister  of 
the  Monastery,  built  in  1 1 90,  for  Cistercian  monks,  but  as- 
signed as  a  residence  for  any  Patriarchs  of  Jerusalem  who 
might  visit  Rome.  Here  are  preserved  many  ancient  in- 
scriptions and  other  fragments  from  the  neighboring  cata- 
combs. 

The  basilica  is  now  almost  ingulfed  in  the  Cemetery  of 
S.  Lorenzo,  the  great  modern  burial-ground  of  Rome.  It 
was  opened  in  1837,  but  has  been  much  enlarged  in  the  last 
ten  years.  Hither  wend  the  numerous  funerals  which  are 
seen  passing  through  the  streets  after  Ave-Maria,  with  a 
procession  of  monks  bearing  candles.  A  frightful  gate, 
with  a  laudatory  inscription  to  Pius  IX.,  and  a  hideous 
modern  chapel,  have  been  erected.  There  are  very  few 
fine  monuments.  The  best  are  those  in  im.itation  of  the 
cinquecento  tombs,  of  which  there  are  so  many  in  the  Ro- 
man churches.  That  by  Podesti,  the  painter,  to  his  wife, 
in  the  right  corridor  of  the  cloister,  is  touching.  The  higher 
ground  to  the  left,  behind  the  church,  is  occupied  by  the 
tombs  of  the  rich.  Those  of  tiie  poor  are  indiscriminately 
scattered  over  a  wide  plain.  A  range  of  cliffs  on  the  left 
were  perforated  by  the  catacombs  of  S.  Ciriaca,  which, 
with  the  bad  taste  so  constantly  displayed  in  Rome,  have 


494 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


been  wantonly  and  shamefully  broken  up.  Those  who  do 
not  wish  to  descend  into  a  catacomb  may  here  see  (from 
without)  all  their  arrangements — in  the  passages  lined  with 
sepulchers,  and  even  some  smrJl  chapels,  lined  with  rude 
frescoes,  laid  open  to  the  air,  where  the  cliff  has  been  cut 
away. 

A  Roman  funeral  is  a  most  sad  sight,  and  strikes  one 
with  an  unutterable  sense  of  desolation. 

"After  a  death  the  body  is  entirely  abandoned  to  the  priests,  who 
take  possession  of  it,  watch  over  it,  and  prepare  it  fjr  buna!  ;  while 
tlae  family,  if  they  can  find  refuge  anywhere  else,  abandon  the  house  and 
remain  away  a  week.  .  .  .  The  body  is  not  ordinarily  allowed  to  re- 
main in  the  house  more  than  twelve  hours,  except  on  condition  that 
it  is  sealed  up  in  lead  or  zinc.  At  nightfall  a  sad  proce;,sicn  of 
hecchini  n.x\(S.  frali  may  be  seen  coming  down  the  street,  and  stopping 
before  the  house  of  the  dead.  The  bcccliini  are  taken  from  the  lowest 
clar.ses.of  the  people,  and  hired  to  carry  the  corpse  on  the  bier  and  to 
accompany  it  to  the  church  and  cemfetery.  They  are  dressed  in  shabby 
black  cappe,  covering  their  head  and  face  as  well  as  their  body,  and 
having  two  large  holes  cut  in  front  of  the  eyes  to  enalde  them  to  see. 
These  cappe  are  girdled  round  the  waist,  and  the  dirty  trousers  and 
worn-out  shoes  are  miserabl}' manifest  under  the  skirts  of  their  dress — 
shov.'ing  plainly  that  their  duty  is  occasional.  All  the  /rati  and  becchitii , 
except  the  four  who  carry  the  bier,  are  furnished  v/ith  wax  candles,  for 
no  one  is  buried  in  Rome  without  a  candle.  \'ou  may  know  the  rank 
of  the  person  to  be  buried  by  the  lateness  of  the  hour  and  the  number 
of  i\\Q.  frati.  If  it  be  tij  funeral  of  a  person  of  wealth  or  a  noble,  it 
tak;s  place  at  a  late  hour,  the  procession  of  /rati  is  long,  and  the  bier 
elegant.  If  it  be  a  state  funeral,  as  of  a  ]5rince,  carriages  accompany 
it  in  mourning,  the  coachman  and  lackeys  are  bedizened  in  their  richest 
live-ies,  and  the  state  hammer-cloths  are  spread  on  the  boxes,  with  the 
family  arms  embossed  on  them  in  gold.  But  if  it  be  a  pauper's  fu- 
neral, there  are  only  hecchini  enough  to  carry  the  bier  to  the  grave, 
and  two  frati,  each  with  a  little  candle  ;  and  the  sunshine  is  yet  on 
the  streets  when  they  come  to  take  away  the  corpse. 

"  You  will  see  this  procession  stop  before  the  house  where  the  corpse 
is  lying.  Some  of  the  becchini  go  up-stairs,  and  some  keep  guard  below. 
Scores  of  shabby  men  and  boys  are  gatliered  round  the  frali  ;  some 
attracted  simply  by  curiosity,  and  some  for  the  purpose  of  catching 
the  wax,  which  gutters  down  from  the  candles  as  they  are  blown  by 
the  wind.  The  latter  may  be  known  by  the  great  horns  of  paper 
which  they  carry  in  their  hands.  While  this  crowd  waits  for  the  corpse, 
the  /V,///  light  their  candles,  and  talk,  laugh,  and  take  snuff  together. 
Finally  comes  the  body,  borne  down  by  four  of  the  becchini.  It  is  in 
a  common  rough  deal  coffin,  more  like  an  ill-made  packing  case  than 
anything  else.  No  care  or  expense  has  been  l.iid  out  upon  it  to  make 
it  elega  U,  for  it  is  only  to  be  seen  for  a  moment.  Then  it  is  slid  ujion 
the  bier,  and  over  it  is  drawn  the  black  velvet  pall  with  golden  trim- 
mings, on  which  a  cross,  death's  head,  and  bones  are  embroidered 


TOMB    OF  HIPPOLYTUS.  4,; 5 

Four  of  the  bcccJiini  hoist  it  on  their  shoulders,  the  frad  break  forth 
into  their  hoarse  chant,  and  the  procession  sets  out  for  the  churcli. 
Little  and  big  boys  and  shabby  men  follow  along,  holding  up  thcii 
paper  horns  against  the  sloping  candles  to  catch  the  dripping  wax. 
Everyone  takes  off  his  hat,  or  makes  the  sign  of  the  cross,  or  mutters 
a  prayer,  as  the  body  passes  ;  and  with  a  dull,  sad,  monotonous  chant, 
the  candles  gleaming  and  flaring  and  casting  around  them  a  yellow 
flickering  glow,  the  funeral  winds  along  through  the  narrow  streets, 
and  under  the  somber  palaces  and  buildings,  where  the  shadows  of 
night  are  deepening  every  moment.  The  spectacle,  seen  from  a  dis- 
tance, and  especially  when  looked  down  upon  from  a  window,  is  very 
effective;  but  it  loses  much  of  its  solemnity  as  you  approach  it  ;  for 
the  fraii  are  so  vulgar,  dirty  and  stupid,  and  seem  so  utterly  indiffer- 
ent and  heartless  as  they  mechanically  croak  out  their  psalms,  that  all 
other  emotions  yield  to  a  feeling  of  disgust." — Story's  Roba  di  Roma. 
"  Ces  rapprochements  soudains  de  I'antiquite  et  des  temps  modernes, 
provoques  par  la  vue  d'un  monument  dont  la  destinee  se  lie  a  I'une  et 
aux  autres,  sont  tres-frequents  a  Rome.  L'histoire  poetique  d'Enee 
aurait  pu  m'en  fournir  plusieurs.  Ainsi  dans  I'Eneide  aux  funerailles 
de  Pallas,  une  longue  procession  s'avance,  portant  des  flambeaux 
funebres,  suivant  I'usage  antique,  dit  Virgile.  En  effet,  on  se  souvient 
que  I'usage  des  cierges  remontait  a  I'abolition  des  sacrifices  humains, 
accompli  dans  les  temps  heroiques  par  le  dieu  pelasgique  Hercule. 
J.a  description  que  fait  Virgile  des  funerailles  de  Pallas  pourrait  con- 
venir  a  un  de  ces  enterrements  romains  ou  Ton  voit  de  longues  files 
de  capucins  marchant  processionnellement  en  portant  des  cierges. 

.   .   .    '  Lucet  via  longo 
Ordine  flammarum.'  " 

Aen,  xi.  133. 
— Ampl-rc,  i.  217.  * 

On  the  other  side  of  the  road  from  S.  Lorenzo  is  the 
Catacomb  of  S.  Hippolytus,  interesting  as  described  by  the 
Christian  poet  Prudentius,  who  wrote,  at  the  end  of  the 
fourth  century  : 

"Not  far  from  the  city  walls,  among  the  well-trimmed  orchards, 
there  lies  a  crypt  buried  in  darksome  pits.  Into  its  secret  recesses  a 
steep  path,  with  winding  stairs,  directs  one,  even  though  the  turnings 
shut  out  the  light.  The  light  of  day,  indeed,  comes  m  through  the 
doorway,  as  far  as  the  surface  of  the  opening,  and  illuminates  the 
threshold  of  the  portico  ;  and  when,  as  you  advance  farther,  the  dark- 
ness as  of  night  seems  to  get  more  and  more  obscure  throughout  th.e 
mazes  of  the  cavern,  there  occur  at  intervals  apertures  cut  in  the  roof 
which  convey  the  bright  rays  of  the  sun  upon  the  cave.  Although  the 
recesses,  twisting  at  random  this  way  and  that,  form  narrow  chambers 
with  darksome  galleries,  yet  a  considerable  quantity  of  light  finds 
its  way  through  the  pierced  vaulting  down  into  the  hollow  bowels  of 
the  mountain.  And  thus  throughout  the  subterranean  crypt  it  is  pos- 
sible to  perceive  the  brightness  and  enjoy  the  light  of  the  absent  sun. 
To  such  secret  places  is  the  body  of  Hippolytus  conveyed,  near  to  the 


496  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

spot  where  now  stands  the  altar  dedicated  to  God.  That  same  altar- 
slab  (niensa)  gives  the  sacrament,  and  is  the  faithful  guardian  of  its 
martyr's  bones,  which  it  keeps  laid  up  there  in  expectation  of  the 
Eternal  Judge,  while  it  feeds  the  dwellers  by  the  Tiber  with  holy  food. 
Wondrous  is  the  sanctity  of  the  place  !  The  altar  is  at  hand  for  those 
who  pray,  and  it  assists  the  hopes  of  men  by  mercifully  granting  what 
they  need.  Here  have  I,  when  sick  with  ills  both  of  soul  and  body, 
oftentimes  prostrated  mysely  in  prayer  and  found  relief.  .  .  .  Early 
in  the  morning  men  come  to  salute  (Hippolytus) :  all  the  youth  of  the 
place  worship  here  :  they  come  and  go  until  the  setting  of  the  sun. 
Love  of  religion  collects  together  into  one  dense  crowd  both  Latins 
and  foreigners ;  they  imprint  their  kisses  on  the  shining  silver  ;  they 
pour  out  their  sweet  balsams  ;  they  bedew  their  faces  with  tears."— 
See  Roma  SoUerranea,  p.  98. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

IN    THE    CAMPUS    MARTIUS. 

S.  Antonio  dei  Portoghesi — Torre  della  Scimia — S.  Agostino — S. 
Apollinare — Palazzo  Altemps — S.  Maria  dell'  Anima — S.  Mana 
della  Pace — Palazzo  del  Governo  Vecchio — Monte  Giordano  and 
Palazzo  Gabrielli — S.  Maria  Nuova — S.  Maria  di  Monserrato — S. 
Girolamo  della  Carita — S.  Brigitta — S.  Tommaso  degl'  Inglesi — 
Palazzo  Farnese — S.  Maria  della  Morte — Palazzo  Falconieri — 
Campo  di  Fiore — Palazzo  Cancelleria — SS.  Lorenzo  e  Damaso — 
Palazzo  Linote — Palazzo  Spada — Trinita  dei  Pellegrini — S.  Maria 
in  Monticelli — Palazzo  Santa  Croce — S.  Carlo  a  Catinari — Theater 
of  Pompey — S.  Andrea  della  Valle — Palazzo  Vidoni — Palazzo  Mas- 
simo alle  Colonne — S.  Pantaleone — Palazzo  Braschi — Statue  of 
Pasquin — S.  Agnese — Piazza  Navona — Palazzo  Pamfili — S.  Gia- 
como  degli  Spagnuoli — Palazzo  Madama — S.  Luigi  dei  Francesi^ 
The  Sapienza — S.  Eustachio — Pantheon — S.  Maria  sopra  Minerva 
—  II  Pie  di  Marmo. 

THE  Campus  Martius,  now  an  intricate  labyrinth  of 
streets,  occupying  the  wide  space  between  the  Corso 
and  the  Tiber,  was  not  included  within  the  walls  of  ancient 
Rome,  but  even  to  late  imperial  times  continued  to  be 
covered  with  gardens  and  pleasure-grounds,  interspersed 
with  open  spaces,  which  were  used  for  the  public  exercises 
and  amusements  of  the  Roman  youth. 

"  Tunc  ego  me  memini  ludos  in  gramine  Campi 
Aspicere,  et  didici,  lubrice  Tibri,  tuos. " 

Ovid,  Fast.  vi.  237. 

"  Tot  jam  abiere  dies,  cum  nie,  nee  cura  theatri, 
Nee  tetigit  Campi,  nee  mea  musa  juvat." 

Propert.  ii.  El.  13. 

"  Altera  gramineo  spectabis  Equiria  campo, 
Quem  Tiberis  curvis  in  latus  urget  aquis." 

Ovid,  Fast.  iii.  519. 

The  vicinity  of  the   Tiber  afforded    opportunities    for 
practice  in  swimming. 

497 


498  I]' A  LA'S  I.V  ROME. 

"  Quamvis  non  alius  flectere  equum  sciens 
Aeque  conspicitur  gramine  Martio  : 
Nee  quisquam  citus  aeque 
Tusco  denatat  alveo." 

Hor.  iii.  Od.  7. 

"  Once  upon  a  raw  and  gusty  day, 
The  troubled  Tiber  chaiing  with  her  shores, 
Caesar  said  to  me,  '  Dar'st  thou,  Cassias,  now 
I,eap  in  with  me  into  this  angry  flood, 
And  swim  to  yonder  point  ? '     Upon  the  word, 
Accoutered  as  I  was,  I  plunged  in, 
And  bade  liim  follow, — so,  indeed,  he  did  ; 
The  torrent  roared  ;  and  we  did  buff'et  it 
With  lusty  sinews  ;   throwing  it  aside, 
And  stemming  it  with  hearts  of  controversy." 

Shaki'speare,  Julius  Caesar, 

It  was  only  near  the  foot  of  the  Capitol  that  any  build- 
ings were  erected  under  the  republic,  and  these  only  pub- 
lic offices  ;  under  the  empire  a  few  magnificent  edifices 
were  scattered  here  and  there  over  the  plain.  In  the  time 
of  Cicero,  the  Campus  was  quite  uninhabited  ;  it  is  sup- 
posed that  the  population  were  first  attracted  here  when 
the  aqueducts  were  cut  during  the  Lombard  invasion, 
which  drove  the  inhabitants  from  the  hills,  and  obliged 
them  to  seek  a  site  where  they  could  avail  themselves  of 
the  Tiber. 

The  hills,  which  were  crowded  by  a  dense  population  in 
ancient  Rome,  are  now  for  the  most  part  deserted  ;  the 
plain,  which  was  deserted  in  ancient  Rome,  is  now  thickly 
covered  with  inhabitants. 

The  plain  was  bounded  on  two  sides  by  the  Quirinal 
and  Capitoline  hills,  which  were  both  in  the  hands  of  the 
Sabines,  but  it  had  no  connection  with  the  Latin  hill  of  the 
Palatine.  Thus  it  was  dedicated  to  the  Sabine  god, 
Mamers  or  Mars,  either  before  the  time  of  Servius  Tullius, 
as  is  implied  by  Dionysius,  or  after  the  time  of  the  Tar- 
quins,  as  stated  by  Livy. 

Tarquinius  Superbus  had  appropriated  thj  Campus  Mar- 
tius  to  his  own  use,  and  planted  it  v>  ith  corn.  After  he 
was  expelled,  and  his  crops  cut  down  and  thrown  into  the 
Tiber,  the  land  was  restored  to  the  people.  Here  the  tri- 
bunes used  to  hold  the  assemblies  of  the  plebs  in  the  Prata 
Flaminia  at  the  foot  of  the  Capitol,  before  any  buildings 
"vere  erected  as  their  meeting-place. 


STORY   OF    THE    CAMPUS  MARTI  US. 


499 


The  earliest  building  in  the  Campus  Martius  of  which 
there  is  any  record  is  the  temple  of  Apollo,  built  by  the 
consul  C.  Julius,  in  B.C.  430.  Under  the  censor  C.  Flami- 
nius,  in  B.C.  220,  a  group  of  important  edifices  arose  on  a 
site  which  is  ascertained  to  be  nearly  that  occupied  by  the 
Palazzo  Caetani,  Palazzo  Mattei,  and  S.  Caterina  dei 
Funari.  The  most  important  was  the  Circus  Flaminius, 
where  the  plebeian  games  were  celebrated  under  the  care 
of  the  plebeian  aediles,  and  which  in  later  times  was 
flooded  by  Augustus,  when  thirty-six  crocodiles  were  killed 
there  for  the  amusement  of  the  people. ' 

Close  to  this  Circus  was  the  Villa  Publica,  erected  b.  c. 
438,  for  taking  the  census,  levying  troops,  and  such  other 
public  business  as  could  not  be  transacted  within  the  city. 
Here,  also,  foreign  ambassadors  were  received  before  their 
entrance  into  the  city,  as  afterward  at  the  Villa  Papa 
Giulio,  and  here  victorious  generals  awaited  the  decree 
which  allowed  them  a  triumph.  '^  It  was  in  the  Villa  Pub- 
lica that  Sulla  cruelly  massacred  three  thousand  partisans 
of  Marius,  after  he  had  promised  them  their  lives. 

"  Tunc  flos  Hesperiae,  Latii  jam  sola  ju.ventus, 
Concidit,  et  miserae  maculavit  Ovilia  Romae." 

Liican,  ii.  196. 

The  cries  of  these  dying  men  were  heard  by  the  senate, 
who  were  assembled  at  the  time  in  the  Temple  of  Bellona 
(restored  by  Appius  Claudius  Caecus  in  the  Samnite  War), 
which  stood  hard  by,  and  in  front  of  which,  at  the  extrem- 
ity of  the  Circus  Flaminius,  where  the  Piazza  Paganica 
now  is,  stood  the  Columna  Bellica,  where  the  Fetialis,  when 
war  was  declared,  flung  a  lance  into  a  piece  of  ground, 
supposed  to  represent  the  enemy's  country,  when  it  was 
not  possible  to  do  it  at  the  hostile  frontier  itself.  Julius 
Caesar  flung  the  spear  here  when  war  was  declared  against 
Cleopatra.' 

"  Prospicit  a  templo  summum  brevis  area  Circum. 
Est  ibi  non  parvae  parva  columna  notae. 
Hinc  solet  hasta  manu,  belli  praenuncia,  mitti  ; 
In  regem  et  gentes,  cum  placet  anna  capi." 

Ovid,  Fast.  vi.  205. 

Almost  adjoining  the  Villa  Publica  was  the  Septa,  where 

'  Dyer's  Rome,  70.         '  Ampere,  Nisi.  ii.  lo.  ^  Ampere,  Em/>.  i.  184. 


500 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


the  Comitia  Centuriata  elected  their  tribunes.  The  other 
name  of  this  place  of  assembly,  0^•ilia,  or  the  sheepfolds, 
bears  witness  to  its  primitive  construction,  when  it  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  wooden  barrier.  In  later  times  the  Oviha 
was  more  richly  adorned  ;  Pliny  describes  it  as  containing 
two  groups  of  sculpture — Pan  and  the  young  Olympus,  and 
Chiron  and  the  young  Achilles — for  which  the  keepers 
were  responsible  with  their  lives  ; '  and  under  the  empire  it 
was  inclosed  in  magnificent  buildings. 

In  B.C.  189  the  Temple  of  Hercules  Musagetes  was  built 
by  the  censor  Fulvius  Nobilior.  It  occupied  a  site  a  little 
south  of  the  Circus  Flaminius."     Sulla  restored  it  : — 

"  Altera  pars  Circi  custode  sub  Ilercule  tuta  est  ; 
Quod  Deus  Euboico  carmine  munus  habet. 
Muneris  est  tempus,  qui  Nonas  Lucifer  ante  est  ; 
Si  titulos  quaeris  ;  Sulla  probavit  opus." 

Ovid,  Fast.  vi.  209. 

This  temple  was  rebuilt  by  L.  Marcius  Philippus,  step- 
father of  x\ugustus,  and  surrounded  by  a  portico  called 
after  him  Portions  Philippi.^ 

"  Vites  censeo  porticum  Philippi, 
Si  te  viderit  Hercules,  peristi." 

Martial,  v.  Ep.  49.'' 

The  Portico  of  Odavia  itself  was  originally  built  by  the 
praetor,  Cn.  Octavius,  in  B.C.  167,  and  rebuilt  by  Augustus, 
who  rededicated  it  in  memory  of  his  sister.  Close  adjoin- 
ing was  the  Porticus  Metelli,  built  B.C.  146,  by  Caecilius 
Metellus.^  It  contained  two  Temples  of  Juno  and  Jupiter.* 
Another  Temple  of  Juno  stood  between  this  and  the 
theater  of  Pompey,  having  been  erected  by  M.  Aemilius 
Lepidus  in  B.C.  170,  together  with  a  Temple  of  Diana.' 
Near  the  same  spot  was  a  Temple  of  Fortuna  Equestris, 
erected  in  consequence  of  a  vow  of  Q.  Fulvius  Flaccus 
when  fighting  against  the  Celtiberians  in  B.C.  176  ;  a  Tem- 
ple of  Isis  and  Serapis ;  and  a  Temple  of  Mars  erected  by 
D.  Junius  Brutus,  for  his  victories  over  the  Gallicians  in 

'  Pliny,  //.  N.  xxx-  37,  2 ;  and  49,  4. 

5  Dyer,  no.  3  Dyer,  211. 

*  It  was  close  to  this  temple  of  Hercules  that  the  bodies  of  S.  Symphorosa  and 
her  seven  sons,  martyred  under  Hadrian  ("  the  seven  Rinthanati,")  were  buried 
by  order  of  the  emperor.  S.  Sympborcsa  herself  had  been  bung  up  here  by  her 
hair,  before  being  drowned  in  the  Tiber. 

•'  Dyer,  113,  115.  "  Amptrc,  Hist.  Rom.  iii.  198.  ''  Dyer,  115. 


STORY  OF    THE    CAMPUS  MARTI  US. 


501 


B.C.  136  ;  '  at  this  last-named  temple,  the  people,  assembled 
in  their  centuries,  voted  the  war  against  Philip  of  Macedon. 
In  the  same  neighborhood  was  the  Theater  of  Balbus,  a 
general  under  JuHus  Caesar,  occupying  the  site  of  the  Piazza 
della  Scuola. 

The  munificence  of  Pompey  extended  the  public  build- 
ings much  farther  into  the  Campus.  He  built,  after  his 
triumph,  a  Temple  of  Minerva  on  the  site  now  occupied  by 
the  Church  of  S.  Maria  sopra  Minerva,  on  which  the  beau- 
tiful statue  called  "  the  Giustiniani  Minerva  "  was  found, 
and  the  Theater  of  Pompey,  surrounded  by  pillared  por- 
ticoes and  walks  shaded  with  plane  trees. 

"  Scilicet  umbrosis  sordet  Pompeia  columnis 
Porticiis  aulaeis  nobilis  Attalicis  : 
Et  creber  pariter  plataiiis  surgenlibus  ordo, 
Flumina  sopito  quaeque  Marone  cadiim." 

Propertiiis,  ii.  El.  32. 
"  Tu  modo  Pompeia  luntus  spatiare  sub  umbra, 
Cum  sol  Herculei  terga  leonis  adit." 

Ovid,  de  Art.  Am.  i.  67. 
"  Inde  petit  centum  pendentia  tecta  columnis, 
lUinc  Pompeii  dona,  nemusque  duplex." 

Martial,  ii.  Ep.  14. 

Under  the  empire  important  buildings  began  to  rise  up 
farther  from  the  city.  The  Amphitheater  of  Statilius 
Taurus,  Vv'hose  ruins  are  supposed  to  be  the  foundation  of 
the  Monte  Citorio,  was  built  by  a  general  under  Augustus  ; 
the  magnificent  Pantheon,  the  Baths  of  Agrippa,  and  the 
Diribitorium — where  the  soldiers  received  their  pay — 
whose  huge  and  unsupported  roof  was  one  of  the  wonders 
of  the  city,"  were  due  to  his  son-in-law.  Agrippa  also 
brought  the  Aqua  Virgo  into  the  city  to  supply  his  baths 
conveying  it  on  pillars  across  the  Flaminian  Way,  the 
future  Corso. 

"  Qua  vicina  pluit  Vipsanis  porta  columnis, 
Et  madet  assiduo  lubricus  imbre  lapis, 
In  jugulum  pueri.  qui  roscida  tecta  subibat, 
Decidit  hiberno  praegravis  unda  gelu." 

Martial,  iv.  Ep.  18. 

Near  this  aqueduct  was  a  temple  of  Juturna  ; 

"  Te  quoque  iux  eadem,  Turni  soror,  aede  lecepit : 

Hie  ubi  Virginea   campus  obitur  aqua." — Ovid,  East.  i.  463 

'  Dyer,  iij,  176.  -  Pliny,  H.  N.  xxxvi.  15,  24. 


502 


WALK'S  LV  ROME. 


and  another  of  Isis, 

"  A  Meroe  portabit  aquas,  ut  spargat  in  aede 
Isidis,  antique  quae  proxima  surgit  ovili." 

Juvenal,  Sat.  vi.  528. 

These  were  followed  by  the  erection  of  the  Temple  of 
Neptune — by  some  ascribed  to  Agrippa,  who  is  said  to 
have  built  it  in  honor  of  his  naval  victories  ;  by  others  to 
the  time  of  the  Antonines — by  the  great  Imperial  Mauso- 
leu7n,  then  far  out  in  the  country  ;  and  by  the  Baths  of 
Nero,  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  S.  Luigi  and  the  neigh- 
boring buildings. 

"...   Quid  Nerone  pejus? 
Quid  thermis  melius  Neroianis  ?" 

Martial,  vii.  Ep.  33. 

"...    Fas  sit  componere  magnis 
Parva,  Neronea  nee  qui  modo  totus  in  unda 
Hie  iterum  sudare  negat." 

Statins,  Silv.  i.  5. 

Besides  these  were  an  Arch  of  Tiberius,  erected  by 
Claudius,  a  Temple  of  Hadrian,  and  Basilica  of  Matidia, 
built  by  Antoninus  Pius,  in  honor  of  his  predecessors  ; 
the  Temple  and  Arch  of  Marcus  Aurelius,  near  the  site  of 
the  present  Palazzo  Chigi,  and  an  Arch  of  Gratian  Valen- 
tinian  11. ,  and  Theodosius. 

Of  all  these  various  buildings  nothing  remains  except 
the  Pantheon,  a  single  arch  of  the  Baths  of  Agrippa,  some 
disfigured  fragments  of  the  Mausoleum,  a  range  of  columns 
belonging  to  the  temple  of  Neptune,  and  a  portion  of  the 
Portico  of  Octavia.  The  interest  of  the  Campus  Martius 
is  almost  entirely  mediaeval  or  modern,  and  the  objects 
worth  visiting  are  scattered  amid  such  a  maze  of  dirty  and 
intricate  streets,  that  they  are  seldom  sought  out  except  by 
those  who  make  a  long  stay-in  Rome,  and  care  for  every- 
thing connected  with  its  history  and  architecture. 


Following  the  line  of  streets  which  leads  from  the  Piazza 
di  Spagna  to  S.  Peter's  (Via  Condotti,  Via  Fontanella 
Borghese),  beyond  the  Borghese  Palace,  let  us  turn  to  the 
left  by  the  Via  della  Scrofa,'  at  the   entrance  of  which  is 

■  So  called  from  a  fountain  adorned  with  the  figure  of  a  sow,  which  once  ex- 
isted here. 


TORRE   BELLA    SCIMIA.  503 

the  Palazzo  Galitzin  on  the  right,  and  the  Palazzo  Cardelli 
on  the  left. 

The  second  turn  on  the  right,  Via  S.  Antonio  dei  Por- 
tughesi,  shows  a  church  dedicated  to  S.  Anthony  of  Padua, 
and  the  fine  mediaeval  tower  called  Torre  della  Sciniia. 

In  this  tower  once  lived  a  man  who  had  a  favorite  ape. 
One  day  this  creature  seized  upon  a  baby,  and  rushing  to 
the  summit,  was  seen  from  below,  by  the  agonized  parents, 
perched  upon  the  battlements,  and  balancing  their  child 
to  and  fro  over  the  abyss.  They  made  a  vow  in  their  ter- 
ror that  if  the  baby  were  restored  in  safety,  they  would 
make  provision  that  a  lamp  should  burn  nightly  forever 
before  an  image  of  the  Virgin  on  the  summit.  The  mon- 
key, without  relaxing  its  hold  of  the  infant,  sHd  down  the 
wall,  and,  bounding  and  grimacing,  laid  the  child  at  its 
mother's  feet.  Thus  a  lamp  always  burns  upon  the  battle- 
ments before  an  image  of  the  Madonna. 

This  building  is  better  known,  however,  as  "  Hilda's 
Tower,"  a  fictitious  name  which  it  has  received  from  Haw- 
thorne's mysterious  novel. 

"  Taking  her  way  through  some  of  the  intricacies  of  the  city,  Miriam 
entered  what  might  be  called  either  a  widening  of  a  street,  or  a  small 
piazza.  The  neighborhood  comprised  a  baker's  oven,  emitting  the 
usual  fragrance  of  sour  bread  ;  a  shoe  shop  ;  a  linendraper's  shop  ;  a 
pipe  and  cigar  shop  ;  a  lottery  ofiBce  ;  a  station  for  French  soldiers, 
with  a  sentinel  pacing  in  front  ;  and  a  fruit  stand,  at  which  a  Roman 
matron  was  selling  the  dried  kernels  of  chestnuts,  wretched  little  figs, 
and  some  bouquets  of  yesterday.  A  church,  of  course,  was  near  at 
hand,  the  fafade  of  which  ascended  into  lofty  pinnacles,  whereon  were 
perched  two  or  three  winged  figures  of  stone,  either  angelic  or  alle- 
gorical, blowing  stone  trumpets  in  close  vicinity  to  the  upper  windows 
of  an  old  and  shabby  palace.  This  palace  was  distinguished  by  a 
feature  not  very  common  in  the  architecture  of  Roman  edifices  ;  that 
is  to  say,  a  mediaeval  tower,  square,  massive,  lofty,  and  battlemented 
and  machicolated  at  the  summit. 

"  At  one  of  the  angles  of  the  battlements  stood  a  shrine  of  the  Vir- 
gin, such  as  we  see  everywhere  at  the  street  corners  of  Rome,  but  sel- 
dom or  never,  except  in  this  solitary  instance,  at  a  hight  above  the 
ordinary  level  of  men's  views  and  aspirations.  Connected  with  this 
old  tower  and  its  lofty  shrine,  there  is  a  legend,  and  for  centuries  a 
lamp  has  been  burning  before  the  Virgin's  image  at  noon,  at  midnight, 
at  all  hours  of  the  twenty  hours,  and  must  be  kept  burning  forever, 
as  long  as  the  tower  shall  stand  ;  or  else  the  tower  itself,  the  palace, 
and  whatever  estate  belongs  to  it,  shall  pass  from  its  hereditary  pos- 
sessor, in  accordance  with  an  ancient  v'^Hr,  and  become  the  property 
of  the  Church, 


504 


WALKS  IiV  HOME. 


"  As  Miriam  approached,  she  looked  upward,  and  saw — not,  in- 
deed, the  flame  of  the  never-dying  lamp,  which  was  swallowed  up  in 
the  broad  sunlight  that  brightened  the  shrine — but  a  flock  of  white 
doves,  shining,  fluttering,  and  wheeling  above  the  topmost  hight  of 
the  tower,  their  silver  wings  flashing  in  the  pure  transparency  of  Lhe 
air.  Several  of  them  sat  on  tlie  ledge  of  the  upper  window,  pushing 
one  another  off  by  their  eager  struggle  for  this  favorite  station,  and 
all  tapping  their  beaks  and  flapping  their  wings  tumultuously  against 
the  panes  ;  some  had  alighted  in  the  street,  far  below,  but  flew  hastily 
upward,  at  the  sound  of  the  window  being  thrust  ajar,  and  opening  in 
the  middle,  on  rusty  hinges,  as  Roman  windows  do." — Transforma- 
tion. 

The  next  street,  on  the  right,  leads  to  the  Church  of  S. 
Agostino,  built  originally  by  Baccio  Pintelli,  in  1483,  for 
Cardinal  d'Estouteville,  archbishop  of  Rouen  and  Legate 
in  France  (the  vindicator  of  Joan  of  Arc),  but  altered  in 
1740  by  Vanvitelli.  The  delicate  work  of  the  front,  built 
of  travertine  robbed  from  the  Coliseum,  is  much  admired 
by  those  who  do  not  seek  for  strength  of  light  and  shadow. 
This  church — dedicated  to  her  son — contains  the  remains 
of  S.  Monica,  brought  hither  from  Ostia,  where  she  died. 
The  chapel  of  S.  Augustin,  in  the  right  transept,  contains 
a  gloomy  picture  by  Giicrciuo  of  S.  Augustin  between  S. 
John  Baptist  and  S.  Paul  the  hermit.  The  high  altar,  by 
Bernini,  has  an  image  of  the  Madonna,  brought  from  S. 
Sophia  at  Constantinople,  and  attributed  to  S.  Luke.  The 
second  chapel  in  the  left  aisle  has  a  group  of  the  Virgin 
and  Child  with  S.  Anna,  by  Jacopo  Sansoz'ino,  15 12. 

On  the  third  pilaster,  to  the  left  of  the  nave,  is  a  fresco 
of  Isaiah  by  Raffaelle,  painted  in  1512,  but  retouched  by 
Daniele  da  Volterra  in  the  reign  of  Paul  IV.  The  prophet 
holds  a  scroll  with  words  from  Isaiah  xxvi.  2.  Few  will 
agree  with  the  stricture  of  Kugler  : — 

"  In  a  fresco  representing  the  prophet  Isaiah  and  two  angels,  who 
hold  a  tablet,  the  comparison  is  unfavoralile  to  Raffaelle.  An  effort  to 
rival  the  powerful  style  of  Michael  Angelo  is  very  visible  in  this  pict- 
ure ;  an  effort  which,  notwithstanding  the  excellence  of  tlie  execution 
in  parts,  has  produced  only  an  exaggerated  and  affected  figure." — 
Kugler,  ii.  371. 

The  church  overflows  with  silver  hearts  and  other  votive 
offerings,  which  are  all  addressed  to  the  Madonna  and 
Child  of  Jacopo  Saiisoiino.,  close  to  the  west  entrance, 
which  is  really  a  fine  piece  of  sculpture — for  an  object  of 
Roman  Catholic  idolatry. 


5.    APOLLINARE.  505 

•'  On  the  pedestal  of  the  image  is  inscribed — '  N.  S.  Pio  VII.  con- 
cede in  perpetuo  20ogiornid'indulgenza  da  lucrarsi  una  volta  al  giorno 
da  tutti  quelli  che  divotamente  toccheranno  il  piede  di  questa  S.  Im- 
magine,  recitando  un  Ave  Maria  per  il  bisogno  di   S.  Chiesa.      7  Giug. 

MDCCCXXII.'  " 

Around  this  statue  are,  or  were  a  short  time  ago,  a 
whole  army  of  assassins'  daggers  hung  up,  strange  instances 
of  trespass-offering. 

"  The  Church  of  S.  Agostino  is  the  Methodist  meeting-house,  so  to 
speak,  of  Rome,  where  the  extravagance  of  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
lower  orders  is  allowed  the  freest  scope.  Its  Virgin  and  Child  are 
covered,  smothered  with  jewels,  votive  offerings  of  those  whose  prayers 
the  image  has  heard  and  answered.  All  round  the  image  the  walls 
are  covered  with  votive  offerings  likewise  ;  some  of  a  similar  kind — 
jewels,  watches,  valuables  of  different  descriptions.  Some  offerings 
again  consist  of  pictures,  representing,  generally  in  the  rudest  way, 
some  sickness  or  accident  cured  or  averted  by  the  appearance  in  the 
clouds  of  the  Madonna,  as  seen  in  the  image.  Almost  the  whole  side 
of  the  church  is  covered,  from  pavement  to  roof,  with  these  curious 
productions." — Alford's  Letters  fro?n  Abroad. 

"It  is  not  long  since  the  report  was  spread  that  one  day  when  a 
poor  woman  called  upon  this  image  of  the  Madonna  for  help,  it  began 
to  speak,  and  replied,  '  If  I  had  only  something,  then  I  could  help 
thee,  but  I  myself  am  so  poor  !  ' 

"  This  story  was  circulated,  and  very  soon  throngs  of  credulous 
people  hastened  hither  to  kiss  the  foot  of  the  Madonna,  and  to  present 
her  with  all  kinds  of  gifts.  The  image  of  the  Virgin,  a  beautiful  fig- 
ure in  brown  marble,  now  sits  shining  with  ornaments  of  gold  and 
precious  stones.  Candles  and  lamps  burn  rround,  and  people  pour 
in,  rich  and  poor,  great  and  small,  to  kiss,  some  of  them,  Iv  o  or  three 
times,  the  Madonna's  foot,  a  gilt  foot,  to  which  the  forehead  also  is 
devotionally  pressed.  The  marble  foot  is  already  worn  away  with  kiss- 
ing ;  the  Madonna  is  now  rich.  .  .  .  Below  the  altar  it  is  inscribed  in 
golden  letters  that  Pius  VII.  promised  two  hundred  days' absolution  to 
all  such  as  should  kiss  the  Madonna's  foot,  and  pray  with  the  whole 
heart  Ave  Maria." — Frederika  Bremer. 

Passing  the  arch,  just  beyond  this,  is  the  Church  of  S. 
Ajjollinare,  buih  originally  by  Adrian  I.  (772-795),  but 
modernized  under  Benedict  XIV.  by  Fuga.  It  contains  a 
number  of  relics  of  saints  brought  from  the  East  by  Basilian 
monks.  Over  the  altar,  on  the  left,  in  the  inner  vestibule, 
is  a  Madonna  by  Perugifio.  This  church  now  belongs  to 
the  German  college. 

S.  Apollinare  is  said  to  have  accompanied  S.  Peter  from  Antioch 
to  Rome,  and  to  have  remained  here  as  his  companion  and  assistant 
(whence  the  church  dedicated  to  him  here).      He  was  afterward  sent 


5o6  WALK'S   l.V  HOME. 

to  preach  the  faith  in  Ravenna,  where  he  became  the  first  Christian 
bishop,  and  suffered  marf3'rdom  outside  the  Rimini  gate,  July  23, 
A.D.  79. 

Adjoining  this  church  is  the  Scmi/iario  Romano,  founded 
by  Pius  IV.,  on  a  system  drawn  up  by  his  nephew,  S.  Carlo 
Borromeo.  Eight  hundred  young  boys  are  annually 
educated  here.  In  order  to  gain  admittance,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  be  of  Roman  birth,  to  be  acquainted  with  grammar, 
and  to  wish  to  take  orders.  Pupils  are  held  to  their  first 
intention  of  entering  the  priesthood  by  being  compelled 
to  refund  ail  the  expenses  of  their  education  if  they  re- 
nounce it. 

Nearly  opposite  the  church  is  the  Palazzo  Altemps,  built 
1580  by  Martino  Lunghi.  Its  courtyard,  due,  like  all 
the  best  palace  work  in  Rome,  to  Baldassare  Peruzzi, 
is  exceedingly  graceful  and  picturesque.  Ancient  statues 
and  flowering  shrubs  occupy  the  spaces  between  the  arches 
of  the  ground  floor,  and  on  the  first  floor  is  a  loggia,  richly 
decorated  with  delicate  arabesques  in  the  style  of  Giovanni 
da  Udine.  Near  this  loggia  is  a  chapel  of  exceedingly 
beautiful  proportions,  and  delicately  worked  detail.  It  has 
several  good  frescoes,  especially  the  Flight  into  Egypt,  and 
S.  Ceciha  singing  to  the  Virgin  and  the  Child.  At  the  west 
end  is  a  small  gracefully  proportioned  music  gallery,  in 
various  colored  marbles  ;  in  an  inner  chapel  is  a  fine 
bronze  crucifix.  The  palace,  of  which  the  most  interesting 
parts  are  shown  on  request,  is  now  the  property  of  the 
Duke  of  Gallese,  to  whom  it  came  by  the  marriage  of 
Jules  Hardouin,  Duke  of  Gallese,  with  Donna  Lucrezia 
d'Altemps. 

Following  the  Via  S.  Agostino  by  the  mediaeval  Torre 
Sanguinea,  whose  name  bears  witness  to  the  mediaeval 
frays  of  popes  and  anti-popes,  we  reach  the  German 
national  church  of  S.  Maria  deW  A?iima,  which  derives 
its  name  from  a  marble  group  of  the  Madonna  invoked  by 
two  souls  in  purgatory,  found  among  the  foundations  and 
now  inserted  in  the  tympanum  of  the  portal.  It  was  origi- 
nally built  r.  1440,  with  funds  bequeathed  by  "  un  certo 
Giovanni  Pietro,"  but  enlarged  in  15 14;  the  fa9ade  is  by 
Giuliano  da  Sangallo.  The  door-frames,  of  delicate  work- 
manship, are  by  Antonio  Giamberti. 

The    front    entrance    is   generally  closed,   but   one   can 


S.    MARIA    DELL'   AXIMA.  5C7 

always  gain  admittance  from  behind,  through  the  courtyard 
of  the  German  hospital. 

The  interior  is  pecuUar,  from  its  great  hight  and  width 
in  comparison  with  its  length.  It  is  divided  into  three 
almost  equal  aisles.  Over  the  high  altar  is  a  damaged 
picture  of  the  Holy  Family  with  Saints,  by  Giulio  Romano. 
On  the  right  is  the  fine  tomb  of  Pope  Adrian  VI.,  Adrian 
Florent  (1522-23),  designed  by  Baldassare  Peruzzi,  and 
carried  out  by  Michelangelo  Sanese  and  Niccolo  Tribolo. 
This  pope,  the  son  of  a  shipbuilder  at  Utrecht,  was  pro- 
fessor at  the  university  of  Louvain  and  tutor  of  Charles  V. 
After  the  witty,  brilliant  age  of  Julius  II.  and  Leo  X.,  he 
ushered  in  a  period  of  penitence  and  devotion.  He  drove 
from  the  papal  court  the  throng  of  artists  and  philosophers 
who  had  hitherto  surrounded  it,  and  he  put  a  stop  to  the 
various  great  buildings  which  were  in  progress,  saying,  "  I 
do  not  wish  to  adorn  priests  with  churches,  but  churches 
with  priests."     In  his  epitaph  we  read  : — 

"  Hadrianus  hie  situs  est,  qui  nihil  sibi  infelicius  in  vita  quam  quod 
imperaret,  duxit. '  »  , 

and — 

"  Proh  dolor  I  quantum  refert  in  quae  tempora  vel  optimi 
....  Cujusque  virtus  incidat  !  " 

In  a  year,  however,  the  penitential  pope  died  of  drink- 
ing too  much  beer,  whereupon  the  house  of  his  physician 
was  hung  with  garlands  by  midnight  revelers,  and  deco- 
rated with  the  inscription,  "  Liberatori  Patriae,  S.  P.  Q.  R." 

The  tomb  was  erected  at  the  expense  of  Cardinal  Will- 
iam of  Enkenfort,  the  only  prelate  to  whom  he  had  time 
to  give  a  hat. 

"  It  is  an  irony,  that  the  tomb  of  Adrian,  who  despised  all  the  arts 
on  principle,  and  looked  upon  Greek  statues  as  idolatrous,  had  a  more 
artistic  monument  than  Leo  X.  of  the  house  of  Medici.  Baldassare 
Perazzi  made  the  design,  its  sculptures  were  carried  out  by  Michel- 
angelo Sanese  and  Tribolo,  and  they  merit  the  highest  acknowledg- 
ment. Here,  as  is  so  often  the  case,  the  architecture  is,  as  it  were, 
a  frontispiece  ;  but  the  way  in  which  the  pope  is  represented  resem- 
bles, in  conformity  with  his  character,  the  type  of  the  middle  ages. 
He  is  stretched  upon  a  simple  marble  sarcophagus,  and  slumbers  with 
his  head  supported  by  his  hand.  His  countenance  (Adrian  was  very 
handsome)  is  deeply  marked  and  sorrowful.  In  the  lunette  above, 
following  the  ancient  type,  appears  Mary  with  the  Child  between  S. 

'  "  Here  rests  Hadrian,  who  found  his  greatest  misfortune  in  being  obliged  to 
command," 


5c8  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

Peter  and  S.  Paul.  Below,  in  the  niches,  stand  the  figures  of  the  four 
cardinal  virtues  :  Temperance  holds  a  chain  ;  Courage  a  branch  of  a 
tree,  while  a  lion  stands  by  her  bide  ;  Justice  has  an  ostrich  by  her 
side  ;  Wisdom  carries  a  mirror  and  a  serpent.  These  figures  are  exe- 
cuted with  great  care.  Lastly,  under  the  sarcophagus  is  a  large  bass- 
relief  representing  the  entry  of  the  pope  to  Rome.  He  sits  on 
horseback  in  the  dress  of  a  cardinal  ;  behind  him  follow  cardinals  and 
monks  ;  the  senator  of  Rome  renders  homage  on  his  knees,  while 
from  the  gate  the  eternal  Rome  comes  forth  to  meet  him.  1  his  Cy- 
pria,  so  well  adorned  by  his  predecessors,  seems  ill-pleased  to  do 
homage  to  this  cross  old  man.  With  secret  pleasure  one  sees  a  pagan 
idea  carried  out  in  the  corner  ;  the  Tiber  is  represented  as  a  river-god 
with  his  horn  of  abundance  ;  and  thus  the  devout  pope  could  not 
defend  himself  against  the  heathen  spirit  of  the  time,  which  has  at  least 
attached  itself  to  his  tomb." — Gregorovius,  Grahnaler  dor  J'dpste. 

Opposite  the  pope,  on  the  left  of  the  choir,  is  the  fine 
tomb  of  Charles  Duke  of  Cleves,  who  died  1575,  by  Gilles 
de  Riviere  arid  Nicholas  d'Arras. 

The  body  of  the  church  has  several  good  pictures.  In 
the  first  chapel  of  the  right  aisle  is  S.  Bruno  receiving  the 
keys  of  the  cathedral  of  Meissen  in  Saxony  frcm  a  fisher- 
man, who  had  found  them  in  the  inside  of  a  fish,  by  Carlo 
Saraceni  ;  in  the  second  chapel,  the  monument  of  Cardinal 
Slusius,  1687  ;  iri  the  third  chapel,  an  indifferent  copy  of  the 
Pieta  of  Michael  Angelo,  by  Nanni  di  Baccio  Bigio.  In 
the  first  chapel  of  the  left  aisle  is  the  Maityidom  of  S. 
Lambert,  by  C.  Saraceni. 

The  two  pictures  in  this  church  are  cited  byLarzi  as  the  best  works 
of  this  comparatively  rare  artist,  sometimes  called  Carlo  Veneziano, 
1585-1625.  He  sought  to  follow  in  the  steps  of  Caravaggio  ;  many 
will  think  that  he  surpassed  him,  when  they  look  upon  the  richness  of 
color  and  grand  effect  of  light  and  shadow  which  is  displayed  here. 

In  the  third  chapel  (del  Cristo  Morto)  are  frescoes  from 
the  life  of  S.  Barbara,  by  Mich.  Coxcie,  and  an  altar-piece 
(the  Entombment)  by  Salviati. 

On  the  left  of  the  west  door  is  the  tomb  of  Cardinal  An- 
drea of  Austria,  nephew  of  Ferdinand  II.,  who  died  1600  ; 
on  the  right  that  of  Cardinal  Enkenfort,  died  1534.  In 
the  passage  toward  the  sacristy  is  a  fine  bass-relief,  rep- 
resenting Gregory  XIII.  giving  a  sword  to  the  Duke  of 
Cleves. 

Close  to  this  church  is  that  of  S.  Maria  della  Pace^  built 
in  1487,  by  Baccio  PintelH,  to  fulfill  a  curious  ex-voto  made 
by  Sixtus  IV.     Formerly  there  stood  here   a  little  chapel 


S.    MA  HI  A   BELLA   PACE.  509 

dedicated  to  S.  Andrew,  in  whose  portico  was  an  image  of 
the  Virgin.  One  day  a  drunken  soldier  pierced  the  bosom 
of  this  Madonna  with  his  sword,  when  blood  miraculously 
spirted  forth.  Sixtus  IV.  (Francesco  della  Rovere,  147 1- 
84)  visited  the  spot  with  his  cardinals,  and  vowed  to  com.- 
pensate  the  Virgin  by  building  her  a  church  if  she  would 
grant  peace  to  Europe  and  the  Church  then  afflicted  by  a 
cruel  war  with  the  Turks.  Peace  was  restored,  and  the 
Church  of  "  S.  Mary  of  Peace  "  was  erected  by  the  grate- 
ful pope.  Pietro  da  Cortona  added  the  pecuHar  semi-cir- 
cular portico  under  Alexander  VII.  The  interior  has  only 
a  short  nave  ending  under  an  octagonal  cupola. 

Above  the  first  chapel  on  the  right  (that  of  the  Chigi 
family)  are  the  Four  Sibyls  of  RaffaeUe. 

"This  is  one  of  Raffaelle's  most  perfect  works:  great  mastery  is 
shown  in  the  mode  of  filling  and  takmg  advantage  of  the  apparently 
unfavorable  space.  The  angels  who  hold  the  tablets  to  be  written  on 
or  read  by  the  Sibyls  create  a  spirited  variety  in  the  severe  symmet- 
rical arrangement  of  the  whole.  Grace  in  the  attitudes  and  move- 
ments, with  a  peculiar  harmony  of  form  and  color,  pervade  the  whole 
picture  ;  but  important  restorations  have  unfortunately  become  neces- 
sary in  several  parts.  An  interesting  comparison  may  be  instituted 
between  this  work  and  the  Sibyls  of  Michael  Angelo.  In  each  we  find 
the  peculiar  excellence  of  the  great  masters  ;  for  while  Michael  An- 
gelo's  figures  are  grand,  sublime,  profound,  the  fresco  of  the  Pace 
bears  the  impress  of  Raffaelle's  severe  and  ingenious  grace.  The  four 
Prophets,  on  the  wall  over  the  Sibyls,  were  executed  by  Timoteo  della 
Vite,  after  drawings  by  Raffaelle." — Kiiglcr. 

"  The  Sibyls  have  suffered  much  from  time,  and  more,  it  is  said, 
from  restoration  ;  yet  the  forms  of  Raffaelle,  in  all  their  loveliness,  all 
their  sweetness,  are  still  before  us  ;  they  breathe  all  the  soul,  the  senti- 
ment, the  chaste  expression,  and  purity  of  design  that  characterize  his 
works  The  dictating  angels  hover  over  the  heads  of  the  gifted  maids, 
one  of  whom  writes  with  rapid  pen  the  irreversible  decrees  of  Fate. 
The  countenances  and  musing  attitudes  of  her  sister  Sib\-ls  express 
those  feelings  of  habitual  thoughtfulness  and  pensive  sadness  natural 
to  those  who  ace  cursed  with  the  knowledge  of  futurity,  and  all  its 
coming  evils." — Eaio7i  s  Rome. 

"  The  Sibyls  are  simply  beautiful  women  of  antique  form,  to  whom, 
with  the  aid  of  books,  scrolls,  and  inscriptions,  the  Sibyllic  idea  has 
been  given,  but  who  would  equally  pass  for  the  abstract  personifica- 
tions of  virtues  or  cities.  They  are  four  in  number — the  Cumana, 
Phrygia,  Persica,  and  Tiburtina  ;  all,  with  the  exception  of  the  last, 
in  the  fullness  of  youth  and  beauty,  and  occupied,  apparently,  with 
no  higher  aim  than  that  of  displaying  both.  Indeed,  the  Tiburtina 
matches  ill  v/ith  the  rest,  either  in  character  or  action.  She  is  aged, 
has  an  open  book  on  her  lap,  but  turns  with  a  strange  and  rigid  action 
as  if  suddenly  called.      The  very  comparison  with  her  tends  to  divest 


510 


IVALKS  IN  ROME. 


the  others  of  the  Sibylline  character.  In  this,  the  angels  who  float 
above,  and  obviously  inspire  them,  also  help,  for,  while  adding  to  the 
charm  of  the  composition,  which  is  one  of  the  most  exquisite  as  to 
mere  art,  they  interfere  with  that  inwardly  inspired  expression  which 
all  other  art  has  given  to  these-  women. 

"  The  inscription  on  the  scroll  of  theCumaean  Sibyl  gives  in  Greek 
the  words,  '  The  Resurrection  of  the  Dead.'  The  Persica  is  writing 
on  the  scroll  held  by  the  angel,  '  He  will  have  the  lot  of  Death.'  The 
beautiful  Phrygia  is  presented  with  a  scroll,  '  The  heavens  surround  the 
sphere  of  the  earth  ;  '  and  the  Tiburtina  has  under  her  the  inscription, 
'  I  will  open  and  arise.'  The  fourth  angel  floats  above,  holdmg  the 
seventh  line  of  Virgil's  Eclogue,  'Jam  nova  progenies.'" — LaJy 
Eastlakes  ^'History  of  Our  Lord." 

The  first  chapel  on  the  left  has  monument.s  of  the  Pon- 
zetti  family.  The  second  chapel  on 'the  left  has  an  altar- 
piece  of  the  Virgin  between  S.  Bridget  and  S.  Catharine, 
by  Baldassare  Peruzzi ;  in  the  front  of  the  picture  kneels 
the  donor,  Cardinal  Ponzetti.  The  first  altar  on  the  right 
has  the  Adoration  of  the  Shepherds  by  Scrmoneta.  The 
second  chapel,  the  burial-place  of  the  Santa  Croce  family, 
has  rich  carved  work  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  high 
altar,  designed  by  Carlo  Maderno,  has  an  ancient  (miracle- 
working)  Madonna.  Of  the  four  paintings  of  the  cupola, 
the  Nativity  of  the  Virgin  is  by  Francesco  Vanni ;  the 
Visitation,  Carlo  Maratta  ;  the  Presentation  in  the  Tem- 
ple, Baldassare  Peruzzi ;  the  Death  of  the  Virgin,  Morafiai. 

Newly-married  couples  have  the  touching  custom  of  at- 
tending their  first  mass  here,  and  invoking  "  S.  Mary  of 
Peace  "  to  rule  the  course  of  their  new  life. 

The  Cloister  of  the  Convent,  entered  on  the  left  under 
the  dome,  was  designed  by  Bramante  for  Cardinal  Caraffa 
in  1504. 

From  the  portico  of  the  church  the  Via  in  Parione  leads 
to  the  Via  del  Govei'?io  Vccchio.  Here,  on  the  right,  is  the 
Palazzo  del  Governo  Vecchio,  with  a  richly-sculptured 
doorway,  and  ancient  cloistered  court. 

Proceeding  as  far  as  the  Piazza  del  Orologio,  on  the 
right  is  an  eminence  known  as  Monte  Giordano,  supposed 
to  be  artificial,  and  to  have  arisen  from  the  ruins  of  ancient 
buildings. 

Its  name  is  derived  from  Giordano  Orsini,  a  noble  of  one  of  the 
oldest  Roman  families,  who  built  the  palace  there,  which  is  now  known 
as  the  Palazzo  Gabrielli,  and  which  has  rather  a  handsome  fountain. 
It  was  probably  in  consequence  of  the  name,  Jordan,  that  this  hillock 


CHIESA    NUOVA. 


511 


was  chosen  in  mediaeval  times  as  the  place  where  the  Jews  in  Rome 
received  the  newly-elected  pope  on  his  way  to  tlie  Lateran,  and  where 
their  elders,  covered  with  vails,  presented  him,  on  their  knees,  with  a 
copy  of.  the  Pentateuch  bound  in  gold.  Then  the  Jews  spoke  in  He- 
brew, saying:  "Most  holy  Father,  we  Hebrew  men  beseech  your 
Holiness,  in  the  name  of  our  synagogue,  lo  vouchsafe  to  us  that  the 
Mosaic  Law,  given  on  Mount  Sinai  by  the  Almighty  God  to  Moses 
our  priest,  may  be  confirmed  and  approved,  as  also  other  eminent 
popes,  the  predecessors  of  your  Holiness,  have  approved  and  con- 
firmed it."  And  the  pope  replied,  "  We  confirm  the  Law,  but  we 
condemn  your  faith  and  interpretation  thereof,  because  He  who  you  say 
is  to  come,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  is  come  already,  as  our  Church 
teaches  and  preaches." 

Turning  to  the  left,  we  enter  a  piazza,  one  side  of  which 
is  occupied  by  the  convent  of  the  Oratorians,  and  the  vast 
Church  of  S-  Maria  in  Vallicella,  or  the  Chiesa  Nuova,  built 
by  Martino  Lunghi  for  Gregory  XIII.  and  S.  Filippo  Neri. 
The  facade  is  by  Rughesi.  The  decorations  of  the  mag- 
nificently-ugly interior  are  partly  due  to  Pietro  da  Cortona, 
who  painted  the  roof  and  cupola. 

On  the  left  of  the  tribune  is  the  gorgeous  Chapel  of  S. 
Filippo  Picri,  containing  the  shrine  of  the  saint,  rich  in 
lapis-lazuli  and  gold,  surmounted  by  a  mosaic  copy  of  the 
picture  by  Giddo  in  the  adjoining  convent. 

On  the  right,  in  the  first  chapel,  is  the  Crucifixion,  by 
Scipione  Caetani ;  in  the  third  chapel,  the  Ascension,  Mii- 
ziano.  On  the  left,  in  the  second  chapel,  is  the  Adoration 
of  the  Magi,  CesareNebbia  ;  in  the  third  chapel,  the  Na- 
tivity, Durante  Alberti ;  in  the  fourth  chapel,  the  Visita- 
tion, Baroccio.  In  the  left  transept  are  statues  of  SS. 
Peter  and  Paul,  by  Valsoldo,  and  the  Presentation  in  the 
Temple,  by  Baroccio.  When  S.  Filippo  Neri  saw  this  pict- 
ure, he  said  to  the  painter  :  ^  "  Ma  come  avete  ben 
fatto  ! — Che  vera  somiglianza  ! — E  cosi  che  mi  ha  apparso 
tante  volte  la  Santa  Vergine." 

The  high  altar  has  four  columns  of  porta  santa.  Its 
pictures  are  by  Rubens  in  his  youth  ; — that  in  the  center 
represents  the  Virgin  in  a  glory  of  angels  ;  on  the  right 
are  S.  Gregory,  S.  Mauro  and  S.  Papias  ;  on  the  left  S. 
Domitilla,  S.  Nereus  and  S.  Achilleus. 

The  Sacristy,  entered  from  the  left  transept,  is  by  Maru- 
celli.  It  has  a  grand  statue  of  S.  Filippo  Neri,  by  Algardl 
The  ceiling  is  painted  by  Pietro  da  Cortona — the  subject  is 
an  angel  bearing  the  instruments  of  the  passion  to  heaven. 


512 


WALKS  IN-  ROME. 


The  Monastery,  built  by  Borromini,  contains  the  magnifi- 
cent library  founded  by  S.  Filippo.  The  cell  of  the  saint 
is  accessible,  even  to  ladies.  It  retains  his  confessional, 
chair,  shoes,  waist-cord, — and  also  a  cast  taken  from  his 
face  after  death,  and  some  pictures  which  belonged  to  him, 
including  one  of  S.  Francesca  Romana,  and  the  portrait  of 
an  archbishop  of  Florence.  In  the  private  chapel  adjoin- 
ing is  the  altar  at  which  he  daily  said  mass,  o^■er  which  is 
a  picture  of  his  time.  Here,  also,  are  the  crucifix  which 
was  in  his  hands  when  he  died  ;  liis  candlesticks  ;  and  some 
sacred  pictures  on  tablets,  which  he  carried  to  the  sick. 
The  door  of  the  cell  is  the  same,  and  the  little  bell  by  which 
he  summoned  his  attendant.  In  a  room  below  is  the  carved 
cojfin  in  which  he  lay  in  state,  a  picture  of  him  lying  dead, 
and  the  portrait  by  Guido  from  which  tlie  mosaic  in  the 
church  is  taken.  A  curious  picture  in  this  chamber  repre- 
sents an  earthquake  at  Beneventum,  in  which  Pope  Greg- 
ory XIV.  believed  that  his  life  was  saved  by  an  image  of 
S.  Filippo.  When  S.  Filippo  Neri  died, — as  in  the  case 
of  S.  Antonio, — the  Catholic  world  exclaimed  intuitively, 
"  II  Santo  e  morto  !  " 

"  Let  the  world  flaunt  her  glories  !  each  glittering  prize, 
Though  tempting  to  otiiers,  is  naught  in  my  eyes. 
A  child  of  S.  Philip,  my  master  and  guide, 
I  would  live  as  he  lived,  and  would  die  as  he  died. 

"  If  scanty  my  fare,  yet  how  was  he  fed  ? 
On  olives  and  herbs  and  a  small  roll  of  bread. 
Are  my  joints  and  bones  sore  with  aches  and  with  pains  ? 
Philip  scourged  his  young  flesh  with  fine  iron  chains. 

"  A  closet  his  home,  where  he,  year  after  year, 
Bore  heat  or  cold  greater  than  heat  or  cold  here  ; 
A  rope  stretch'd  across  it   and  o'er  it  he  spread 
His  small  stock  of  clothes  ;  and  the  floor  was  his  bed 

"  One  lodging  besides  ;  God's  temple  he  chose, 
And  he  slept  in  its  porch  his  few  hours  of  repose  ; 
Or  studied  by  light  which  the  altar-lamp  gave. 
Or  knelt  at  the  martyr's  victorious  grave." 

J.  //.  Newman,  1857. 

The  church  of  the  Chiesa  Nuova  belongs  exclusively  to 
the  Oratorian  Fathers.  Pope  Leo  XII.  wished  to  turn  it 
into  a  parish  chuch. 

"  It  was  said  that  the  superior  of  the  house  took,  and  showed,  to  the 
Holy  Father,  an  autograph  memorial  of  the  founder  S.  Philip  Nen,  to 


S.    MARIA    DI  MONSERRATO. 


513 


the  pope  of  his  day,  petitioning  that  his  church  should  never  be  that  of 
a  parish.  And  below  it  v/as  written  the  pope's  promise,  also  in  his 
own  hand,  that  it  never  should.  This  pope  was  S.  Pius  V.  Leo 
bowed  to  such  authorities,  said  that  he  could  not  contend  against  two 
siints,  and  altered  his  plans." — Wiseman  s  Life  of  Leo  XII. 

"  S.  Filippo  Neri  was  good-humored,  witty,  strict  in  essentials, 
indulgent  in  trifles.  He  never  commanded  ;  he  advised,  or  perhaps 
requested  :  he  did  not  discourse,  he  conversed  :  and  he  possessed  in 
a  remarkable  degree,  the  acuteness  necessary  to  distinguish  the  pecul- 
iar merit  of  every  character." — Ranke. 

"  S.  Filippo  Neri  laid  the  foundation  of  the  Congregation  of  Orato- 
rians  in  1551.  Several  priests  and  young  ecclesiastics  associating  them- 
selves with  him,  began  to  assist  him  in  his  conferences,  and  in  reading 
prayers  and  meditations  to  the  people  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity. 
They  were  called  Oratorians,  because  at  certain  hours  every  morning 
and  afternoon,  by  ringing  a  bell,  they  called  the  people  to  the  church 
to  prayers  and  meditations.  In  1564,  when  the  saint  had  formed  his 
congregation  into  a  regular  community,  he  preferred  several  of  his 
young  ecclesiastics  to  holy  orders  ;  one  of  whom  v/as  the  eminent  Cae- 
sar Baronius,  whom,  for  his  sanctity,  Benedict  XIV.,  by  a  decree  dated 
on  the  I2th  of  January,  1745,  honored  with  the  title  of  '  Venerable 
Servant  of  God.'  At  the  same  time  he  formed  his  disciples  into  a  com- 
munity, using  one  common  purse  and  table,  and  he  gave  them  rules  and 
statutes.  He  forbade  any  of  them  to  bind  tliemselves  to  this  state  by 
vow  or  oath,  that  all  might  live  together  joined  only  by  the  bands  of 
fervor  and  holy  charity  ;  laboring  with  all  their  strength  to  establish 
the  kingdom  of  Christ  in  themselves  by  the  most  perfect  sanctification 
of  their  own  souls,  and  to  propagate  the  same  in  the  souls  of  others,  by 
preaching,  instructing  the  ignorant,  and  teaching  the  Christian  doc- 
trine."— Alban  Butler. 

It  was  in  the  piazza  in  front  of  this  church  that  (during 
the  reign  of  Clement  XIV. )  a  beautiful  boy  was  wont  to 
improvise  wonderful  verses  to  the  admiration  of  the  crowds 
who  surrounded  him.  This  boy  was  named  Trapassi,  and 
was  the  son  of  a  grocer  in  the  neighborhood.  The  Arca- 
dian Academy  changed  his  name  into  Greek,  and  called 
him  "  Metastasio." 

From  the  corner  of  the  piazza  in  front  of  the  Chiesa 
Nuova,  the  Via  Calabraga  leads  into  the  Via  Monserrato, 
which  it  enters  between  S.  Lucia  del  Gonfalone  on  the 
right  and  S.  Stefano  in  Piscinula  on  the  left ; — then,  pass- 
ing on  the  right  S.  Giacomo  in  Aino — behind  which  and 
the  Palazzo  Ricci  is  Santo  Spirito  dei  Napolitani,  a  much 
frequented  and  popular  little  church — we  reach  S.  Maria 
di  Monserrato.,  built  by  Sangallo,  in  1495,  where  S.  Ignatius 
Loyola  was  wont  to  preach  and  catechise. 

Here,  behind  the  altar,  under  a  stone  unmarked  by  any 


514 


IVALJCS  IX  ROME. 


epitaph,  repose  at  last  the  remains  of  Pope  Alexander  VI., 
Rodrigo  Borgia  (1492-1503) — the  infamous  father  of  the 
beautiful  and  wicked  Caesar  and  Lucretia  Borgia — who  is 
believed  to  have  died  from  accidentally  drinking  in  a  vine- 
yard-banquet the  poison  which  he  had  prepared  for  one  of 
his  own  cardinals.  When  exhumed  and  turned  out  of  the 
pontifical  vaults  of  S.  Peter's  by  JuHus  II.,  he  found  a 
refuge  here  in  his  national  church.  The  bones  of  his  uncle 
Calixtus  III.,  Alfonso  Borgia  (1455-58),  rest  in  the  same 
grave. 

A  little  farther,  on  the  left,  is  the  Church  of  S.  Tonuiiaso 
dcgli  luglesi,  rebuilt  1870,  on  the  site  of  a  church  founded 
by  Offa,  king  of  the  East  Saxons  in  775,  but  destroyed  by 
fire  in  817.  It  was  rebuilt,  and  was  dedicated  by  Alex- 
ander III.  (i  159)  to  S.  Thomas  a  Becket,  vv'ho  had  lodged 
in  the  adjoining  hospital  when  he  was  in  Rome.  Gregory 
XIII.,  in  1575,  united  the  hospital  which  existed  here  with 
one  for  English  sailors  on  the  Ripa  Grande,  dedicated  to 
S.  Edmund  the  Martyr,  and  converted  them  into  a  college 
for  English  missionaries. 

"  Nothing  like  a  hospice  for  Erglish  pilgrims  existed  till  the  first 
great  Jubilee,  when  John  Shepherd  and  his  wife  Alice,  seeing  this 
want,  settled  in  Rome  and  devoted  their  substance  to  the  support  of 
poor  palmers  from  their  own  country.  This  small  beginning  grew 
into  sufficient  importance  for  it  to  become  a  royal  charity  ;  the  King 
of  England  became  its.  patron,  and  named  its  rector,  often  a  jjerson  of 
high  consideration.  Among  the  fragments  of  old  monuments  scat- 
tered about  the  house  by  revolution,  and  now  collected  and  arranged 
in  the  corridor  of  the  college,  is  a  shield  surmounted  by  a  crown,  and 
carved  with  the  ancient  arms  of  England,  lions  or  lionceaux,  and  fleur- 
de-lis,  quarterly.  This  used  formerly  to  be  outside  the  house,  and 
under  it  was  inscribed  : 

"  '  Haec  conjuncta  duo, 
Successus  debita  legi, 
Anglia  dat,  regi 
Francia  signo  suo. 
Laurentius  Chance  me  fecit  M.ccc.xij.'  " 

Carditial  Wiseman. 

In  the  hall  of  the  college  are  preserved  portraits  of  Ro- 
man Catholics  who  suffered  for  their  faith  in  England  under 
Henry  VIII.  and   Elizabeth. 

The  small  cloister  has  a  beautiful  tomb  of  Christopher 
Bainbrigg,  archbishop  of  York,  British  envoy  to  JuUus  II., 
yho  died  at  Rome  151-1,  and  a  innnument  of  vSir  Thomas 


PALAZZO  FARNESE.  515 

Dereham,  ob.  1739.     Against  the  wall  is  the  monument  of 
Martha  Swinburne,  a  prodigy  of  nine  years  old,  inscribed  : 

"  Memoriae  Marthae.  Henrici  et  Marthae  Swinburne  .  Nat .  Angliae . 
ex  .  Antiqua  .  et .  Nobili .  Familia  .  Caphaeton  .  Northumbriae  .  Parcn- 
tes  .  Moestiss  .  Filiae  .  Carissimae  .  Pr  .  Quae  .  Ingenio  .  Excellenti  . 
Forma  .  Eximia .  Incredibili .  Doctrina  .  Moribus  .  Suavissimis  .  Vix  . 
Ann  .  viii .  Men  .  xi  .  Tantum  .  Praerepta  .  Romae  .  v  .  id  .  sept  .  AN  . 
MDCCLXVII. 

"Martha  Swinburne,  born  Oct.  X.  mdcclvhi.  Died  Sept.  vni. 
MDCCLXVII,  Her  years  were  few,  but  her  life  was  long  and  full.  She 
spoke  English,  French,  and  Italian,  and  had  made  some  progress  in 
the  Latin  tongue  ;  knew  the  English  and  Roman  histories,  arithmetic, 
and  geography  ;  sang  the  most  difficult  music  at  sight  with  one  of  the 
finest  voices  in  the  world,  was  a  great  proficient  on  the  harpsichord, 
wrote  well,  and  danced  many  sorts  of  dances  with  strength  and  ele- 
gance. Her  face  was  beautiful  and  majestic,  her  body  a  perfect  model, 
and  all  her  motions  graceful.  Her  docility  in  doing  everything  to 
make  her  parents  happy  could  only  be  equaled  by  her  sense  and  apti- 
tude. With  so  many  perfections,  amidst  the  praises  of  all  persons, 
from  the  soveieign  down  to  the  beggar  in  the  street,  her  heart  was  in- 
capable of  vanity  ;  affectation  and  arrogance  were  unknown  to  her. 
Her  beauty  and  accomplishments  made  her  the  admiration  of  all 
beholders,  the  love  of  all  that  enjoyed  her  company.  Think,  then, 
what  the  pangs  of  her  wretched  parents  must  be  on  so  cruel  a  separa- 
tion. Their  only  comfort  is  in  the  certitude  of  her  being  completely 
happy  beyond  the  reach  of  pain,  and  forever  freed  from  the  miseries 
of  this  life.  She  can  never  feel  the  torments  they  endure  for  the 
loss  of  a  beloved  child.  Blame  them  not  for  indulging  an  innocent 
pride  in  transmitting  her  memory  to  posterity  as  an  honor  to  her 
family  and  to  her  native  country,  England.  Let  this  plain  charac- 
ter, penned  by  her  disconsolate  father,  draw  a  tear  of  pity  from  every 
eye  that  peruses  it." 

The  arm  of  S.  Thomas  a  Becket  is  the  chief  "  relic " 
preserved  here. 

At  the  end  of  the  street  are  two  exceedingly  ugly  little 
churches — very  interesting  from  their  associations.  On  the 
right  is  6".  Girolamo  della  CaritcL,  founded  on  the  site  of  the 
house  of  S.  Paula,  where  she  received  S.  Jerome  upon  his 
being  called  to  Rome  from  the  Thebaid  by  Pope  Damasus 
in  392.  Here  he  remained  for  three  years,  till,  embittered 
by  the  scandal  excited  by  his  residence  in  the  house  of  the 
widow,  he  returned  to  his  solitude. 

In  1 5 1 9  S.  Filippo  Neri  founded  here  a  Confraternity  for 
the  distribution  of  dowries  to  poor  girls,  for  the  assistance 
of  debtors,  and  for  the  maintenance  of  fourteen  priests  for 
the  visitation  and  confession  of  the  sick. 


5i6 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


"  Lorsque  S.  Philippe  de  Neri  fut  pretre,  il  alia  se  loger  k  Saint- 
Jerome  delta  Carita,  oil  il  demeura  trente-cinq  ans,  dans  la  societe  des 
pieux  ecclesiastiques  qui  adniinistraient  les  sacraments  dans  cette 
paroisse.  Chaque  soir,  Philippe  ouvrait,  dans  sa  chambre  qui  existe 
encore,  des  conferences  sur  tous  les  points  du  dogme  catholique  ;  les 
jeunes  gens  affluaient  a  ces  saintes  reunions  :  on  y  voyait  Baronius  ; 
Bordini,  qui  fut  archeveque  ;  Salviati,  frere  du  cardinal  ;  Tarugia, 
neveu  du  pape  Jules  III.  Un  desir  ardent  d'exercer  ensemble  le  min- 
istcre  do  la  predication  el  les  devoirs  de  la  charite  porta  ces  pieux 
jeunes  gens  a  vivre  en  commun,  sous  la  discipline  du  vertueux  pretre, 
dont  la  parole  etait  si  puissante  sur  leurs  coeurs." — Gourjierie. 

The  masterpiece  of  Domenichino,  the  Last  Communion 
of  S.  Jerome,  in  which  S.  Paula  is  introduced  kissing  the 
hand  of  the  dying  saint,  hung  in  this  church  till  carried  off 
to  Paris  by  the  French. 

Opposite  this  is  the  Church  S.  £rigitfa,  on  the  site  of 
the  dwelling  of  the  saint,  a  daughter  of  the  house  of  Brahe, 
and  wife  of  Walfon,  Duke  of  Nericia,  who  came  hither  in 
her  widowhood,  to  pass  her  declining  years  near  the  Tomb 
of  the  Apostles.  With  her,  lived  her  daughter  S.  Catha- 
rine of  Sweden,  who  was  so  excessively  beautiful,  and  met 
with  so  many  importunities  in  that  wild  time  (1350),  that 
she  made  a  vow  never  to  leave  her  own  roof  except  to  visit 
the  churches.  The  crucifix,  prayer-book,  and  black  mantle 
of  S.  Bridget  are  preserved  here.^ 

"  S.  Bridget  exercised  a  reformatory  influence  as  well  upon  the 
higher  class  of  the  priesthood  in  Rome  as  in  Naples.  For  she  did  not 
alone  satisfy  herself  with  praying  at  the  graves  of  the  martyrs,  she 
earnestly  exhorted  bishops  and  cardinals,  nay,  even  the  pope  himself, 
to  a  life  of  the  true  worship  of  God  and  of  good  works,  from  which 
they  had  almost  universally  fallen  to  devote  themselves  to  worldly 
ambition.  She  awoke  the  consciences  of  many,  as  well  by  her  prayers 
and  remonstrances  as  by  her  example.  For  she  herself,  of  a  rich  and 
noble  race,  that  of  a  Brahe,  one  of  the  nobles  in  Sweden,  yet  lived 
here  in  Rome,  and  labored  like  a  truly  humble  servant  of  Christ. 
'  We  must  walk  barefoot  over  pride,  if  we  would  overcome  it,'  said 
she  ;  and  Brigitta  Brahe  did  so  ;  and,  in  so  doing,  overcame  those 
proud  hearts,  and  won  them  to  God." — Frederika  Bremer. 

We  now  reach  tlie  Palazzo  Farnese, — the  most  inagnifi- 
cent  of  all  the  Roman  palaces, — begun  by  Paul  III., 
Alessandro  Farnese  (1534-50),  and  finished  by  his  nephew. 
Cardinal  Alessandro  Farnese.  Its  architects  were  Antonio 
di  Sangallo,   Michael   Angelo,   and  Giacomo  della  Porta, 

'  There  is  a  chapel  dedicated  to  S.  Bridget  in  S.  Paolo,  fuori  le  Mura.  Sion 
House,  in  England,  was  a  famous  convent  of  the  Brigittines. 


S.    MARIA    BELLA    MORTE.  517 

who  finished  the  facade  toward  the  Tiber.  The  materials 
were  plundered  partly  from  the  Coliseum  and  partly  from 
the  theater  of  Marcellus.  The  immense  size  of  the  blocks 
of  travertine  used  in  the  building  give  it  a  solid  grandeur. 
This  palace  was  inherited  by  the  Bourbon  kings  of 
Naples  by  descent  from  Elizabetta  Farnese,  who  was  the 
last  of  her  line,  and  in  the  last  years  of  the  papal  power  it 
was  the  residence  of  the  Neapolitan  Court,  who  lived  here 
in  the  utmost  seclusion.  It  is  now  occupied  by  the  French 
embassador.  The  huge  halls  are  painted  with  the  master- 
pieces of  Annibale  Caracci — huge  mythological  subjects, 
— and  a  few  frescoes  by  Guido,  Domenichino,  Daniel  da 
Volterra,  Taddeo  Zucchero,  and  others  ;  but  there  has  not 
been  much  to  see  since  the  dispersion  of  the  Farnese  gal- 
lery of  sculpture,  of  which  the  best  pieces  (the  Bull,  Her- 
cules, Flora,  &c.)  are  in  the  museum  at  Naples.  In  the 
courtyard  is  the  sarcophagus  which  is  said  once  to  have 
held  the  remains  of  Cecilia  Metella. 

"The  painting  the  gallery  at  the  Farnese  Palace  is  supposed  to 
have  partly  caused  the  death  of  Caracci.  Without  fixing  any  price  he 
set  about  it,  and  employed  both  himself  and  all  his  best  pupils  nearly 
seven  years  in  perfecting  the  work,  never  doubting  that  the  Farnese 
family,  who  had  employed  him,  would  settle  a  pension  upon  him,  or 
keep  him  in  iheir  service.  When  his  work  was  finished  they  paid 
him  as  you  would  pay  a  house-painter,  and  this  ill-usage  so  deeply 
affected  him,  that  he  took  to  drinking,  and  never  painted  anylhirg 
great  afterward."  —  Miss  Berry's  Journals. 

The  noble  fountains  in  front  of  the  palace  fall  into 
granite  basins  found  in  the  Baths  of  Caracalla. 

"  The  pleasant,  natural  sound  of  running  water,  not  unlike  that  of 
a  distant  cascade  in  the  forest,  may  be  heard  in  many  of  the  Roman 
streets  and  piazzas,  when  the  tumult  of  the  city  is  hushed  ;  for  con- 
suls, emperors,  and  popes,  the  great  men  of  every  age,  have  found  no 
better  way  of  immortalizing  their  memories  than  by  the  shifting,  inde- 
structible, ever  new,  yet  unchanging,  up-gush  and  downfall  of  water. 
They  have  written  their  names  in  that  unstable  element,  and  proved 
it  a  more  durable  record  than  brass  or  marble." — Hawthorne. 

Behind  the  Palazzo  Farnese  runs  the  Via  Gw/ia,  which 
contains  the  ugly  fountain  of  the  Mascherone.  Close  to  the 
arch  which  leads  to  the  Farnese  gardens  is  the  church  of 
S.  Maria  della  Morte.,  or  DelF  Orazione,  built  by  Fuga. 
It  is  in  the  hands  of  a  pious  confraternity  who  devote 
themselves  to  the  burial  of  the  dead. 


5i.-> 


ll'ALA'S  JX  ROME. 


"  L'eglise  de  la  Bonnc-.^forl  a  son  caveaii,  decore  dans  le  style 
funebre  comme  le  couvent  des  Capucins.  On  y  conserve  aussi  elegam- 
ment  que  possible  les  os  des  noyes,  asphyxies  et  autres  victimes  des 
accidents.  La  confrerie  de  la  Bonnc-Mort  va  chercher  les  cadavres  ; 
un  sacristain  assez  adroit  les  desseche  et  les  dispose  en  ornements. 
J'ai  cause  quelque  temps  avec  cet  artiste  :  '  Monsieur,'  me  disait-il, 
'  je  ne  suis  heureux  qa'ici,  au  milieu  de  mon  oeuvre.  Ce  n'est  pas  pour 
les  quelques  ecus  que  je  gagne  tous  les  jours  en  montrant  la  chapelle 
aux  elrangers  ;  non  ;  mais  ce  monument  que  j'entretiens,  que  j'cm- 
bellis,  que  j'egaye  par  mon  talent,  est  devenu  I'orgueil  et  la  joie  de 
ma  vie.'  II  me  montra  ses  materiaux,  c'est-a-dire  quelques  poignees 
d'ossements  jetes  en  tas  dans  un  coin,  fit  I'eloge  de  la  pouzzolane,  et 
temoigna  de  son  mepris  pour  la  chaux.  '  La  chaux  brule  les  os,'  me 
dit-il,  '  elle  les  fait  tomber  en  poussiere.  On  ne  peut  faire  rien  de 
bon  avec  les  os  qui  ont  etc  dans  la  chaux.  C'est  de  la  drogue  (7obac- 
da).'  " — About. 

Beyond  the  arch  is  the  Palazzo  Falconieri  (with  falcons 
at  the  corners),  built  by  Borromini  about  1650.  There  is 
something  rather  handsome  in  its  tall  three-arched  loggia 
as  seen  from  the  back  of  the  courtyard  which  overhangs 
the  Tiber  opposite  the  Farnesina.  Cardinal  Fesch  (uncle 
of  Napoleon  I.)  lived  here,  and  here  formed  the  fine  gal- 
lery of  pictures  which  was  dispersed  at  his  death,  having 
been  vainly  offered  by  him,  during  the  last  years  of  his 
life,  to  the  English  government  in  exchange  for  an  an- 
nuity of  4,000/.  per  annum. 

Farther  on  are  the  Carceri  Nieove,  prisons  established 
by  Innocent  X.  (appropriately  reached  by  the  Via  del 
Malpasso),  and  then  {\\(d  Palazzo  Sacc/ietti,  built  by  Antonio 
da  Sangallo  for  his  own  residence,  and  adorned  by  him 
with  the  arms  of  his  patron,  Paul  III.,  and  the  grateful 
inscription,  "  Tu  mihi  quodcumque  hie  rerum  est."  The 
collection  of  statues  which  was  formed  here  by  Cardinal 
Ricci  was  removed  to  the  Capitol  by  Benedict  XIV.,  and 
became  the  foundation  of  the  present  Capitoline  collection. 

In  front  of  the  Palazzo  Farnese,  beyond  its  own  piazza, 
is  that  known  as  the  Campo  de  Fiori,  a  center  of  commerce 
among  the  working  classes,  and  the  scene  on  Wednesday 
mornings  of  a  curious  market  of  mingled  vegetables  and 
antiquities.  Interesting  old  books  may  often  be  purchased 
here.  The  most  terrible  of  the  Autos  da  Fe  instituted  by 
the  Dominicans,  in  which  many  Jews  and  other  heretics 
were  burned  alive,  were  held  in  the  Campo  de'  Fiori. 

One  of  the  mo-,t  remarkable  sufferers  here  was  Giordano  Bruno. 


THE   CANCELLERIA. 


519 


who  was  born  at  Nola,  a.d.  1550.  His  chief  heresy  was  ardent  ad- 
vocacy of  the  Copernican  system — the  author  of  which  had  died  ten 
years  before  Bruno's  birth.  He  was  also  strongly  opposed  to  the 
philosophy  of  Aristotle,  and  gave  great  offense  by  setting  forth  views 
of  his  own,  which  strongly  tended  to  pantheism.  He  visited  Paris, 
England  and  Germany,  and  everywhere  excited  hostility  by  the  un- 
compromising expression  of  his  opinions.  It  was  at  Venice  that  he 
first  came  into  the  power  of  his  ecclesiastical  enemies.  After  six  years 
of  imprisonment  in  that  city,  he  was  brought  to  Rome  to  be  put  to 
death.  His  execution  took  place  in  the  Campo  de'  Fiori  on  the  17th 
of  February,  1600,  in  the  presence  of  an  immense  concourse.  It  was 
noted  that  when  the  monks  offered  him  the  crucifix  as  he  was  led  to 
the  stake,  he  turned  away  and  refused  to  kiss  it.  This  put  the  finish- 
ing touch  to  his  career,  in  the  estimation  of  all  beholders.  Scioppas, 
the  Latinist,  who  was  present  at  the  execution,  with  a  sarcastic  allu- 
sion to  one  of  Bruno's  heresies,  the  infinity  of  worlds,  wrote,  "  The 
flames  carried  him  to  those  worlds  which  he  had  imagined."  ' 

On  the  left  of  this  piazza  is  the  gigantic  Palace  of  the 
Cancelleria,  began  by  Cardinal  Mezzarota,  and  finished  in 
1494  by  Cardinal  Riario,  from  designs  of  Bramante.  The 
htige  blocks  of  travertine  of  which  it  is  built  were  taken 
from  the  Coliseum.  The  colonnades  have  forty-four 
granite  pillars,  said  to  have  belonged  to  the  theater  of 
Pompey.  The  roses  with  v.^hich  their  (added)  capitals  are 
adorned  are  in  reference  to  the  arms  of  Cardinal  Riario, 
nephew  of  Sixtus  IV. 

This  palace  was  the  seat  of  the  Tribunal  of  the  Cancel- 
leria  Apostolica.  In  June,  1848,  the  Roman  Parliament, 
summoned  by  Pius  IX.,  was  held  here.  In  July,  while  the 
deputies  were  seated  here,  the  mob  burst  into  the  council- 
chamber,  and  demanded  the  instant  declaration  of  war 
against  Austria.  On  the  i6th  of  November  its  staircase 
was  the  scene  of  the  murder  of  Count  Rossi. 

"  C'etait  le  16  Novembre,  1S4S,  le  ministre  de  Pie  IX.,  voue  des 
longtemps  a  la  mort,  dont  la  presse  seditieuse  disait  :  '  Si  la  viclime 
condamnee  parvient  a  s'echapper,  elle  sera  poursuivie  sans  ralache.  en 
tout  lieu,  le  coupable  sera  frappe  par  une  main  invisible,  se  fiit-il  refugie 
sur  le  sein  de  sa  mere  ou  dans  le  tabernacle  du  Christ.' 

"  Dans  la  nuit  du  14  au  15  Novembre,  de  jeunes  e'tudiants,  reunis 
dans  cette  pensee,  s'exercent  sans  fremir  sur  un  cadavre  apporte  aprix 
d'or  au  theatre  Capranica,  et  quand  leurs  mains  infames  furent  de- 
venues  assez  stares  pour  le  crime,  quand  iis  sent  certains  d'atteindre  au 
premier  coup  la  veme  jugulaire.  chacun  se  rend  a  son  poste. — '  Gar- 
dez-vous  d'aller  au   Palais  Legislatif,  la  mort  vous  y  attend,'   fait  dire 

'  See  Petrny  Cyclopaedia,  and  Lewcs's  Hist,  of  Philosophy . 


520 


WALK'S  IN  ROME. 


su  ministre  une  Franfaise  alors  a  Rome,  Madame  la  comtesse  de  Mc 
non  :  '  Ne  sortez  pas,  ou  vous  serez  assassine  ! '  lui  ecrit  de  son  cote  la 
Duchesse  de  Regnano.  Mais  1  intrepide  Rossi,  n'ecoutant  que  sa 
conscience,  arrive  au  (^uirinal.  A  son  tour  le  pape  le  conjure  d'etre 
prudent,  de  ne  point  s'exposer,  afin,  lui  dit-il,  '  d'tvilera  nos  ennemis 
un  grand  crime,  et  amoi  une  immense  douleur.' — '  lis  sont  trop  laches, 
ils  n'oseront  pas.'  Pie  IX.  le  benit  et  il  continue  de  se  diriger  vers  la 
cbancellerie.    .    .    . 

"...  Sa  voiture  s'arrcte,  il  descend  au  milieu  d'liommes  sinistres, 
icur  lance  un  regard  de  dcdain,  et,  continuant  sans  trainle  ni  peur,  il 
commence  a  monter  ;  la  foule  le  presse  en  sifTlant,  I'un  le  frappe  sur 
I'cpaule  gauche  :  d'un  mouvement  instinctif  il  retcurne  la  tete,  de- 
coiivrant  la  veine  fatale,  il  tombe,  se  releve,  monle  quelques  marches, 
et  retombe  inonde  de  sang." — M .  dc  Bellezue. 

Entered  from  the  courtyard  of  the  palace,  is  the  Church 
of  SS.  Lorenzo  e  Damaso,  also  from  designs  of  Bramante, 
removed  by  Cardinal  Riario,  in  1495,  frcm  another  site, 
where  it  had  been  foimded  in  560  by  the  sainted  Pope 
Damasus.  It  consists  of  a  short  nave  and  aisles,  divided 
by  richly-detailed  columns,  and  is  almost  square,  with  an 
apse  and  chapels.  The  doors  are  by  Vigncla.  At  the  end 
of  the  left  aisle  is  a  curious  black  Virgin,  much  revered. 
Opening  from  the  right  aisle  is  the  chapel  of  the  Massinii, 
with  several  tombs  ;  a  good  modern  monument  of  Princess 
Gabrielli,  &c.  Against  the  last  pilaster  is  a  seated  statue 
of  S.  Hippolytus,  Bishop  of  Porto,  taken  from  that  at  the 
Lateran.  His  relics  are  preserved  here,  with  those  of  S. 
Giovanni  Calabita,  and  many  other  saints.  The  tomb  of 
Count  Rossi  is  also  here,  inscribed,  "  Optimam  milii  causam 
tuendam  assumpsi,  miserabitur  Deus. "  The  story  of  his 
death  is  told  in  the  words  :  "  Impiorum  consilio  mcditata 
caede  occubuit."  He  Avas  embalmed  and  buried  on  the 
very  night  of  his  murder,  for  fear  of  further  outrage. 
S.  Francis  Xavier  used  to  preach  here  in  the  sixteenth 
century.  This  is  one  of  the  churches  which  has  been  niost 
ruined  since  the  occtipation  of  Rome  by  the  Sardinians. 
The  fine  vaulted  roof  has  been  replaced  by  a  commonplace 
ceiling,  and  the  magnificent  effect  of  light  and  shadow 
arranged  by  the  architect  from  one  great  semi-circular  win- 
dow behind  the  tribune,  has  been  annihilated  by  a  number 
of  monstrous  side- windows. 

Standing  a  little  back  from  the  street,  in  the  Via  de  Baul- 
lari  is  a  pretty  little  palace,  carefully  finished  in  all  its  de- 
tails, and  attributed  to  Baldassare   Peruzzi.       It  is  some- 


PALAZZO   SPADA. 


521 


times  called  Palazzetto  Faniese,  sometimes  Palazzo  Linote, 
and  is  now  almost  in  a  state  of  ruin. 

Turning  to  the  left,  in  front  of  the  Palazzo  Farnese,  we 
reach  the  Piazza  Capo  di  Ferro,  one  side  of  which  is  occu- 
pied by  the  Palazzo  Spada  alia  Regola,  built  in  1564,  by 
Cardinal  Capodiferro,  but  afterward  altered  and  adorned 
by  Borromini.  The  courtyard  is  very  rich  in  sculptured 
ornament.     The  palace  is  always  visible. 

In  the  hall  on  the  first  floor  is  the  famous  statue  believed 
to  be  that  of  Pompey,  at  the  foot  of  which  Julius  Caesar 
fell.  Suetonius  narrates  that  it  was  removed  by  Augustus 
from  the  Curia,  and  placed  upon  a  marble  Janus  in  front 
of  the  basilica.  Exactly  on  that  spot  was  the  existing 
statue  found,  lying  under  the  partition  wall  of  two  houses, 
whose  proprietors  intended  to  evade  disputes  by  dividing 
it,  when  Cardinal  Capodiferro  interfered,  and  in  return  re- 
ceived it  as  a  gift  from  Pope  Julius  III.,  who  bought  it  for 
500  gold  crowns. 

"  And  thou,  dread  statue  !  yet  existent  in 
The  austerest  form  of  naked  majesty. — 
Thou  who  beheldest,  'mid  the  assassins'  din, 
At  thy  bathed  base  the  bloody  Caesar  lie, 
Folding  his  robe  in  dying  dignity, 
An  offering  to  thine  altar  from  the  queen 
Of  gods  and  men,  great  Nemesis  !  did  he  die. 
And  thou,  too,  perish,  Pompey?  have  ye  been 
Victors  of  countless  kings,  or  puppets  of  a  scene  ?  " 

Byron,  Childe  Harold. 

"  I  saw  in  the  Palazzo  Spada  the  statue  of  Pompey  :  the  statue  at 
whose  base  Caesar  fell.  A  stern,  tremendous  figure  !  I  imagined  one 
of  greater  finish  :  of  the  last  refinement :  full  of  delicate  touches  :  losing 
its  distinctness  in  the  giddy  eyes  of  one  whose  blood  was  ebbing  before 
it,  and  settling  into  some  such  rigid  majesty  as  this,  as  Death  came 
creeping  over  the  upturned  face." — Dickens. 

"  Caesar  was  persuaded  at  first  by  the  entreaties  of  his  wife  Calpur- 
nia,  who  had  received  secret  warning  of  the  plot,  to  send  an  excuse  to 
the  senate  ;  but  afterward,  being  ridiculed  by  Brutus  for  not  going, 
was  carried  thither  in  a  litter.  ...  At  the  moment  when  Caesar  de- 
scended from  his  litter  at  the  door  of  the  hall,  Popilius  Laena  approached 
him,  and  was  observed  to  enter  into  earnest  conversation  with  him. 
The  conspirators  regarded  one  another,  and  mutually  revealed  their 
despair  with  a  glance.  Cassius  and  others  Avere  grasping  their  daggers 
beneath  their  robes  ;  the  last  resource  was  to  dispatch  themselves.  But 
Brutus,  observing  that  the  manner  of  Popilius  was  that  of  one  suppli- 
cating rather  than  warning,  restored  his  companions'  confidence  with 
a  smile.     Caesar  entered  ;  his  enemies  closed  in  a  dense  mass  around 


c  22 


WALKS  JX  ROME. 


him.  and  while  they  led  him  to  his  chair,  kept  off  all  intruders.  Tre- 
bonius  was  specially  charged  to  detain  Antonius  in  conversation  at  the 
door.  Scarcely  was  the  victim  sealed,  when  Tillius  Cimber  approached 
with  a  petition  for  his  brother's  pardon.  The  others,  as  was  concerted, 
joined  in  the  supplication,  grasping  his  hands  and  embracing  his  neck. 
Caesar  at  first  put  them  gently  aside,  but,  as  they  became  more  impor- 
tunate, repelled  them  with  main  force.  Tillius  seized  his  toga  with 
both  hands,  and  pulled  it  violently  over  his  arms.  Then  P.  Casca, 
who  was  behind,  drew  a  weapon,  and  grazed  his  shoulder  with  an  ill- 
directed  stroke.  Caesar  disengaged  one  hand,  and  snatched  at  the 
hilt,  shouting  '  Cursed  Casca,  what  means  this?'  '  Help,'  cried  Casca 
to  his  brother  Lucius,  and  at  the  same  moment  the  others  aimed  each 
his  dagger  at  the  devoted  object.  Caesar  for  an  instant  defended  him- 
self, and  even  wounded  one  of  his  assailants  with  his  stylus  ;  but  when 
he  distinguished  Brutus  in  the  press,  and  saw  the  steel  flashing  in  his 
hand  also,  '  What,  thou  too,  Brutus  ! '  he  exclaimed,  let  go  his  hold  of 
Casca,  and  drawing  his  robe  over  his  face,  made  no  further  resistance. 
The  assassins  stabbed  him  through  and  through,  for  they  had  pledged 
themselves,  one  and  all,  to  bathe  their  daggers  in  his  blood.  Brutus 
himself  received  a  wound  in  their  eagerness  and  trepidation.  The 
victim  reeled  a  few  paces,  propped  by  the  blows  he  received  on  every 
side,  till  he  fell  dead  at  the  foot  of  Pompeius'  statue." — Merivale,  ch. 
xxi. 

The  collection  of  pictures  in  this  palace  is  little  worth 
seeing.  Among  its  other  sculptures  are  eight  grand  reliefs, 
which,  till  1620,  were  turned  upside  down,  and  used  as  a 
pavement  in  S.  Agnese  fuori  le  Mura  ;  and  a  fine  statue  of 
Aristotle. 

"  Aristote  est  a  Rome,  nous  pouvons  Taller  voir  au  p^lais  Spada,  tel 
que  le  peignent  ses  biographes  et  des  vers  de  Christodore  sur  une  statue 
qui  etait  a  Constantinople,  les  jambes  greles,  les  joues  maigres,  le  vras 
hors  du  manteau,  exserto  brachio,  comme  dit  Sidoine  Apollinaire 
d'une  autre  statue  qui  etait  a  Rome.  Le  philosophe  est  ici  sans  barbe 
aussi  bien  que  sur  plusieurs  pierres  gravees  ;  on  attribuait  a  Aristote 
I'habitude  de  se  raser,  rare  parmi  les  philosophes  et  convenable  a  un 
sage  qui  vivait  a  la  cour.  Du  reste,  c'est  bien  la  le  maUrc  de  ceitx  qui 
saverit,  selon  I'expression  de  Dante,  corps  use  par  I'e'tude,  tete  petite 
mais  qui  enferma  et  comprend  tout." — Ampere,  Hist.  Ro?n.  iii.  547. 

A  little  farther,  on  the  right,  is  the  Church  of  the  Trinith 
dei  Pellegrmi,  built  in  1614  ;  the  facade  designed  by  P>an- 
cesco  de  Sanctis.  It  contains  a  picture  of  the  Trinity  by 
Giiido. 

The  hospital  attached  to  this  church  was  foimded  by 
S.  Filippo  Neri  for  receiving  and  nourishing  pilgrims  of 
pious  intention,  who  had  come  from  more  than  sixty  miles 
distance,  for  a  space  of  from  three  to  seven  days.     It  is 


5.    MARIA    IN  MONTICELLI.  523 

divided  into  two  parts,  for  males  and  females.  Here,  during 
the  Holy  Week,  the  feet  of  the  pilgrims  are  publicly  washed, 
those  of  the  men  by  princes,  cardinals,  &c.,  those  of  the 
women  by  queens,  princesses  and  other  ladies  of  rank.  In 
this  case  the  washing  is  a  reality,  the  feet  not  having  been 
"prepared  beforehand,"  as  was  done  for  the  Lavanda  at 
S.  Peter's. 

An  authentic  portrait  of  S.  Filippo  Neri  is  preserved 
here,  said  to  have  been  painted  surreptitiously  by  an  artist 
who  happened  to  be  one  of  the  inmates  of  the  hospital. 
When  S.  Filippo  saw  it,  he  said,  "You  should  not  have 
stolen  me  unawares." 

The  building  in  front  of  this  church  is  the  Monte  di 
Fieta,  founded  by  the  Padre  Calvo,  in  the  fifteenth  century, 
to  preserve  the  people  from  suffering  under  the  usury  of 
the  Jews.  It  is  a  government  establishment,  where  money 
is  lent  at  the  rate  of  five  per  cent,  to  every  class  of  person. 
Poor  people,  especially  "  Donne  di  facenda,"  v/ho  have  no 
work  in  the  summer,  thankfully  avail  themselves  of  this, 
and  pawn  their  necklaces  and  earrings,  which  they  are 
able  to  redeem  when  the  means  of  subsistence  come  back 
with  the  return  of  the  forestieri.  Many  Roman  servants 
go  through  this  process  annually,  and  though  the  Monte 
di  Pieta  is  often  a  scene  of  great  suffering  when  unre- 
deemed goods  are  sold  for  the  benefit  of  the  establishment, 
it  probably  in  the  main  serves  to  avert  much  evil  from  the 
poorer  classes. 

A  short  distance  farther,  following  the  Via  de'  Specchi, 
surrounded  by  miserable  houses  (in  one  of  which  is  a 
beautiful  double  gothic  window,  divided  by  a  twisted 
column)  is  the  small  Church  of  S.  Maria  in  Monticelli, 
which  has  a  fine  low  campanile  of  mo.  Admission  may 
always  be  obtained  through  the  sacristy  to  visit  the  famous 
"miracle-working"  picture  called  "Gesu  Nazareno,"  a 
modern  half-length  of  our  Saviour,  with  the  eyelids  drooping 
and  half-closed.  By  an  illusion  of  the  painting,  the  eyes,  if 
watched  steadily,  appear  to  open  and  then  slowly  to  close 
again  as  if  falling  asleep, — in  the  same  way  that  many 
English  family  portraits  appear  to  follow  the  living  by- 
standers with  their  eyes  ;  but  the  effect  is  very  curious. 
In  the  case  of  this  picture.  Pope  Pius  IX.  turned  Protes- 
tant, and  disapproving  of  the  attention  it  excited,  caused 


524 


JVALKS  IN  ROME. 


its  secret  removal.  Remonstrance  was  made  that  the 
picture  had  been  a  "  regalo  "  to  the  church,  and  ought  not 
to  be  taken  away,  and  when  it  was  beheved  to  be  sufii- 
ciently  forgotten,  it  was  sent  back  by  night.  The  mosaics 
in  the  apse  of  this  obscure  church  are  for  the  most  part 
quite  modern,  but  inclose  a  very  grand  and  expressive 
head  of  the  Saviour  of  the  World,  which  dates  from  1099, 
when  it  was  ordered  by  Pope  Paschal  II. 

A  little  to  the  left  of  this  church  is  the  Palazzo  Santa 
Croce.  This  palace  will  bring  to  mind  the  murder  of  the 
Marchesa  Costanza  Santa  Croce  by  her  two  sons  (because 
she  would  not  name  them  her  heirsi,  on  the  day  when  the 
fate  of  Beatrice  Cenci  was  trembling  in  the  balance,  which 
brought  about  her  condemnation — the  then  pope,  Clement 
VIII.,  determining  to  make  her  terrible  punishment  "an 
example  to  all  parricides." 

Prince  Santa  Croce  claims  to  be  a  direct  descendant  of 
Valerius  Publicola,  "  the  friend  of  the  people,"  who  is 
commemorated  in  the  name  of  a  neighboring  church, 
"  Sancta  Maria  de  Publicolis." 

This  is  one  of  the  few  haunted  houses  in  Rome  ;  it  is 
said  that  by  night  two  statues  of  Santa  Croce  cardinals 
descend  from  their  pedestals,  and  rattle  their  marble  trains 
about  its  long  galleries. 

Hence  a  narrow  street  leads  to  the  CJiurch  of  S.  Carlo  a 
Catinari,  built  in  the  seventeenth  century,  from  designs  of 
Rosati  and  Soria.  It  is  in  the  form  of  a  Greek  cross. 
The  very  lofty  cupola  is  adorned  with  frescoes  of  the  car- 
dinal virtues  by  Domenichino,  and  a  fresco  of  S.  Carlo,  by 
Guido,  once  on  the  facade  of  the  church,  is  now  preserved 
in  the  choir.  Over  the  high  altar  is  a  large  picture  by 
Pietro  da  Cortona,  of  S.  Carlo  in  a  procession  during  the 
plague  at  Milan.  In  the  first  chapel,  on  the  right,  is  the 
Annunciation,  by  Lanfranco  ;  in  the  second  chapel,  on  the 
left,  the  Death  of  S.  Anna,  by  Andrea  Sacchi.  On  the 
pilaster  of  the  last  chapel  on  the  right,  is  a  good  modern 
tomb,  with  delicate  detail.  The  cord  which  S.  Carlo  Bor- 
romeo  wore  round  his  neck  in  the  penitential  procession 
during  the  plague  at  Milan,  is  preserved  as  a  relic  here. 
The  Catinari,  from  whom  this  church  is  named,  were 
makers  of  wooden  dishes,  who  had  stalls  in  the  adjoining 
piazza,  or  sold  their  wares  on  its  steps.      The  street  open- 


S.    ANDREA    DELIA    VALLE.  525 

ing  from  hence  (Via  de  Giubbonari)  contains  on  its  right 
the  Palazzo  Pio,  at  the  back  of  which  are  the  principal 
remains  of  The  Theater  of  Pompey,  which  was  once  of  great 
magnificence.  In  the  portico  (of  a  hundred  columns)  at- 
tached to  this  theater  Brutus  sat  as  praetor  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  murder  of  Julius  Caesar,  and  close  by  was  the 
Curia,  or  senate-house,  where  : 

"  In  his  mantle  muffling  up  his  face, 

Even  at  tlie  base  of  Pompey's  statue, 

Which  all  the  while  ran  blood,  great  Caesar  fell."  * 

Behind  the  remains  of  the  theater,  perhaps  on  the  very 
site  of  the  Curia,  rises  the  fine  modern  Church  of  S.  An- 
drea del/a  Valle^^  begun  in  15 91  by  Olivieri,  and  finished 
by  Carlo  Maderno.  'i  he  fa9ade  is  by  Carlo  Rainaldi.  The 
cupola  is  covered  with  frescoes  by  Lanfranco,  those  of  the 
four  Evangelists  at  the  angles  being  by  DomenicJiiiio,  who 
also  painted  the  Flagellation  and  Glorification  of  S.  An- 
drew in  the  Tribune.  Beneath  the  latter  are  frescoes  of 
events  in  the  life  of  S.  Andrew  by  Calabrcse. 

"In  the  fresco  of  the  Flagellation  the  apostle  is  bound  by  his  hand- 
and  feet  to  four  short  posts  set  firmly  in  the  ground  ;  one  of  the  execu- 
tioners, in  tightening  a  cord,  breaks  it,  and  falls  back  ;  three  men  pre- 
pare to  scourge  him  with  thongs  ;  in  the  foreground  we  have  the  usual 
group  of  the  mother  and  her  frightened  children.  This  is  a  composition 
full  of  dramatic  life  and  movement,  but  unpleasing." — fameson  s  Sa- 
cred Art,  p.  229. 

In  the  second  chapel  on  the  left  is  the  tomb  of  Giovanni 
della  Casa,  archbishop  of  Beneventum,  1556. 

The  last  piers  of  the  nave  are  occupied  by  the  tombs  of 
Pius  II.,  Aeneas  Sylvius  Piccolomini  (1458-64),  and  Pius 
III.,  Todeschini  (1503),  removed  from  the  old  basilica  of 
S.  Peter's.  The  tombs  are  hideous  erections  in  four  stages, 
by  Niccolo  della  Guardia  and  Pietro  da  Todi.  The  epi- 
taph of  the  famous  Aeneas  Sylvius  is  as  good  as  a  biog- 
raphy. 

"  Pius  II.,  sovereign  pontiff,  a  Tuscan  by  nation,  by  birth  a  native 
of  Siena,  of  the  family  of  the  Piccolomini,  reigned  for  six  years.  His 
pontificate  was  short,  but  his  glory  was  great.  He  reunited  a  Chris- 
tian council  (Basle)  in  the  interests  of  the  faith.  He  resisted  the  ene- 
mies of  the  holy  Roman  see,  both  in  Italy  and  abroad.      He  placed 

'  Shakespeare,  Juliies  Caesar,  Act.  iii.  sc.  2. 

^  So  called  from  a  slight  hollow,  scarcely  now  perceptible,  left  by  a  reservoii 
made  by  Agrippa  for  the  public  benefit,  and  used  by  Nero  in  his/etet. 


526  WALKS  IN  HOME. 

Catherine  of  Siena  among  the  saints  of  Christ.  He  abolished  the 
pragmatic  sanction  in  France.  lie  reestablished  Ferdinand  of  Arra- 
gon  in  the  kingdom  of  Sicily.  He  increased  the  power  of  the  church. 
He  established  the  alum  mines  which  were  discovered  near  Talpha. 
Zealous  for  religion  and  justice,  he  was  also  remarkable  for  his  elo- 
quence. As  he  was  setting  out  for  the  war  wliich  he  had  declared 
against  the  'lurks,  he  died  at  Ancona.  There  he  had  already  his  fleet 
prepared,  and  the  Doge  of  Venice,  with  his  senate,  as  companions  in 
arms  for  Christ.  Brought  to  Kome  by  a  decree  of  the  fathers,  he  was 
laid  in  this  spot,  where  he  had  ordered  the  head  of  S.  Andrew,  which 
had  been  brought  him  from  the  Peloponnese,  to  be  placed.  He  lived 
fifty-eight  years,  nine  months,  and  twenty-seven  days.  Francis,  car- 
dinal  of    Siena,    raised    this    to    the  memory  of    his   revered  uncle. 

MDCLXIV." 

Pius  III.,  who  was  the  son  of  a  sister  of  Aeneas  Sylvius, 
only  reigned  for  twenty-six  days.  His  tomb  was  the  last  to 
be  placed  in  the  old  S.  Peter's,  which  was  pulled  down  by 
his  successor. 

To  the  right  from  S.  Andrea  della  Valle  runs  the  Via 
della  Valle,  on  the  right  of  which  is  the  Palazzo  Vidoni  (for- 
merly called  Caffarelli,  and  Stoppani),  the  lower  portion  of 
which  was  designed  by  Raffaelle  in  1513,  the  upper  fioor 
being  a  later  addition.  There  are  a  few  antiquities  pre- 
served here,  among  them  the  "  Calendarium  Praenestinum  " 
of  Verrius  Flaccus,  being  five  months  of  a  Roman  calendar 
found  by  Cardinal  Stoppani  at  Palestrina.  At  the  foot  of 
the  stairs  is  a  statue  of  Marcus  Aurelius.  At  one  corner  of 
the  palace  on  the  exterior  is  the  mutilated  statue  familiarly 
known  as  the  Abbate  Lutgi,  which  was  made  to  carry  on 
witty  conversation  with  the  Madama  Lucrezia  near  S. 
Marco,  as  Pasquin  did  with  Marforio. 

To  the  left  from  S.  Andrea  della  Valle  runs  the  Via  S. 
Fantaleone,  on  the  right  of  which,  cleverly  fitting  into  an 
angle  of  the  street,  is  the  gloomy  but  handsome  Palazzo 
Massimo  alle  Colonne,  built  c.  1526  by  Baldassare  Peruzzi. 
The  semi-circular  portico  has  six  Doric  columns.  The 
staircase  and  fountain  are  peculiar  and  picturesque.  In 
the  loggia  is  a  fine  antique  lion. 

The  palace  is  not  often  shown,  but  is  a  good  specimen  of 
one  of  the  smaller  Roman  princely  houses.  In  the  drawing- 
room,  well  placed,  is  the  famous  Statue  of  the  Discobolus^  a 
copy  of  tlie  bronze  statue  of  Myron,  found  in  1761,  upon 
the  Esquiline,  near  the  ruined  nymphaeum  known  as  the 
Trophies  of  Marius.      This  is  more  beautiful  and  better 


PALAZZO  MASSIMO. 


527 


preserved  than  the  Discobolus  of  the  Vatican,  of  which  the 
head  is  modern. 

"  La  tete  du  discobole  Massimi  se  retoume  vers  lebras  qui  lance  le 
disque,  exit  tor  pauusvov  tii  t}}f  StoHocpupuy.  Cette  tete  est  ad- 
mirable, ce  qui  est  encore  une  ressemblance  avec  Myron,  qui  excellait 
dans  les  tetes  comme  Polyclete  dans  les  poitrines  et  Praxitele  dans  les 
bras." — Ampere,  in.  271. 

The  entrance-hall  has  its  distinctive  dais  and  canopy 
adorned  with  the  motto  of  the  family  "  Cunctando  Resti- 
tuit,"  in  allusion  to  the  descent  which  they  claim  from  the 
great  dictator  Fabius  Maximus,  who  is  described  by  En- 
nius  as  having  "  saved  the  republic  by  delaying." 

"  Napoleon  interpella  un  Massimo  avec  cette  brusquerie  qui  intim- 
idait  tant  de  gens:  '  Est-il  vrai,'  lui  dit-il,  '  que  vous  descendiez  de 
Fabius-Maximus  ?  " 

"  ' — Je  ne  saurais  le  prouver,'  repondit  le  noble  remain,  '  mais  c'est 
un  bruit  qui  court  depuis  plus  de  mille  ans  dans  notre  famille.'  " — 
Adout. 

On  the  second  floor  is  a  chapel  in  memory  of  the  tem- 
porary resuscitation  to  life  by  S.  Filippo  Neri  of  Paolo 
Massimo,  a  youth  of  fourteen,  who  had  died  of  a  fever, 
March  16,  1584.  On  that  day,  by  ancient  custom,  the 
Massimo  family  still  "  receive  "  all  day,  and  the  chapel  is 
open  to  the  public  for  eight  days  after. 

"  S.  Filippo  Neri  was  the  spiritual  director  of  the  Massimo  family  • 
it  is  in  his  honor  that  the  Palazzo  Massimo  is  dressed  up  in  festal  guise 
every  i6th  of  March.  The  annals  of  the  family  narrate,  that  the  son 
and  heir  of  Prince  Fabrizio  Massimo  died  of  a  fever  at  the  age  of 
fourteeen,  and  that  vS.  Philip,  coming  into  the  room  amid  the  lamen- 
tations of  the  father,  mother,  and  sisters,  laid  his  hand  upon  the  brow 
of  the  youth  and  called  him  by  his  name,  on  which  he  revived,  opened 
his  eyes,  and  sat  up.  '  Art  thou  unwilling  to  die  ? '  asked  the  saint. 
'  No,' sighed  the  youth.  '  Art  thou  resigned  to  yield  thy  soul  to 
God?'  'lam.'  'Then  go,' said  Philip.  '  Va,  che  sii  benedetto,  e 
prega  Dio  per  noi.' — The  boy  sank  back  on  his  pillow  with  a  heavenly 
smile  on  his  face  and  expired."— yaw esan's  Monastic  Orders. 

The  back  of  the  palace  toward  the  Piazza  Navona  is 
covered  with  curious  frescoes  in  distemper  by  Daniele  di 
Vol  terra. 

In  buildings  belonging  to  this  palace,  Pannartz  and 
Schweinheim  established  the  first  prmting-office  in  Rome 
in  1455.  The  rare  editions  of  this  time  bear  in  addition 
to  the  name  of  the  printers,  the  inscription,  "  In  aedibua 
Petri  de  Maximis. " 


-28  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

"Conrad  Sweynhiem  et  Arnold  Pannartz  s'etablirent  pres  de 
Subiaco,  au  monastere  de  Sainte-Scholastique,  qui  etait  occupe  par  les 
Bcnedictins  de  leur  nation,  et  publierent  successivement.  avcc  le  ccn- 
cours  des  moins,  les  Oinvres  de  Laciance,  la  Cite  dc  Dieu  de  saint 
Auguslin,  et  le  traite  de  Oratore  de  Ciceron.  En  1467,  ils  se  trans- 
porterent  a  Rome,  au  palais  Massimi,  oil  ils  s'associerent  Jean-Andre 
de  Bussi,  eveque  d'Aleria,  qui  avail  etudie  sous  Viclorin  de  Feltre,  et 
dont  la  science  leur  fut  d'une  haute  utilite  pour  la  correction  de  leurs 
textes.  Le  savant  eveque  leur  donnait  son  temps,  ses  veilles  : — '  Mal- 
heureux  metier,'  disait-il,  '  qui  consiste  non  pas  a  chercher  des  perles 
dans  le  fumier,  mais  du  fumier  parmi  les  perles  !'  — Et  cependant  il 
s'y  adonnait  avec  passion,  sans  meme  y  trouver  I'aisance.  Les  livres, 
en  effet,  se  vendirent  d'abord  si  nial  que  Jean-Andre  de  Bussi  n'avait 
pas  toujours  de  quoi  se  faire  faire  la  barbe.  Les  premiers  livres  qu'il 
publia  chez  Conrad  et  Arnold  furent  la  Grammaire  de  Donatus,  a  trois 
cents  exemplaires,  et  les  Epitres  familihes  de  Ciceron,  a  cinq  cent 
cinquante." — Gournerie,  Rome  Chretienne.  ii.  79,  I. 

Farther,  on  right,  is  the  modernized  Church  of  S.  Panta- 
leone,  built  originally  in  12 19,  by  Honorius  III.,  and  given 
by  Gregory  XV.,  in  1641,  to  S.  Giuseppe  Calasanza, 
founder  of  the  order  of  the  Scolopians,  and  of  the  institu- 
tion of  the  Scuolo  Pia.  He  died  in  1648,  and  is  buried 
here  in  a  porphyry  sarcophagus. 

Adjoining  this  is  the  very  handsome  Palazzo  Braschi, 
the  last  result  of  papal  nepotism  in  Rome — built  at  the 
end  of  the  last  century  by  Morelli,  for  the  Duke  Braschi, 
nephew  of  Pius  VI.  The  staircase,  which  is,  perhaps,  the 
finest  in  Rome,  is  adorned  with  sixteen  columns  of  red 
Oriental  granite. 

At  the  farther  corner  of  the  Braschi  palace  stands  the 
mutilated  but  famous  statue  called  Pasquino,  from  a  witty 
tailor,  who  once  kept  a  shop  opposite,  and  who  used  to 
entertain  his  customers  with  all  the  clever  scandal  of  the 
day.  After  his  death  his  name  was  transferred  to  the 
statue,  on  whose  pedestal  were  appended  witty  criticisms 
upon  passing  events,  sometimes  in  the  form  of  dialogues 
which  Pasquino  was  supposed  to  hold  with  his  friend 
Marforio,  another  statue  at  the  foot  of  the  Capitol.  From 
the  repartees  appended  to  this  statue  is  derived  the  term 
Pascjuinade. 

"  This  Pasquil  is  an  author  eminent  on  many  accounts.  First,  for 
his  self-concealment,  being  nosceiis  omnia  and  nofits  nemini.  Secondly, 
for  his  intelligence,  who  can  display  the  deeds  of  midnight  at  high 
noon,  as  if  he  hid  himself  in  the  holes  of  their  bed-staves,  knowing  who 
were  cardinals'  children  better  than  they  knew  their  fathers.     Thirdly, 


PASQUINO.  529 

for  his  impartial  boldness.  He  was  made  all  of  tongue  and  teeth, 
biting  whate'er  he  touch'd,  and  it  bled  whate'er  he  bit  ;  yea,  as  if  a 
General  Council  and  Pasquil  were  only  above  the  Pope,  he  would  not 
stick  to  tell  where  he  trod  his  holy  sandals  awry.  Fourthly,  for  his 
longevity,  having  lived  (or  rather  lasted)  in  Rome  some  hundreds  of 
years,  whereby  he  appears  no  particular  person,  but  a  successive  Cor- 
poration of  Satyrists.  Lastly,  for  his  impunity,  escaping  the  Inquisi- 
tion ;  whereof  some  assign  this  reason,  because  hereby  the  Court  of 
Rome  comes  to  know  her  faults,  or  rather  to  know  that  her  faults  are 
known  ;  which  makes  Pasquil's  converts  (if  not  more  honest)  more 
wary  in  their  behavior." — Fuller's  Worthies,  1662. 

Pasquin  was  natually  regarded  as  a  mortal  enemy  by 
the  popes,  who,  on  several  occasions,  made  vain  attempts 
to  silence  him.  The  bigoted  Adrian  VI.  wished  to  have 
the  statue  burnt  and  then  thrown  into  the  Tiber,  but  it  was 
saved  by  the  suggestion  of  Ludovico  Suessano  that  his 
ashes  would  turn  into  frogs,  who  would  croak  louder  than 
he  had  done.  When  Marforio,  in  the  hope  of  stopping  the 
dialogues,  was  shut  up  in  the  Capitoline  museum,  the  pope 
attempted  to  incarcerate  Pasquino  also,  but  he  was  de- 
fended by  his  proprietor,  Duke  Braschi.  Among  offensive 
Pasquinades  which  have  been  placed  here  are  : 

"  Venditur  hie  Christus,  venduntur  dogmata  Petri : 
Descendam  inferum  ne  quoque  vendar  ego." 

Among  the  earliest  Pasquinades  were  those  against  the 
venality  and  evil  life  of  Alexander  VI.  (Rodrigo  Borgia, 
1492-1503)  : 


and. 


"  Vendit  Alexander  claves,  altaria,  Christum  : 
Emerat  ille  prius,  vendere  jure  potest." 


"  Sextus  Tarquinius,  Sextus  Nero — Sextus  et  iste  ; 
Semper  sub  Sextis  perdita  Roma  fuit." 


and,  upon  the  body  of  his  son  Giovanni,  murdered  by  his 
brother  Caesar  Borgia,  being  fished  up  on  the  following  day 
from  the  Tiber  : 

"  Piscatorem  hominum  re  te  non,  Sexte,  putemus, 
Piscaris  natum  retibus  ecce  tuum." 

In  the  reign  of  the  warlike  Julius  11,(1503-13),  of  whom 
it  was  said  that  he  threw  the  keys  of  Peter  into  the  Tiber, 
while  marching  his  army  out  of  Rome,  declaring  that  the 
sword  of  Paul  was  more  useful  to  him  : 


530 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 

"  Cum  Petri  nihil  efficiant  ad  praelia  claves, 
Auxilio  Pauli  forsitan  ensis  erit." 


and,  in  allusion  to  his  warlike  beard  : 

"  Hue  barbam  Pauli,  gladium  Pauli,  omnia  Pauli: 
Claviger  ille  nihil  ad  mea  vota  Petrus." 

At  a  moment  of  great  unpopularity  : 

"  Julius  est  Romae,  quid  abest  ?  Date,  numina,  Brutum. 
Nam  quoties  Romae  est  Julius,  ilia  peril." 

In  reference  to  the  sale  of  indulgences  and  benefices  by 
Leo  X.  : 

•'  Dona  date,  astantes  ;  versus  ne  reddite  ;  sola 
Imperat  aethereis  alma  Moneta  deis." 

and  to  his  love  of  buffoons  : 

"  Cur  non  te  fingi  scurram,  Pasquille,  rogasti  ? 
Cum  Romae  scurris  omnia  jam  liceant." 

and  with  reference  to  the  death  of  Leo,  suddenly,  under 
suspicion  of  poison  and  without  the  sacrament  : 

"  Sacra  sub  extrema,  si  forte  requiritis,  hora 
Cur  Leo  non  potuit  sumere  :  vendiderat." 

On  the  death  of  Clement  VIL  (1534),  attributed  to  the 
mismanagement  of  his  physician,  Matteo  Curzio  : 

"  Curtius  occidit  Clementem — Curtius  auro 
Donandus,  per  quern  publica  parta  salus." 

To  Paul  in.  (1534-50),  who  attempted  to  silence  him, 
Pasquin  replied  : 

"  Ut  canerent  data  multa  olim  sunt  vatibus  aera  ; 
Ut  taceam,  quantum  tu  mihi,  Paule,  dabis." 

Upon  the  spoliation  of  ancient  Rome  by  Urban  VIII.  : 

"  Quod  non  fecerunt  barbari,  fecerunt  Barberini." 

Upon  the  passion  of  Innocent  X.  (1644-55)  for  his  sis- 
ter-in-law, Olympia  Maldacchini  : 

"  Magis  amat  Olympiam  quam  Olympum." 

Upon  Christina  of  Sweden,  who  died  at  Rome,  in  1689; 

"  Regina  senza  Regno, 
Christiana  senza  Fede, 
E  Donna  senza  Vergogna." 


PASQUINO.  531 

In  reference  to  the  servilities  of  the  Inquisition  during 
the  reign  of  Innocent  XL  (1676-89)  : 

"  Se  parliamo,  in  galera  ;  se  scriviamo,  impiccati  ;  se  stiamo  in 
quiete,  al  santo  uffizio.     Eh  !  che  bisogna  fare  ?  " 

To  Francis  of  Austria,  on  his  visit  to  Rome  : 

"  Gaudiiim  urbis, — fletus  provinciarum, — risus  mundi." 

After  an  awful  storm  and  the  plunder  of  the  works  of 
art  by  Napoleon  occurring  together  : 

"  L'Altissimo  in  su,  ci  manda  la  tempesta, 
L'Altissimo  qua  giu,  ci  loglia  quel  che  resta, 
E  fra  le  due  Altissimi 
Stiamo  noi  malissimi." 

During  the  stay  of  the  French  in  Rome  : 
"  I  Francesi  son  tutti  ladri." 

"  Non  tutti — ma  Buona  parte." 

Against  the  vainglorious  follies  of  Pius  VI.,  Pasquin  was 
especially  bitter.  Pius  finished  the  sacristy  of  S.  Peter's 
and  inscribed  over  its  entrance,  "  Quod  ad  Templi  Vati- 
cani  ornamentum  publica  vota  fiagitabant,  Pius  VI.  fecit." 
The  next  day  Pasquin  retorted  : 

"  Publica  !  mentiris  !     Non  publica  vota  fuere, 
Sed  tumidi  ingenii  vota  fuere  tui." 

Upon  his  nepotism,  when  building  the  Braschi  palace  : 

"  Tres  habuit  fauces,  et  terno  Cerberus  ore 
Latratus  intra  Tartara  nigra  dabat. 
Et  tibi  plena  fame  tria  sunt  vel  quatuor  ora 
Quae  nuUi  latrant,  quemque  sed  ilia  vocant." 

And  in  allusion  to  the  self-laudatory  inscriptions  of  this 
pope  upon  all  his  buildings,  at  a  time  when  the  two- 
baiocco  loaf  of  the  common  people  was  greatly  reduced  in 
size  ;  one  of  these  tiny  loaves  was  exhibited  here,  with  the 
satirical  notice,  "  Munificentia  Pii  Sexti." 

But  perhaps  the  most  remarkable  of  all  Pasquin's  pro- 
ductions is  his  famous  Antithesis  Christi : 

"  Christus  regna  fugit — Sed  vi  Papa  subjugat  urbem. 
Spinosam  Christus — Triplicem  gerit  ille  coronam. 
Abluit  ille  pedes — Reges  his  oscula  praebent. 
Vectigal  solvit — sed  clcrum  hie  cximit  omnem. 


^^2  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

Pavit  oves  Christus — Luxum  hie  sectatur  inertem. 
Pauper  erat  Christus — Regna  hie  petit  omnia  mundi. 
Bajulat  ille  crucem — Hie  servis  portatur  avaris. 
Christus  spernit  opes — Ar.ri  hie  ardore  tabe^it. 
Vendentes  pe]junt  tempio — Quos  suscipit  iste. 
Pace  venit  Cliristus — Vcuit  hie  radiantibus  armis. 
Christus  mansuetus  venit — Venit  ille  superbus. 
Quas  leges  dedil  hie — Praesul  dissolvit  iniquus. 
AseendiL  Christus — Doseendit  ad  infera  Praesul." 

The  statue  called  Pasquin  is  said  to  represent  Menelaus 
with  the  body  of  Patroclus,  and  to  be  the  same  as  two 
groups  which  still  exist  at  Florence,  but  so  little  remains  of 
either  of  these  heroes  that  it  could  only  have  been  when 
overpowered  by  "  I'esprit  de  contradiction  "  that  Bernini 
protested  that  this  was  "  the  finest  piece  of  ancient  sculpt- 
ure in  Rome." 

"  A  Tangle  que  ferment  deux  rues  de  Rome  se  voit  encore  il  Pas- 
quino,  nom  donne  par  le  peuple  a  un  des  plus  beaux  restes  de  la 
sculpture  antique.  Bernin,  qui  exagerait,  disait  le  plus  beau  ;  cette 
assertion  fut  sur  le  point  d'attirer  un  duel  a  celui  qui  se  letait  premise. 
Tout  homme  qui  s'avise  d'avoir  une  opinion  sur  les  monuments  de 
Rome  s'applaudira  pour  son  compte,  en  le  regrettant  peut-etre  qu  On 
ne  prenne  plus  si  a  cceur  les  questions  aiche'ologiques. " — Ampere, 
Hist.  Rome,  iii.  440. 

"Jan.  ]6,  1870.  The  public  opinion  of  Rome  has  only  one  tradi- 
tional organ.  It  is  that  mutilated  block  of  marble  called  Pasquin's 
statue  ;  .  .  on  which  are  mysteriously  affixed  by  unknown  hands  the 
frequent  squibs  of  Roman  mother-wit  on  the  events  of  the  day.  That 
organ  has  now  uttered  its  cutting  joke  on  the  Fathers  in  Council. 
Some  mornings  ago  there  was  found  pasted  in  big  letters  on  this  de- 
faced and  truncated  stump  of  a  once  choice  statue  the  inscription. 
'  Libero  come  il  Concilia.'  The  sarcasm  is  admirably  to  the  point." 
—  Times. 

Following  the  Via  dell'  Anima  from  hence,  on  the  right, 
opposite  the  mediaeval  Tor7'e  Melli/ia,  is  the  Church  of 
S.  Agnese.  It  was  built  in  1642  by  Girolamo  Rainaldi,  in 
the  form  of  a  Greek  cross,  upon  the  site  of  the  scaffold 
where  S.  Agnes,  in  her  fourteenth  year,  was  condemned  to 
be  burnt  alive.'     When 

"  The  blessed  Agnes,  with  her  hands  extended  in  the  midst  of  the 
flames,  prayed  thus  :  '  It  is  to  Thee  that  I  appeal,  to  Thee  the  all- 
powerful,  adorable,  perfect,  terrible  CJod,  O,  my  Father,  it  is 
through  Thy  most  blessed  Son  that  I  have  escaped  from  the  menaces 
of  a  sacrilegious  tyrant,  and  have  passed  unblemished  through  shame- 

'  The  story  of  S.  Agnes  is  told  by  S    Jerome. 


S.    AGN^ESE.  533 

ful  abominations.  And  thus  I  come  to  Thee,  to  Thee  whom  I  have 
loved,  to  Thee  whom  I  have  sought,  and  whom  I  'lave  always  chosen.'  " 
— Roman  Breviary. 

Then  the  flames,  miraculously  changed  into  a  heavenly 
shower,  refreshed  instead  of  burning  her,  and  dividing  in 
two,  and  leaving  her  uninjured,  consumed  her  execution- 
ers ;  and  the  virgin  saint  cried  : 

"  I  bless  Thee,  O  Father  of  my  God  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ 
who,  by  tlie  power  of  this  Thy  well-beloved  Son,  commanded  the  fire 
to  respect  me." 

"At  this  age,  a  young  girl  trembles  at  an  angry  look  from  her 
mother  ;  the  prick  of  a  needle  draws  tears  as  easily  as  a  wound.  Yet 
fearless  under  the  bloody  hands  of  her  executioners,  Agnes  is  immov- 
able under  the  heavy  chains  which  weigh  her  down  ;  ignorant  of 
death,  but  ready  to  die,  she  presents  her  body  to  the  point  of  the 
sword  of  a  savage  soldier.  Dragged  against  her  will  to  the  altar,  she 
holds  forth  her  arms  to  Christ  through  the  fires  of  the  sacrifice  ;  and 
her  hand  forms  even  in  those  blasphemous  flames  the  sign  which  is  the 
trophy  of  a  victorious  Saviour.  She  presents  her  neck  and  her  two 
hands  to  the  fetters  which  they  bring  for  her,  but  it  is  impossible  to 
find  any  small  enough  to  encircle  her  delicate  limbs." — S.  Ambrose. 

The  statue  of  S.  Sebastian  in  this  church  is  an  antique, 
altered  by  Afai/ii  ;  that  of  S.  Agnes  is  by  Ercole  Ferrata  ; 
the  baf=^s-relief  of  S.  Cecilia  is  by  Antonio  Raggi.  The 
columns  of  verde-antico  at  the  high-altar  belonged  to  the 
Arch  of  Marcus  Aurelius  in  the  Corso.  Over  the  entrance 
is  the  half-length  figure  and  tomb  of  Innocent  X.,  Gio. 
Battista  Pamfili  (1644-55),  ^n  amiable  but  feeble  pope, 
who  was  entirely  governed  by  his  strong-minded  and  ava- 
ricious sister-in-law,  Olympia  Maldacchini,  who  deserted 
him  on  his  death-bed,  making  off  with  the  accumulated 
spoils  of  his  ten  years'  papacy,  which  enabled  her  son,  Don 
Camillo,  to  build  the  Palazzo  Doria  Parnfili,  in  the  Corso, 
and  the  beautiful  Villa  Doria  Pamfili.' 

"  x\£ter  the  three  days  during  which  the  body  of  Innocent  remained 
exposed  at  S.  Peter's,  say  the  memoirs  of  the  time,  no  one  could  be 
found  who  would  undertake  his  burial.  They  sent  to  tell  Donna 
Olympia  to  prepare  fcr  him  a  coifin  and  an  escutcheon,  but  she  an- 
swered  that  she  was  a  poor  v.'idow.  Of  all  his  other  relations  and 
nephews,  not  one  gave  any  sign  of  life  ;  so  that  at  length  the  body  was 
carried  away  into  a  chamber  where  the  masons  kept  their  tools.  Some 
one,  out  of  pity,  placed  a  lighted  tallow  candle  near  the  head  ;  and 
some  one  else  ha\  ing  mentioned  that  the  room  was  full  of  rats,  and 
that  they  might  eat  the  corpse,  a  person  was  found  who  was  willing  to 

'  Honna  Olympia  soon  after  died  of  the  plague  at  her  villa  near  Viterbo. 


534 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


pay  for  a  watcher.  And  after  another  day  had  elapsed,  Monsignoi 
Scotti,  the  major-domo,  had  pity  upon  him,  and  prepared  him  a  coffin 
of  poplar-wood,  and  Monsignor  Segni,  Canon  of  S.  Peter's,  who  had 
been  his  major-domo,  and  whom  he  had  dismissed,  returned  him  good 
for  evil,  and  expended  five  crowns  for  his  burial." — Grcgorovius. 

Beneath  the  church  are  vaulted  chambers,  said  to  be 
part  of  the  house  of  infamy  where  S.  Agnes  was  pubUcly 
exposed  '  before  her  execution. 

"  As  neither  temptation  nor  the  fear  of  death  could  prevail  with 
Agnes,  Sempronius  thought  of  other  means  to  vanquish  her  resistance  ; 
he  ordered  her  to  be  carried  by  force  to  a  place  of  infamy,  and  exposed 
to  the  most  degrading  outrages.  The  soldiers  who  dragged  hci 
thither  stripped  her  of  her  garments  ;  and  when  slie  saw  herself  thus 
exposed,  she  bent  down  her  head  in  meek  shame  and  prayed  ;  and  im- 
mediately her  hair,  which  was  already  long  and  abundant,  became  like 
a  vail,  covering  her  whole  person  from  head  to  foot  ;  and  those  who 
looked  upon  her  were  seized  with  awe  and  fear  as  of  something  sacred, 
and  dared  not  lift  their  eyes.  So  they  shut  her  up  in  a  chamber,  and 
she  prayed  that  the  limbs  which  had  been  consecrated  to  Jesus  Christ 
should  not  be  dishonored,  and  suddenly  she  saw  before  her  a  white 
and  shining  garment,  with  which  she  clothed  herself  joyfully,  praising 
God,  and  saying,  '  I  thank  thee,  O  Lord,  that  I  am  found  worthy  to 
put  on  the  garment  of  thine  elect  ! '  and  the  whole  place  was  filled 
with  miraculous  light,  brighter  than  the  sun  at  noonday. 

"  The  chamber,  which,  for  her  preservation,  was  filled  with  heavenly 
light,  has  become,  from  the  change  of  level  all  over  Rome,  as  well  as 
from  the  position  of  the  church,  a  subterranean  cell,  and  is  now  a 
chapel  of  peculiar  sanctity,  into  which  you  descend  by  torchlight.  The 
floor  retains  the  old  mosaic,  and  over  the  altar  is  a  bass-relief,  repre- 
senting S.  Agnes,  with  clasped  hands,  and  covered  only  by  her  long 
tresses,  while  two  ferocious  soldiers  drive  her  before  them.  The  upper 
church,  as  a  piece  of  architecture,  is  beautiful,  and  rich  in  precious 
marbles  and  antique  columns.  The  works  of  art  are  all  mediocre,  and 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  but  the  statue  over  her  altar  has  consid- 
erable elegance.  Often  have  I  seen  the  steps  of  this  church,  and  the 
church  itself,  so  crowded  with  kneeling  worshipers  at  matins  and 
vespers  that  I  could  not  make  my  way  among  them  ;  principally  the 
women  of  the  lower  orders,  with  their  distaffs  and  market  baskets, 
who  had  come  thither  to  pray,  through  the  intercession  of  the  patron 
saint,  for  the  gifts  of  meekness  and  chastity — gifts  not  abounding  in 
these  regions." — Jamesons  Sacred  Art.'- 

'  "  Les  maisons  de  la  Place  Navorc  Eont  assises  sur  la  bapc  dcs  ancicns 
eradins  du  cirque  de  Domilirn.  Sd-is  ces  gradins  ^taient  les  vofites  habitues  par 
des  femmcs  pcrducs."— .4;;.'/('r?,  Ev!f>.  ii.  137. 

'  Yor!:shire  maidens  anxious  to  knov/  wlio  their  future  spouse  is  to  bo  still 
consult  S.  Af^es  on  S.  Agnes'-cve,  after  tv/enty-four  hours'  abstinence  from 
everything  but  pure  spring  water,  in  the  words : 
"  S.  Ai^nes  be  a  friend  to  me, 
In  the  boon  I  ask  of  thee  ; 
Let  mc  this  night  my  husband  see." 


PIAZZA    XA  VOX  A. 


535 


Here,  on  the  festival  of  S.  Agnes,  the  papal  choir  sing 
the  antiphons  of  the  virgin  saint,  and  the  hymn,  "Jesu 
Corona  Virginum, 

The  front  of  S.  Agnese  opens  upon  the  Piazza  Navona, 
a  vast  oblong  square,  said  to  occupy  the  site  of  the  ancient 
Circus  Agonalis,  decorated  with  three  handsome  fountains. 
That  in  the  center,  by  Bernini,  supports  an  obelisk  brought 
from  the  Circus  of  Maxentius,  where  it  was  erected  in 
honor  of  Domitian.  Around  the  mass  of  rock  which  sup- 
ports the  obelisk  are  figures  of  the  gods  of  the  four  largest 
rivers  (Danube,  Nile,  Ganges,  Rio  de  la  Plata).  That  of 
the  Nile  vailed  his  face,  said  Bernini,  that  he  might  not  be 
shocked  by  the  fa9ade  which  was  added  by  Borromini  to 
the  Church  of  S.  Agnes. 

"  Bernin  s'ingcnia  de  creusfer  un  dcs  fameux  piliers  de  S.  Pierre 
pour  y  piatiquer  un  petit  escalier  montant  a  la  tribune  ;  aussitot  le 
dome  prit  coup  et  se  fendit.  On  fut  oblige  de  le  relier  tout  entieravec 
un  cercle  de  fer.  Ce  n'est  point  raillerie,  le  cercle  y  est  encore  ;  le  mal 
n'a  pas  augmente  depuis.  Par  malheur  pour  le  pauvre  cavalier,  on 
trouva  dans  les  Memoires  de  Michel-Ange  qu'il  avait  recommende, 
sub  poena  capitis,  de  ne  jamais  toucher  aux  quatre  piliers  massifs  faits 
pour  supporter  le  dome,  sachant  de  quelle  masse  epouvantable  il  allait 
les  charger  ;  le  pape  voulait  faire  pendre  Bernin,  qui,  pour  se  redimer, 
inventa  la  fontaine  Navone." — De  Brasses. 

The  lower  fountain,  also  by  Bernini,  is  adorned  with 
tritons  and  the  figure  of  a  Moor.  The  great  palace  to  the 
right  of  the  church  is  the  Palazzo  Patnfili,  built  by  Rain- 
aM  for  Innocent  X.  in  1650.  It  possesses  a  ceiling  painted 
by  Pietro  da  Cortona  with  the  adventures  of  Aeneas.  Its 
music-hall  is  still  occasionally  used  for  public  concerts. 

It  was  in  this  palace  that  the  notorious  Olympia  Maldac- 
chini,  foundress  of  the  Pamfili  fortunes,  disported  herself 
during  the  reign  of  her  brother-in-law,  Innocent  X. 

"  The  great  object  of  Donna  Olympia  was  to  keep  at  a  distance  from 
Innocent  every  person  and  every  influence  that  could  either  lessen  her 
own,  or  go  shares  in  the  profits  to  be  extracted  from  it.  For  this,  after 
all,  v/as  the  great  and  ultimate  scope  of  her  exertions.  To  secure  the 
profits  of  the  papacy  in  hard  cash — this  was  the  problem.  No  appoint- 
ments to  oflice  of  any  kind  was  made  except  in  consideration  of  a  pro- 
portionable sum  pnid  down  into  her  own  coffers.  This  often  amounted 
to  three  or  four  years'  revenue  of  the  place  to  be  granted.  Bishoprics 
and  benefices  were  sold  as  fast  as  they  became  vacant.  One  story  is 
told  of  an  unlucky  disciple  of  Simon,  who,  on  treating  with  the  popess 
for   a  very  valuable  see.   just  fallen  vacant,  and  hearing  from  her  a 


536 


WALKS  I.V  ROME. 


price  at  which  it  might  be  Iiis,  far  exceeding  all  he  could  command, 
persuaded  the  members  of  his  family  to  sell  all  they  had  for  the  purpose 
of  making  this  profitable  investment.  The  price  was  paid,  and  the 
bishopric  was  given  to  him,  but,  with  a  fearful  resemblance  to  the  case 
of  Ananias,  he  died  within  the  year,  and  his  ruined  family  saw  the  see 
a  second  time  sold  by  the  insatiable  and  incorrigible  Olympia.  .  .  . 
During  the  last  year  of  Innocent's  life  Olympia  literally  hardly  ever 
quilted  him.  Once  a  week,  we  read,  she  left  the  Vatican,  secretly  by 
niglit,  accompanied  by  several  porters  carrying  sacks  of  coin,  the  pro- 
ceeds of  the  week's  extortions  and  sales,  to  her  own  palace.  And, 
during  these  short  absences,  she  used  to  lock  the  pope  into  his  cham- 
ber, and  take  the  key  with  her  ! " —  Trollope's  Life  of  Olympia 
P am  fill. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  piazza  is  the  modernized 
Church  of  S.  Giacovio  dcgli  Sfagmto/i,  dating  from  the  fif- 
teenth century.  It  still  possesses  a  gothic  rose  window, 
which  is  almost  unique  in  Rome  ;  but  the  scallop-shells 
with  which  the  front  was  richly  adorned  have  been  re- 
moved by  the  existing  authorities,  who  could  not  under- 
stand that  well-known  emblem  of  S.  James  of  Compos- 
tella.  There  is  a  handsome  door  on  the  other  side  toward 
the  Via  della  Sediola.  The  lower  end  of  the  square  near 
this  is  occupied  by  the  Palazzo  La/icellolti,  built  by  Pirro 
Ligorio,  behind  which  is  the  frescoed  front  of  Palazzo 
Massimo,  mentioned  above.  Under  the  popes,  during  the 
hot  months,  the  singular  custom  prevailed  of  occasionally 
stopping  the  escape  of  water  from  the  fountains,  and  so 
turning  the  square  into  a  lake,  through  which  the  rich 
splashed  about  in  carriages,  and  ate  ices  and  drank  cof- 
fee in  the  water,  while  the  poor  looked  on  from  raised 
galleries.  It  is  supposed  that  this  practice  was  a  rem- 
nant of  the  pleasures  of  the  Naumachia,  once  annually 
exhibited  almost  on  this  very  spot,  formerly  the  Circus 
Agonalis.  The  central  level  of  the  piazza,  which  had  been 
used  as  a  market  from  I447,  has  only  been  raised  since 
the  change  of  government,  to  the  great  injury  of  the  fount- 
ains. 

Vitale  Mascardi  gives  an  extraordinary  account  of  the 
magnificent  tournament  held  here  in  1634  in  honor  of  the 
visit  of  Prince  Alexander  of  Poland,  when  the  piazza  was 
nung  with  draperies  of  gold  and  silver,  and  Donna  Anna 
C'olonna  and  Donna  Costanza  Barberini  awarded  gorgeous 
prizes  of  diamonds  to  noble  and  princely  competitors. 

Nearly  opposite  S.  Agnese,  a  short  street  leads  to  the 


S.    LUIGI  DEI  FRANCE  SI.  537 

front  of  the  Palazzo  Madama,  now  the  Palazzo  del  Senato, 
which  is  sometimes  said  to  derive  its  ancient  name  from 
Margaret  of  Parma,  daughter  of  Charles  V.,  who  once 
occupied  it,  and  sometimes  from  Catherine  de'  Medici, 
who  also  lived  here,  and  under  whom  it  was  altered  to  its 
present  form  by  Paolo  Marucelli.  In  the  time  of  the  papal 
power  the  balcony  toward  the  piazza  was  used  every  Satur- 
day at  noon  for  the  drawing  of  the  Roman  lottery. 

Close  by  is  the  Church  of  S.  Luigi  del  Francesi,  rebuilt 
1589,  with  a  facade  by  Giacomo  della  Porta.  It  contains 
a  number  of  tombs  of  eminent  Frenchmen  who  have  died 
in  Rome,  and  some  good  pictures. 

Following  the  right  aisle,  the  second  chapel  has  frescoes 
from  the  life  of  S.  Cecilia  by  Domenichino  (she  gives  clothes 
to  the  poor, — is  crowned  by  an  angel  with  her  husband, 
Valerian, — refuses  to  sacrifice  to  idols, — suffers  martyr- 
dom,— enters  into  heaven). 

"  Domenichino  is  often  cold  and  studied  in  the  principal  subject, 
while  the  subordinate  persons  have  much  grace,  and  a  noble  character 
of  beauty.  Of  this  the  two  frescoes  in  .S.  I-uigi  at  Rome,  from  tne 
life  of  S,  Cecilia,  are  striking  examples.  It  is  not  the  saint  herself, 
bestowing  her  goods  from  a  balcony,  who  contributes  the  chief  subject, 
but  the  masterly  group  of  poor  people  struggling  for  them  below.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  the  death  of  the  saint,  where  the  admiration  and 
grief  of  the  bystanders  are  inimitable." — A'ugler. 

"  Reclining  on  a  couch,  in  the  center  of  the  picture,  her  hand  pressed 
on  her  bosom,  her  dying  eyes  raised  to  heaven,  the  saint  is  breathing 
her  last ;  while  female  forms,  of  exquisite  beauty  and  innocence,  are 
kneeling  around  or  bending  over  her.  The  noble  figure  of  an  old 
man,  whose  clasped  hands  and  bent  brow  seem  to  bespeak  a  father's 
affection,  appears  on  one  side  ;  and  lovely  children,  in  all  the  playful 
graces  of  unconscious  infancy,  as  usual  in  Domenichino's  paintings, 
by  contrast  heighten,  yet  relieve,  the  deep  pathos  of  the  scene.  From 
above,  an  angel — such  an  angel  as  Domenichino  alone  knew  how  to 
paint,  a  cherub  form  of  light  and  loveliness — is  descending  on  rapid 
wing,  bearing  to  the  expiring  saint  the  crown  and  palm  of  glory." — 
Eaton's  Rome. 

The  copy  of  Raffaelle's  S.  Cecilia  over  the  altar  is  by 
Guido.  The  fourth  chapel  has  on  the  right  frescoes  by 
Girolamo  SJcciolanfe;  on  the  left  by  Pellegriiio  da  Bologna; 
the  altar-piece  is  by  Giacomo  del  Conte.  The  fifth  chapel 
has  on  the  right  the  monument  of  Agincourt  (ob.  1814), 
the  famous  archaeologist ;  on  the  left  that  of  Guerin,  the 
painter.     The  high  altar  has  an  Assumption  by  Bassano. 

The  first  chapel  in  the  left  aisle  has  a  S.  Sebastian  by 
23*  — 


538  WALK'S  I.V  ROME. 

Massei.  In  the  fifth  chapel,  of  S.  Matthew,  three  pictures 
by  Caravaggio  represent  the  vocation  and  martyrdom  of 
that  saint. 

"  The  paintings  of  Caravaggio  at  S.  Luigi  belong  to  his  most  com- 
prehensive works.  The  martyrdom  of  S.  Matthew,  with  the  angel 
with  a  palm  branch  squatting  upon  a  cloud,  and  a  boy  running  away, 
screaming,  though  higlily  animated,  is  an  offensive  ]  reduction.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  Calling  of  the  Apostle  may  be  considered  as  a 
genre  picture  of  grand  characteristic  figures  ;  for  instance,  those  of 
the  money-changers  and  publican  at  the  table  ;  some  of  them  count- 
ing money,  others  looking  up  astonished  at  the  entrance  of  the 
Saviou  r. ' ' — Ktigler. 

"  Over  the  altar  is  S.  Matthew  writing  his  Gospel;  he  looks  up  at 
the  attendant  angel,  who  is  behind  with  outspread  wings,  and  in  the 
act  of  dictating.  On  the  left  is  the  Calling  of  S.  Matthew  :  the  saint, 
who  has  been  counting  money,  rises  with  one  hand  on  his  breast,  and 
turns  to  follow  the  Saviour  :  an  old  man,  with  spectacles  on  his  nose, 
examines  with  curiosity  the  personage  whose  summons  has  had  such  a 
miraculous  effect  :  a  boy  is  slyly  appropriating  the  money  \\hich  the 
apostle  has  thrown  down.  The  third  picture  is  the  martyrdom  of  the 
saint,  who,  in  the  sacerdotal  habit,  lies  extended  on  a  block  ;  while  a 
half-naked  executioner  raises  the  sword,  and  several  spectators  shrink 
back  with  horror.  There  is  nothing  dignified  or  poetical  in  these  rep- 
resentations ;  and  though  painted  with  all  ihat  power  cf  effect  which 
characterized  Caravaggio,  then  at  the  height  of  his  reputation,  they 
have  also  his  coarseness  of  feeling  and  execution  :  the  priests  were 
(not  witliout  reason)  dissatisfied  ;  fnd  it  icquired  all  the  influerce  of 
his  patron,  Cardinal  Giustiniani,  to  induce  them  to  retain  the  pictures 
in  the  church,  where  we  now  see  them. — Jameson  s  Sacred  Art ^  p.  146. 

Among  the  monuments  scattered  over  this  church  are 
those  of  Cardinal  d'Ossat,  embassador  of  Henry  IV.  ;  Car- 
dinal de  la  Grange  d'Arquien,  father-in-law  cf  Sobieski, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  105  ;  Cardinal  de  la  Trt'mouille, 
embassador  of  Louis  XIV.  :  Madame  de  Montmorin, 
with  an  epitaph  by  Chateaubriand  ;  and  Claude  Lorraine, 
who  is  buried  at  the  Trinita  de'  Monti. 

The  pillars  which  separate  the  nave  and  aisles  are  of 
splendid  Sicilian  jasper.  They  were  intended  for  S.  Igna- 
zio,  but  when  the  Order  of  the  Jesuits  was  dissolved  by 
Clement  XIV.,  he  presented  them  to  S.  Luigi. 

The  site  of  this  church,  the  Palazzo  Madama,  and  their 
adjoining  buildings,  was  once  occupied  by  the  baths  of 
Nero.  They  are  commemorated  by  the  name  of  the  small 
church  "  S.  Salvatore  in  Thermis." 

In  front  of  S.  Luigi  are  the  Palaces  Pairizi  and  Giusti- 
niani, and,  following — to  the  right — the  Via  della  Sediola, 


PIAZZA   DI  S.    EUSTACIIIO. 


539 


on  the  left  is  the  entrance  to  the  University  of  the  Sapienza, 
founded  by  Innocent  IV.  in  1244  as  a  law  school.  Its 
buildings  were  begun  by  Pius  III.  and  Julius  II.,  and  ex- 
tended by  Leo  X.  from  plans  of  Michael  Angelo.  The 
portico  was  built  under  Gregory  XIII.  by  Giacomo  della 
Porta.  The  northern  facade  was  erected  by  Borromini, 
with  the  ridiculous  church  (S.  Ivo),  built  in  the  form  of  a 
bee  to  flatter  Urban  VIII.,  that  insect  being  his  device. 
The  building  is  called  the  Sapienza,  from  the  motto, 
"  Initium  Sapientiae  timor  Domini,"  engraved  over  the 
window  above  the  principal  entrance.  Forty  professors 
teach  here  all  the  different  branches  of  law,  medicine, 
theology,  philosophy,  and  philology. 

Behind  the  Sapienza  is  the  small  Piazza  di  S.  EustacJiio, 
containing  on  three  sides  the  (iiustiniani,  Lante,  and  Mac- 
carini  palaces.  Here  is  the  Ristoratore  del  Falcone  (with 
a  tavern  where  Ariosto  stayed  when  he  was  in  Rome), 
where  a  truly  Roman  dinner  may  be  obtained  of  wild  boar, 
porcupine,  &c.  The  piazza  was  formerly  celebrated  for 
the  festival  of  the  Befana,  which  is  now  removed  to  the 
Piazza  Navona.  As  a  reminiscence  of  old  times,  the  fol- 
lowing quotation  is  interesting  : 

"  The  piazza  and  all  the  adjacent  streets  are  lined  with  booths  cov- 
ered with  every  l<ind  of  plaything  for  children.  These  booths  are 
gayly  illuminated  with  rows  of  candles  and  the  three-wick'd  brass 
lucerne  of  Rome  ;  and  at  intervals,  painted  posts  are  set  into  the 
pavement,  crowned  with  pans  of  grease,  with  a  wisp  of  tow  for  wick, 
from  which  flames  jjlaze  and  flare  about.  Besides  these,  numbers  of 
torches  carried  about  by  hand  lend  a  wavering  and  picturesque  light 
to  the  scene.  By  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  crowds  begin  to  fill  the 
piazza  and  the  adjacent  streets.  Long  before  one  arrives,  the  squeak 
of  penny  trumpets  is  heard  at  intervals  ;  but  in  the  piazza  itself  the 
mirth  is  wild  and  furious,  and  the  din  that  salutes  one's  ears  on  entering 
is  almost  deafening.  The  object  of  every  one  is  to  make  as  much  noise 
as  possible,  and  every  kind  of  instrument  for  this  purpose  is  sold  at 
the  booths.  There  are  drums  beating,  tamburelli  thumping  and  jin- 
gling, pipes  squeaking,  watchman's  rattles  clacking,  penny  trumpets  and 
tin  horns  shrilling,  the  sharpest  whistles  shrieking. — and  mingling 
with  these  is  heard  the  din  of  voices,  screams  of  laughter,  and  the  con- 
fused burr  and  buzz  of  a  great  crowd.  On  all  sides  you  are  saluted  by 
the  strangest  noises.  Instead  of  being  spoken  to,  you  are  whistled 
at.  Companies  of  people  are  marching  together  in  platoons,  or 
piercing  through  the  crowd  in  long  files,  and  dancing  and  blowing 
like  mad  on  their  instruments.  It  is  a  perfect  witches'  Sabbath. 
Here,  huge  dolls  dressed  as  Polichinello  or  Pantaloon  are  borne  about 
for  sale,— or  over  the  heads  of  the  crowd  great  black-faced  jumping- 


540  WALK'S  IN  ROME. 

jacks,  lifted  on  a  slick,  twitch  themselves  in  fantastic  fits, — or,  what 
is  more  Roman  tlian  all,  long  poles  are  carried  about  strung  with 
rings  of  hundreds  of  cidiiibclli  (a  light  cake,  called  jumble  in  English), 
which  are  screamed  for  sale  at  a  mezzo  baiocco  each.  There  is  no  al- 
ternative but  to  get  a  drum,  whistle,  or  trumpet,  and  join  in  the 
racket, — and  to  fill  one's  pockets  with  toys  for  the  children,  and  absurd 
presents  for  one's  older  friends.  The  moment  you  are  once  in  for  it, 
and  making  as  much  noise  as  you  can,  you  begin  to  relish  the  jest. 
The  toys  are  very  odd,  particularly  the  Roman  whistles  ;  some  of 
these  are  made  of  pewter,  with  a  little  wheel  that  whirls  as  you  blow  ; 
others  are  of  terra-cotta,  very  rudely  modeled  into  every  shape  of 
bird,  beast,  or  human  deformity,  each  with  a  whistle  in  its  head, 
breast,  or  tail,  which  it  is  no  joke  to  hear,  when  blown  close  to  your 
ears  by  a  stout  pair  of  lungs.  The  scene  is  extremely  picturesque. 
Above,  the  dark  vault  of  night,  with  its  far  stars,  the  blazing  and 
flaring  of  lights  below,  and  the  great,  dark  walls  of  the  Sapien7a 
and  church  looking  down  grimly  upon  the  mirth." — Story's  Koba  di 
Roma. 

The  Church  of  S.  Eustachio  commemorates  one  who, 
first  a  brave  soldier  of  the  army  of  Titus  in  Palestine,  be- 
came a  master  of  the  horse  under  Trajan,  and  general 
under  Hadrian,  and  who  suffered  martyrdom  for  refusing 
to  sacrifice  to  idols,  by  being  roasted  alive  in  a  brazen  bull, 
before  the  Coliseum,  with  his  wife  Theopista,  and  his  sons 
Agapetus  and  Theopistus.  The  relics  of  these  saints  re- 
pose in  a  porphyry  sarcophagus  under  the  high  altar.  The 
stags'  heads  on  the  portico  and  on  the  apex  of  the  gable 
refer  to  the  legend  of  the  conversion  of  S.  Eustace. 

"  One  day,  while  hunting  in  the  forest,  he  saw  before  him  a  white 
stag,  of  marvelous  beauty,  and  he  pursued  it  eagerly,  and  the  stag  fled 
before  him,  and  ascended  a  high  rock.  Then  Placidus  (Eustace 
was  called  Placidus  before  his  conversion),  looking  up,  beheld,  be- 
tween the  horns  of  the  stag,  a  cross  of  radiant  light,  and  on  it  the 
image  of  the  crucified  Redeemer  ;  and  being  astonished  and  dazzled 
by  this  vision,  he  fell  on  his  knees,  and  a  voice  which  seemed  to  come 
from  the  crucifix  cried  to  him  and  said  :  '  Placidus !  why  dost  thou 
pursue  me  ?  I  am  Christ,  whom  thou  hast  hitherto  served  without 
knowing  me.  Dost  thou  now  believe?'  And  Placidus  fell  with  his 
face  to  the  earth,  and  said,  '  Lord,  I  believe  ! '  And  the  voice  an- 
swered, saying,  '  Thou  shall  suffer  many  tribulations  for  my  sake,  and 
shalt  be  tried  by  many  temptations  ;  but  be  strong  and  of  good  cour- 
age, and  I  will  not  forsake  thee.'  To  which  Placidus  replie  1,  '  Lord, 
I  am  content.  Do  Thou  give  me  jiatience  to  suffer  I'  And  when  he 
looked  up  again  the  glorious  vision  had  departed." — Jamaon's  Saaed 
Art,  p.  792. 

A  similar  story  is  told  of  S.  Hubert,  S.  Julian,  and  S.  Felix. 
■  "A  fresco  of  S.  Peter,  by  Pientwdcl  Vaga,  in  this  church, 


THE   PANTHEON. 


541 


was  much  admired  by  Vasari,  who  dilates  upon  the  bold- 
ness of  its  design,  the  simple  folds  of  its  drapery,  its  care- 
ful drawing  and  judicious  treatment. 

Two  streets  lead  from  the  Piazza  S.  Eustachio  to — 
The  Pantheon,  the  most  perfect  pagan  building  in  the 
city,  built  B.C.  27',  by  Marcus  Agrippa,  the  bosom  friend 
of  Augustus  Caesar,  and  the  most  unsuitable  second  hus- 
band of  his  daughter  Julia  ;  "  Vir  simplicitati  proprior 
quam  deliciis,"  as  Pliny  calls  him.  The  inscription,  in 
huge  letters,  perfectly  legible  from  beneath,  "  m.  agrippa. 
L.  F.  COS.  TERTiUM  FECIT,"  records  its  construction.  An- 
other inscription  on  the  architrave,  now  almost  illegible, 
records  its  restoration  under  Septimius  Severus  and  his  son 
Caracalla,  c.  202,  who,  "  Pantheum  vetustate  corruptum 
cum  omni  cultu  restitverunt."  Some  authorities  have 
maintained  that  the  Pantheon  was  originally  only  a  vast 
hall  in  the  baths  of  Agrippa,  acknowledged  remains  of 
which  exist  at  no  great  distance  ;  but  the  name  "  Pan- 
theum "  was  in  use  as  early  as  a.d.  59. 

In  A.D.  399  the  Pantheon  was  closed  as  a  temple,  in  obe- 
dience to  a  decree  of  the  Emperor  Honorius,  and  in  608 
was  consecrated  as  a  Christian  church  by  Pope  Boniface 
IV.,  with  the  permission  of  the  Emperor  Phocas,  under  the 
title  of  S.  Maria  ad  Mariyres.  To  this  dedication  we  owe 
the  preservation  of  the  main  features  of  the  building, 
though  it  had  been  terribly  maltreated.  In  663  the  Em- 
peror Constans,  who  had  come  to  Rome  with  great  pretense 
of  devotion  to  its  shrines  and  relics,  and  who  only  stayed 
there  twelve  days,  did  not  scruple,  in  spite  of  its  religious 
dedication,  to  strip  off  the  tiles  of  gilt  bronze  with  which 
the  roof  was  covered,  and  carry  them  off  with  him  to 
Syracuse,  where,  upon  his  murder,  a  few  years  after,  they 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Saracens.  In  1087  the  Pantheon 
was  used  by  the  anti-pope  Guibert  as  a  fortress,  whence 
he  made  incursions  upon  the  lawful  pope,  Victor  III.,  and 
his  protector,  the  Countess  Matilda.  In  iioi,  another 
anti-pope,  Sylvester  IV.,  was  elected  here.  Pope  Martin 
v.,  after  the  return  from  Avignon,  attempted  the  restora- 
tion of  the  Pantheon  by  clearing  awav  the  mass  of  miser- 
able buildings  in  which  it  was  encrusted,  and  his  efforts 
were  continued  by  Eugenius  IV.,  but  Urban  VIII.  (1623- 
44),  though  he  spent  15,000  scudi  upon  the  Pantheon,  and 


543 


WALKS  IX  HOME. 


added  the  two  ugly  campaniles,  called  in  derision  "  the 
asses'  ears,"  of  their  architect,  Bernini,  did  not  hesitate  to 
plunder  the  gilt  bronze  ceiling  of  the  portico,  450,250  lbs. 
in  weight,  to  make  the  baldacchino  of  S.  Peter's,  and 
cannons  for  the  Castle  of  S.  Angelo. .  Benedict  XIV. 
(1740-58)  further  despoiled  the  building  by  tearing  away 
all  the  precious  marbles  which  lined  the  attic,  to  ornament 
other  buildings. 

The  Pantheon  was  not  originally,  as  now,  below  the 
level  of  the  piazza,  but  was  approached  by  a  flight  of  five 
steps.  The  portico,  which  is  iio  feet  long  and  44  feet 
deep,  is  supported  by  sixteen  grand  columns  of  oriental 
granite,  36  feet  in  height,  the  earliest  examples  of  the 
Corinthian  order  in  Rome.  The  ancient  bronze  doors  re- 
main. On  either  side  are  niches,  once  occupied  by  colossal 
statues  of  Augustus  and  Agrippa.' 

"  Agrippa  wished  to  dedicate  the  Pantheon  to  Augustus,  but  he 
refused,  and  only  allowed  his  statue  to  occupy  a  niche  on  the  right  of 
the  peristyle,  while  that  of  Agrippa  occupied  the  niche  on  the  left." — 
Aferivale. 

The  Interior  is  a  rotunda,  143  feet  in  diameter,  covered 
by  a  dome.  It  is  only  lighted  by  an  aperture  in  the  center, 
28  feet  in  diameter.  Seven  great  niches  around  the  walls 
once  contained  statues  of  different  gods  and  goddesses, 
that  of  Jupiter  being  the  central  figure.  All  the  surrounding 
columns  are  of  giallo-antico,  except  four,  which  are  of  pavo- 
nazzetto,  painted  yellow.  It  is  a  proof  of  the  great  value 
and  rarity  of  giallo-antico,  that  it  was  always  impossible 
to  obtain  more  to  complete  the  set. 

"  L'interieur  du  Pantheon,  comme  I'exterieur,  est  parfaitement  con- 
serve, et  les  edicules,  places  dans  le  pourtour  du  temple,  forment  les 
chapelles  de  I'eglise.  Jamais  la  simplicite  ne  fut  alliee  a  la  grandeur 
dans  une  plus  heureuse  harmonie.  Le  jour,  tombant  d'en  haut  et  glis- 
sant  le  long  des  colonnes  et  des  parois  de  marbre,  porte  dans  I'ame  un 
sentiment  de  tranquillite  sublime,  et  donne  a  tous  les  objets,  dit  Serlio. 
un  air  de  beaute.  Vue  du  dehors,  la  coupole  de  plomb  qui  a  remplace 
I'ancienne  coupole  de  bronze  couverte  de  tuiles  dorees.  fait  bien  com- 
prendre  Texpression  de  Virgile,  lequel  I'avait  sous  les  yeux,  et  peut-etre 
en  vue,  quand  il  ecrivait : 

..."  Media  testudine  templi." 
En  effet,  cette  coupole  surbaissee  ressemble  tout  a  fait  a  la  carapace 
d'une  tortue." — Aiiiphe,  Emp.  i.  342. 

'  The  statue  of  Aprippa  is  now  in  the  Fondaco  dci  Turchi  at  Venice. 


THE   PANTHEON. 


543 


"  Being  deep  in  talk,  it  so  happened  that  they  found  themselves 
near  the  majestic  pillared  portico  and  huge  black  rotundity  of  the 
Pantheon.  It  stands  almost  at  the  central  point  of  the  labyrinthine 
intricacies  of  the  modern  city,  and  often  presents  itself  before  the  be- 
wildered stranger  when  he  is  in  search  of  other  objects.  Hilda,  look- 
ing up,  proposed  that  they  should  enter. 

"  They  went  in,  accordingly,  and  stood  in  the  free  space  of  that 
great  circle,  around  which  are  ranged  the  arched  recesses  aiid  stately  al- 
tars, formerly  dedicated  to  heathen  gods,  but  Christianized  through 
twelve  centuries  gone  by.  The  world  has  nothing  else  like  the  Pan- 
theon. So  grand  it  is,  that  the  pasteboard  statues  over  the  lofty  cor- 
nice do  not  disturb  the  effect,  any  more  than  the  tin  crowns  and  hearts, 
the  dusty  artificial  flowers,  and  all  manner  of  trumpery  gewgaws,  hang- 
ing at  the  saintly  shrines.  The  rust  and  dinginess  that  have  dimmed 
the  precious  marble  on  the  walls  ;  the  pavement,  with  its  great  squares 
and  rounds  of  porphyry  and  granite,  cracked  crossv.'ise  and  in  a  hun- 
dred directions,  showing  how  roughly  the  troublesome  ages  have 
trampled  here  ;  the  gray  dome  above,  with  its  opening  to  the  sky.  as 
if  heaven  were  looking  down  into  the  interior  of  this  place  of  worship, 
left  unimpeded  for  prayers  to  ascend  the  more  freely  :  all  these  things 
make  an  impression  of  solemnity,  which  S.  Peter's  itself  fails  to 
produce. 

"  '  I  think,'  says  Kenyon,  '  it  is  to  the  aperture  in  the  dome — 
that  great  eye  gazing  heavenward — that  the  Pantheon  owes  the  pecul- 
iarity of  its  effect.  It  is  so  heathenish,  as  it  were — so  unlike  all  the 
snugness  of  our  modern  civilization  !  Look,  too,  at  the  pavement 
directly  beneath  the  open  space  !  So  much  rain  has  fallen  here,  in  the 
last  two  thousand  years,  that  it  is  green  with  small,  fine  moss,  such  as 
grows  over  tombstones  in  damp  English  churchyards. 

"  '  I  like  better,'  replied  Hilda,  'to  look  at  the  bright,  blue  sky, 
roofing  the  edifice  where  the  builders  left  it  open.  It  is  very  delightful, 
in  a  breezy  day,  to  see  the  masses  of  white  cloud  float  over  the  open- 
ing, and  then  the  sunshine  fall  through  it  again,  fitfully,  as  it  does  now. 
Would  it  be  any  wonder  if  we  were  to  see  angels  hovering  there, 
partly  in  and  partly  out,  with  genial,  heavenly  faces,  not  intercepting 
the  light,  but  transmuting  it  into  beautiful  colors  ?  Look  at  that  broad, 
golden  beam — a  sloping  cataract  of  sunlight — which  comes  down  from 
the  aperture,  and  rests  upon  the  shrine,  at  the  right  hand  of  the  en- 
trance.' " —  Transformation. 

.  .  .  "  '  Entrons  dans  le  temple,'  dit  Corinne  :  '  vous  le  voyez,  il 
reste  decouvert  presque  comme  il  I'etait  autrefois.  On  dit  que  cette 
lumiere  qui  venait  d'en  haut  etait  I'embleme  de  la  divinite  superieure 
a  toutes  des  divinites.  Les  paiens  ont  toujours  aime  les  images  sym- 
boliques.  II  semble  en  effet  que  ce  langage  convient  mieux  a  la 
religion  que  la  parole.  La  pluie  tombe  souvent  sur  ces  parvis  de 
marbre  :  mais  aussi  les  rayons  du  soleil  viennent  eclairer  les  prieres. 
Quelle  serenite  ;  quel  air  de  fete  on  remarque  dans  cet  edifice  !  Les 
paiens  ont  divinise  la  vie,  et  les  Chretiens  ont  divinise  la  mort  :  tel  est 
I'esprit  des  deux  cultes.'  " — Madame  de  Stacl. 

"  In  the  ancient  Pantheon,  when  the  music  of  Christian  chants  rises 
among  the  shadowy  forms  of  the  old  vanished  gods  panited  on  the 


544 


WALK'S  I.V  ROME. 


walls,  and  the  light  streams  down,  not  from  painted  windows  in  the 
walls,  but  from  the  glowhig  heavens  above,  every  note  of  the  service 
echoes  like  a  peal  of  triumph,  and  fills  my  heart  with  thankfulness." — 
Mrs.  Charles. 

"' Where,' asked  Redschid  Pasha,  on  his  visit  to  the  Pantheon, 
'  are  tlie  statues  of  the  heathen  gods  ?  '  '  Of  course  they  were  removed 
when  the  temple  was  Christianized,'  was  the  natural  answer.  '  No,' 
he  replied,  1  would  have  left  them  standing  to  show  how  the  true 
God  had  triumphed  over  them  in  their  own  house.'  " — Cardinal  Wise- 
man. 

"No,  great  Dome  of  Agrippa,  thou  art  not  Christian  !  canst  not, 
Strip  and  replaster  and  daub  and  do  what  they  will  with  thee,  be 

so  ! 
Here  underneath  the  great  porch  of  colossal  Corinthian  columns. 
Here  as  I  walk,  do  I  dream  of  the  Christian  belfries  above  them; 
Or,  on  a  bench  as  I  sit  and  abide  for  long  hours,  till  thy  whole  vast 
Round  grows  dim  as  in  dreams  to  my  eyes,  I  repeople  thy  niches. 
Not  with  the  Martyrs,  and  Saints,  and  Confessors,  and  Virgins,  and 

children, 
But  with  the  mightier  forms  of  an  older,  austerer  worship  ; 
And  I  recite  to  myself,  how 

Eager  for  battle  here 
Stood  Vulcan,  here  matronal  Juno, 

And  with  the  bow  to  his  shoulder  faithful 
He  who  with  pure  dew  laveth  of  Castaly 
His  flowing  locks,  who  holdeth  of  Lycia 
The  oak  forest  and  the  wood  that  bore  him, 

Delos'  and  Patara's  own  Apollo."  Clough. 

Some  antiquarians  have  supposed  that  the  aperture  at 
the  top  of  the  Pantheon  was  originally  closed  by  a  huge 
"  Pigna,"  or  pine-cone  of  bronze,  like  that  which  crowned 
the  summit  of  the  mausoleum  of  Hadrian,  and  this  belief 
has  been  encouraged  by  the  name  of  a  neighboring  church 
being  S.  Giovanni  della  Pigna. 

The  Pantheon  has  become  the  burial-place  of  painters. 
Raffaelle,  Annibale  Caracci,  Taddeo  Zucchero,  Ealdassare 
Peruzzi,  Pierino  del  Vaga,  and  Giovanni  da  Udine,  are  all 
buried  here. 

The  third  chapel  on  the  left  contains  X\iqToi/iI> of  Raffaelie 
(born  April  6,  1483  ;  died  April  6,  1520).  From  the  pen  of 
Cardinal  Bembo  is  the  epigram  : 

"  Ille  hie  est  Raphael,  timuit  quo  sospite  vinci 
Rerum  magna  parens,  et  moriente  mori."' 

'  "  Living,  great  Nature  feared  he  might  outvie 
Her  works  ;  and,  dying,  fears  licrncif  to  die." 

Pope's  Translaiion  i.iiiithout  acknowledgment)  in 
his  Epitaph  on  .Sir  Godfrey  Kneller. 


THE  PANTHEON. 


54: 


"  Raffaelle  mourut  a  I'age  de  37  ans.  Son  corps  resta  expose  pen- 
dant trois  jours.  Au  moment  ou  Ion  s'appretaic  a  le  descendre  dans  sa 
derniere  demeure,  on  vit  arriver  le  pape  (Leon  X.),  qui  se  prosteina, 
pria  quelques  instants,  benit  Raphael,  et  lui  prit  pour  la  derniere  fois 
la  main,  qu'il  arrosa  de  ses  larmes  (si  prostro  innanzi  1'  cstinto  Raffaello 
et  baciogli  quella  mano,  tra  le  lacrime).  On  lui  fit  de  mag^nifiques 
funerailles,  auxquelles  assisterent  les  cardinaux,  les  artistes,  &c."-  A. 
du  Pays. 

"  When  Raffaelle  went, 
His  heavenly  face  the  mirror  of  his  mind. 
His  mind  a  temple  for  all  lovel}-  things 
To  flock  to  and  inhabit — when  he  went. 
Wrapt  in  his  sable  cloak,  the  cloak  he  wore. 
To  sleep  beneath  the  venerable  Dome, 
By  those  attended,  who  in  life  had  loved. 
Had  worshiped,  following  in  his  steps  to  Fame, 
('Twas  on  an  April  day,  when  Nature  smiles) 
All  Rome  was  there.      But,  ere  the  march  began, 
Ere  to  receive  their  charge  the  bearers  came, 
Who  had  not  sought  him  ?     And  when  all  beheld 
Him,  where  he  lay,  how  changed  from  yesterday, 
Him  in  that  hour  cut  off,  and  at  his  head 
His  last  great  work  ;  ^  when,  entering  in,  they  looked 
Now  on  the  dead,  then  on  that  masterpiece, 
Now  on  his  face,  lifeless  and  colorless. 
Then  on  those  forms  di\ane  that  lived  and  breathed, 
And  would  live  on  for  ages — all  were  moved  ; 
And  sighs  burst  forth,  and  loudest  lamentations." 

Rogers. 

Taddeo  Zucchero  and  Annibale  Caracci  are  buried  on 
either  side  of  Raffaelle.  Near  the  high  altar  is  a  monu- 
ment to  Cardinal  Consalvi  (1757-1824),  the  faithful  secre- 
tary and  minister  of  Pius  VII.,  by  Thoriaaldsen.  This, 
however,  is  only  a  cenotaph,  marking  the  spot  where  his 
heart  is  preserved.  His  body  rests  v/ith  that  of  his  be- 
loved brother  Andrea  in  the  church  S.  Marcello. 

On  the  right  of  the  high  altar  a  small  tablet  surrounded 
by  garlands  marks  a  hole  in  the  wall,  like  those  in  an 
ancient  columbarium.  Here — not  worthily  amidst  his  an- 
cestors in  the  glorious  Superga — rests  the  body  of  King 
Victor  Emmanuel  II.,  who  died  on  the  9th  of  January, 
1878,  in  the  Pope's  palace  of  the  Quirinal. 

During  the  middle  ages  the  pope  always  officiated  in 
the  Pantheon  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when,  in  honor  of 
the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  showers  of  white  rose-leaves 

'  Raffaelle  lay  in  state  beneath  his  last  great  work,  The  Transfiguration. 


346  WALKS  IX  ROME. 

were  continually  sent  down  through   the  aperture  during       1 
service. 

"  Though  plundered  of  all  its  brass,  except  the  riny;  which  was 
necessary  to  preser%e  the  aperture  above  ;  though  exposed  to  repeated 
Hre  ;  though  sometimes  flooded  by  the  river,  and  alu-ays  open  to  tlie 
rain,  no  monument  of  equal  antiquity  is  so  v*ell  preserved  as  this  ro- 
tunda. It  passed  with  litile  alteration  from  the  pagan  into  the  present 
worship  ;  and  so  convenient  were  its  niches  for  the  Christian  altar, 
that  Michael  Angelo,  ever  studious  of  ancient  beauty,  introduced  their 
design  as  a  model  in  the  Catholic  church." — Forsyth. 

"  Simple,  erect,  severe,  austere,  sublime — 
Shrine  of  all  saints  and  temple  of  all  gods, 
From  Jove  to  Jesus — spared  and  bless'd  by  time 
Looking  tranquillity,  while  falls  or  nods 
Arch,  empire,  each  thing  round  thee,  and  man  plods 
His  way  through  thorns  to  ashes — glorious  dome  ! 
Shalt  thou  not  last  ?     Time's  scythe  and  tyrant's  rods 
Shiver  upon  thee — sanctuary  and  home 
Of  art  and  piety — Pantheon  !  pride  of  Rome  !  " 

Byron,  Childe  Harold. 

In  the  Piazza  dclla  Rotonda  is  a  small  Obelisk  found  in 
the  Campus  Martius. 

"  At  a  few  paces  from  the  streets  where  meat  is  sold,  you  will  find 
gathered  round  the  fountain  in  the  Piazza  della  Rotonda,  a  number  of 
bird-fanciers,  surrounded  by  cages  in  which  are  multitudes  of  living 
birds  for  sale.  Here  are  Java  sparrows,  parrots  and  paroquets,  gray 
thrushes  and  nightingales,  red-breasts  {petti  rossi),  yellow  canary-birds, 
beautiful  sweet-singing  little  cardellini,  and  gentle  ringdoves,  all  chat- 
tering, singing,  and  cooing  together,  to  the  constant  plashing  of  the 
fountain.  Among  them,  perched  on  stands,  and  glaring  wisely  out  of 
their  great  yellow  eyes,  may  be  seen  all  sorts  of  owls,  from  the  great 
solemn  barbigiani,  and  white-tufted  owl,  to  the  curious  little  civetta, 
which  gives  its  name  to  all  sharp-witted  heartless  flirts,  and  the  aziola, 
which  Shelley  has  celebrated  in  one  of  his  minor  poems." — Story's 
Roba  di  Roma. 

The  removal  of  a  number  of  paltry  buildings  at  the  back 
of  the  Pantheon  in  1882  has  laid  bare  some  masses  of  ruin 
b:>longing  to  the  Baths  of  Agrippa,  of  which,  till  recently, 
the  only  remaining  fragment  was  supposed  to  be  the  Area 
di  Ciambella  (a  small  semicircular  ruin  in  the  thii-d  street 
on  the  left  of  the  Via  della  Rotonda),  which  derives  its 
popular  name  from  a  fancied  resemblance  to  the  favorite 
cake  of  the  people. 

Behind  the  Pantheon,  is  the  Piazza  della  Minerva,  where 
a  small  Obelisk  was  erected   1667  by  Bernini,  on   the  back 


S.    MARIA    SOPRA    MINERVA. 


547 


of  an  elephant.  It  is  exactly  similar  to  the  obelisk  in 
front  of  the  Pantheon,  and  they  were  both  found  near  this 
site,  where  they  formed  part  of  the  decorations  of  the 
Campus  Martius,  and,  as  many  other  Egyptian  relics  were 
found  with  them,  probably  indicated  the  position  of  the 
Temples  of  Isis  and  Serapis.  The  hieroglyphics  on  this 
obelisk  show  that  it  dates  from  Hophres,  a  king  of  the  25th 
dynasty.     On  the  pedestal  is  the  inscription  : 

"  Sapientis  Aegypti  insculplas  obelisco  figuras 
Ab  elephanto  belluarum  fortissimo  gestari 
Quisquis  hie  vides,  docunientum  intellige 
Robustae  mentis  esse  solidam  sapientiam  sustinere." 

One  side  of  the  piazza  is  occupied  by  the  mean  ugly 
front  of  the  Church  of  S.  Maria  sopra  Minerva,  built  in 
1370  upon  the  ruins  of  a  temple  of  Minerva  founded  by 
Pompey.  The  statue  of  Minerva  in  the  Braccio  Nuovo  of 
the  Vatican  was  found  here.  This  is  the  only  Gothic 
church  in  Rome  of  importance.  In  1848-55  it  was  re- 
decorated with  tawdry  imitation  marbles,  which  have  only 
a  good  effect  when  there  is  not  sufficient  light  to  see  them. 
In  spite  of  this,  the  interior  is  very  interesting,  and  its 
chapels  are  a  perfect  museum  of  relics  of  art  or  history. 
Under  the  papal  government  also  this  church  was  cele- 
brated for  its  services,  many  of  which  were  exceedingly 
imposing,  especially  the  procession  on  the  night  before 
Christmas,  the  mass  of  S.  Thomas  Aquinas,  and  that  of 
"the  white  mule  day."  Some  celebrated  divine  generally 
preaches  here  at  1 1  a.m.  every  morning  in  Lent. 

Hither,  during  the  rule  of  the  popes,  on  the  feast  of  the 
Annunciation,  came  the  famous  "  Procession  of  the  White 
Mule,"  when  the  host  was  borne  by  the  grand  almoner 
riding  on  the  papal  mule,  followed  by  the  pope  in  his  glass 
coach,  and  a  long  train  of  cardinals  and  other  dignitaries. 
Up  to  the  time  of  Pius  VI.,  it  was  the  pope  himself  who 
rode  upon  the  white  mule,  but  Pius  VII.  was  too  infirm,  and 
after  his  time  the  popes  gave  it  up.  But  this  procession 
continued  to  be  one  of  the  finest  spectacles  of  the  kind,  and 
was  an  opportunity  for  a  loyal  demonstration,  balconies 
being  hung  with  scarlet  draperies,  and  flowers  showered 
down  upon  the  papal  coach,  while  the  pope,  on  arriving  and 
departing,  was  usually  received  with  tumultuous  "  evvivas." 


548 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


On  the  right  of  the  entrance  is  the  tomb  of  Diotisalvi,  a 
Florentine  knight,  ob.  1482.  Beginning  the  circuit  of  the 
church  by  the  right  aisle,  the  first  chapel  has  a  picture  of 
S.  Ludovico  Bertrando,  by  Bacciccio,  the  paintings  on  the 
pilasters  being  by  Muziano.  In  the  second,  the  Coloima 
Chapel,  is  the  tomb  of  the  Princess  Colonna  (Uonna  Isa- 
bella Alvaria  of  Toledo)  and  her  child,  who  both  died  at 
Albano  in  the  cholera  of  1867.  The  third  chapel  is  that  of 
the  Gabrieili  family.  The  fourth  is  that  of  the  Annuncia- 
tion. Over  its  altar  is  a  most  interesting  picture,  shown  as 
a  work  of  Fra  Angelico,  but  more  probably  that  of  Benozzo 
Gozzoli.  It  represents  Monsignore  Torquemada  attended 
by  an  angel,  presenting  three  young  girls  to  the  Virgin,  who 
gives  them  dowries  :  the  Almighty  is  seen  in  the  clouds. 
Torquemada  was  a  Dominican  Cardinal,  who  founded  the 
association  of  the  Santissima  Annunziata,  which  holds  its 
meetings  in  this  chapel,  and  which  annually  gives  dowries 
to  a  number  of  poor  girls,  who  used  to  receive  them  from 
the  pope  when  he  came  here  in  state  on  the  25th  of  March. 
On  this  occasion,  the  girls  who  were  to  receive  the  dowries 
were  drawn  up  in  two  lines  in  front  of  the  church.  Some 
were  distinguished  by  white  wreaths.  These  were  those 
who  were  going  to  "enter  into  religion,"  and  who  conse- 
quently received  double  the  dowry  of  the  others,  on  the 
plea  that  "  money  placed  in  the  hands  of  religion  bears 
interest  for  the  poor." 

Torquemada  is  himself  buried  in  this  chapel,  opposite 
the  tomb,  by  Ambrogio  Buonvicino,  of  his  friend  Urban 
VII.,  Giov.  Battista  Castagna,  1590, — who  was  pope  only 
for  eleven  days. 

The  fifth  chapel  is  the  burial-place  of  the  Aldobrandini 
family.     It  contains  a  faded  Last  Supper,  by  Baroccio. 

"The  Cenacolo  of  Baroccio,  painted  by  order  of  Clement  VIII. 
(1549),  is  remarkable  for  an  anecdote  relating  to  it.  Baroccio,  who  was 
not  eminent  for  a  correct  taste,  had  in  his  first  sketch  reverted  to  the 
ancient  fashion  of  placing  Satan  close  behind  Judas,  whispering  in  his 
ear,  and  tempting  him  to  betray  his  master.  The  pope  expressed  his 
dissatisfaction, — '  che  non  gli  piaceva  il  demonio  se  dimesticasse 
tanto  con  Gesii  Christo,' — and  ordered  him  to  remove  the  offensive 
figure." — Jamesons  Sacred  Art,  p.  277. 

Here  are  the  fine  tombs  erected  by  Clement  VIII. 
(Ippolito  Aldobrandini)  as  soon  as  he  attained  the  papacy. 


S.    MARIA    SOPRA    MINERVA.  54 g 

to  his  father  and  mother.  Their  architecture  is  by  Giacomo 
delta  Porta.,  but  the  figures  are  by  Cordieri,  the  sculptor  of 
S.  Silvia's  statues.  At  the  sides  of  the  mother's  tomb  are 
figures  of  emblematical  of  Charity,  by  that  of  the  father, 
figures  of  Humility  and  Vanity.  Beyond  his  mother's 
tomb  is  a  fine  statue  of  Clement  VIII.  himself  (who  is 
buried  at  S.  Maria  Maggiore),  by  Ippotito  Buzi. 

"  Hippolyte  Aldobrandini,  qui  prit  le  nom  de  Clement  VIII.,  etait 
le  cinquieme  fils  du  celebre  juriscoiisulte  Silvestio  Aldobrandini,  qui, 
apres  avoir  professe  a  Pise  et  joui  d'une  haute  autorite  a  Florence, 
avait  ete  condamne  a  I'exil  par  le  retour  au  pouvoir  des  Medicis,  ses 
ennemis.  La  vie  de  Silvestre  devint  alors  penible  et  calamiteuse.  De- 
pouille  de  ses  biens,  il  sut,  du  moins,  toujours  ennoblir  son  malheur 
par  la  dignite  de  son  caractere.  Sa  famille  presentait  un  rare  assem- 
blage de  douces  vertus  et  de  jeunes  talents  qu'une  forte  education  de- 
veloppait  chaque  jouravec  puissance.  Appele  a  Rome  par  Paul  III., 
qui  le  nomma  avocat  consistorial,  Silvestre  s'y  transporta  avec  son 
epouse,  la  pieuse  Leta  Deti,  qui,  pendant  trente-sept  ans,  fut  pour  lui 
comme  son  bon  ange,  etavec  tous  ses  enfants  ;  Jean,  qui  devait  etre  un 
jour  cardinal  ;  Bernard,  qui  devint  un  vnillant  guerrier  ;  Thomas,  qui 
preparait  deja  peut-etre  sa  traduction  de  Diogene-Laerce  ;  Pierre,  qui 
voulut  etre  jurisconsulte  comme  son  pere  ;  et  le  jeune  Hippolyte,  un 
enfant  alors,  dont  les  saillies  inquietaient  le  vieillard,  car  il  ne  savait 
comment  pourvoir  a  son  education  etutiliser  cette  vivacite  de  genie  qui 
deja  brillait  dans  son  regard.  Hippolyte  fut  eleve  aux  frais  du  cardi- 
nal Farnese  ;  puis,  tous  les  emplois,  toutes  les  dignites  vinrent  succes- 
sivement  au-devant  de  lui,  sans  qu'il  les  cherchat  autrement  qu'en  s'en 
rendant  digne." — Gournerie,  Rome  Chrctienne,  ii.  23S. 

The  sixth  chapel  contains  two  fine  cinque-cento  tombs  ; 
on  the  left,  Benedetto  Superanzio,  bishop  of  Nicosia,  ob. 
1495  ;  on  the  right,  a  Spanish  bishop,  Giovanni  da  Coca, 
with  frescoes.  Close  to  the  former  tomb,  on  the  floor,  is 
the  grave  of  (archdeacon)  Robert  Wilberforce,  who  died 
at  Albano  in  1857. 

Here  we  enter  the  right  transept.  On  the  right  is  a 
small  dark  chapel  containing  a  fine  Crucifix,  attributed  to 
Giotto.  The  central,  or  Caraffa  Chapel,  is  dedicated  to  S. 
Thomas  Aquinas,  and  is  covered  with  well-preserved  fres- 
coes. On  the  right,  S.  Thomas  Aquinas  is  represented 
surrounded  by  allegorical  figures,  by  FilippinoLippi.  Over 
the  altar  is  a  beautiful  Annunciation,  in  which  a  portrait 
of  the  donor,  Cardinal  Olivieri  Caraffa,  is  introduced. 
Above,  is  the  Assumption  of  the  Virgin.  On  the  ceiling 
are  the  four  Sibyls,  by  Raffeltino  del  Garbo. 

Against  the  left  wall  is  the  tomb  of  Paul  IV. ,  Gio.  Pietro 


550  WALK'S  IX  HOME. 

Caraifa  (1515-59),  the  great  supporter  of  the  Inquisition, 
the  patron  of  the  Jesuits,  and  the  persecutor  of  the  Jews 
(whom  he  sluit  up  with  walls  in  the  Ghetto),  a  pope  so  ter- 
rible to  look  upon,  that  even  Alva,  who  feared  no  man, 
trembled  at  his  awful  aspect.  Such  he  is  represented 
upon  his  tomb,  with  deeply-sunken  eyes  and  strongly- 
marked  features,  with  one  hand  raised  in  blessing — or 
cursing — the  keys  of  S.  Peter  in  the  other.  The  tomb  was 
designed  by  Pirro  Ligorio ;  the  statue  is  the  v/ork  of 
Giacomo  and  Tommaso  Casignuola,  and  being  made  in 
marble  of  different  pieces  and  colors,  is  cited  by  Vasari  as 
an  instance  of  a  sculptor's  ingenuity  in  imitating  painting 
with  his  materials.     The  epitaph  runs  : 

"  To  Jesus  Christ,  the  hope  and  the  life  of  the  fathful  ;  to  Paul  IV. 
Caraffa,  sovereign  pontiff,  distinguished  amongst  all  by  his  eloquence, 
his  learning,  and  his  wisdom  ;  illustrious  by  his  innocence,  by  his  lib- 
erality, and  by  his  greatness  of  soul  ;  to  the  most  ardent  champion  of 
the  Catholic  faith,  Pius  V.,  sovereign  pontiff,  has  raised  this  monu- 
ment of  his  gratitude  and  of  his  piety.  He  lived  eighty-three  years, 
one  month,  and  twenty  days,  and  died  the  14th  of  August,  1559,  the 
fifth  year  of  his  pontificate."  ' 

On  the  transept  wall,  just  outside  this  chapel,  is  the 
beautiful  Gothic  tomb,  by  Giovaimi  Cosmaii,  of  Guillaume 
Durandus,  bishop  of  Mende,'^  with  a  recumbent  figure 
guarded  by  two  angels,  the  bacl^ground  being  occupied  by 
a  mosaic  of  the  Virgin  and  Child. 

The  first  chapel  on  a  line  v^ith  the  choir — the  burial- 
place  of  the  Altieri  family — has  an  altar-piece,  by  Carlo 
Maratta,  representing  five  saints  canonized  by  Clement  X., 
presented  to  the  Virgin  by  S.  Peter.  On  the  floor  is  the 
incised  monument  of  a  bishop  of  Sutri. 

The  second  chapel— which  contains  a  fine  cinque-cento 
tomb — is  that  of  the  Rosary.  Its  ceiling,  representing  the 
Mysteries  of  the  Rosary,  is  by  Marcello  Venuiii  ;  the  history 
of  S.  Catherine  of  Siena  is  by  Giovanni  de  Vccchi ;  the 
large  and  beautiful  Madonna  with  the  Child  over  the  altar 
is  attributed  to  Fra  Angelica.  Here  is  the  tomb  of  Car- 
dinal Capranica  of  1470. 

Beneath  the  high  altar,  with  lamps  always  burning  before 

'  See  Gregorovius,  Cjalnnaler  der  Pa/iste. 

-Author  of  the  Rationale  DiviKorum  Officiorum—^'  k  treasure  of  informa- 
tion on  all  points  connected  with  the  decorations  and  services  of  the  mediaeval 
church.  Durandus  was  born  in  Provence  about  1220,  and  died  m  1290  at  Rome.  ' 
~J.OTd  L  uuisay. 


.V     MARIA    SOPRA    MIXERVA. 


551 


it,  is  a  marble  sarcophagus  with  a  beautiful  figure,  inclosing 
the  body  of  S.  Catherine  of  Siena.  In  it  her  relics  were 
deposited  in  146 1,  by  Antoninus,  archbishop  of  Florence. 
On  the  last  pillar  to  the  right  is  an  inscription  stating  that, 
"  all  the  indulgences  and  privileges  in  every  church,  of  ail 
the  religious  orders,  mendicant  or  not  mendicant,  in  every 
part  of  the  world,  are  granted  specially  to  this  church, 
where  is  the  body  of  S.  Catherine  of  Siena." 

"  S.  Catherine  was  one  of  twenty-five  children  born  in  wedlock  to 
Jacopo  and  Lupa  Benincasa,  citizens  of  Siena.  Her  father  exercised 
the  trade  of  dyer  and  fuller.  In  the  year  of  her  birth,  1347,  Siena 
reached  the  climax  of  its  power  and  splendor.  It  was  then  that  the 
plague  of  Boccaccio  began  to  rage,  which  swept  off  80,000  citizens,  and 
interrupted  the  building  of  the  great  Duomo.  In  the  midst  of  so  large 
a  family  and  during  these  troubled  times,  Catherine  grew  almost  un- 
noticed, but  it  was  not  long  before  she  manifested  her  peculiar  dispo- 
sition. At  six  years  old  she  already  saw  visions  and  longed  for  a 
monastic  life  :  about  the  same  time  she  used  to  collect  her  childish 
companions  together  and  preach  to  them.  As  she  grew  her  wishes 
became  stronger  ;  she  refused  the  proposals  which  her  parents  made 
that  she  should  marry,  and  so  vexed  them  by  her  obstinacy  that  they 
imposed  on  her  the  most  servile  duties  in  their  household.  These  she 
patiently  fulnlled,  at  the  same  lime  pursuing  her  own  vocation  with 
unwearied  ardor.  She  scarcely  slept  at  all,  and  ate  no  food  but  vege- 
tables and  a  little  bread,  scourged  herself,  wore  sackcloth,  and  be- 
came emaciated,  weak,  and  half  delirious.  At  length  the  firmness  of 
her  character  and  the  force  of  her  hallucinations  won  the  day.  Her 
parents  consented  to  her  assuming  the  I^ominican  robe,  and  at  the  age 
of  thirteen  she  entered  the  monastic  life.  From  this  moment  till  her 
death  we  see  in  her  the  ecstatic,  the  philanthropist,  and  the  politician 
combined  to  a  remarkable  degree.  For  three  whole  years  she  never 
left  her  cell  except  to  go  to  church,  maintaining  an  almost  unbroken 
silence.  Yet.  when  she  returned  to  the  v/orld,  convinced  at  length  of 
having  won  by  prayer  and  pain  the  favor  of  her  Lord,  it  was  to  preach 
to  infuriated  mobs,  to  toil  among  men  dying  of  the  plague,  to  execute 
diplomatic  negotiations,  to  harangue  the  republic  of  Florence,  to  cor- 
respond with  queens,  and  to  interpose  between  kings  and  popes.  In 
the  midst  of  this  varied  and  distracting  career  she  continued  to  see 
visions,  and  to  fast  and  scourge  herself.  The  domestic  virtues  and 
the  personal  wants  and  wishes  of  a  woman  were  annihilated  in  her  ; 
she  lived  for  the  Church,  for  the  poor,  and  for  Christ,  whom  she  im- 
agined to  be  constantly  supporting  her.  At  length  she  died  (at  Rome, 
on  the  29th  of  April,  1380,  in  her  33d  year),  worn  out  by  inward  con- 
flicts, by  the  tension  of  a  half-delirious  ecstacy,  by  want  of  food  and 
sleep,  and  by  the  excitement  of  political  life," — Symofids's  Sketches 
of  Greece  and  Italy. 

On  the  right  of  the  high  altar  is  a  statue  of  S.  John, 
by  Oliicci, — on  the  left  is  the  famous  statue  of  Christ,  by 


552 


WALK'S  IX   ROME. 


Michael  Angelo.  This  is  one  of  the  sculptures  which 
Francis  I.  tried  hard  to  obtain  for  Paris.  Its  effect  is 
marred  by  the  bronze  drapery. 

"  Son  corps  ne  porte  pas  marque  de  souffrance,  son  visage  ne  porte 
pas  marque  de  douleur.  II  est  grave  et  non  pas  triste,  il  pense  ct  re 
s'afflige  pas.  II  tient  d'un  bras  ferme  I'instrument  de  son  martyro 
comme  un  chef  d'arme'e  tient  son  drapeau  ou  son  epee." — Emile 
Alontt'gut. 

Behind,  in  the  choir,  are  the  tombs  of  two  ]\Iedici  popes. 
On  the  left  is  Leo  X.,  Giovanni  de'  Medici  (15 13-21). 
This  great  pope,  son  of  Lorenzo  the  Magnificent,  was  de.> 
tined  to  the  papacy  from  his  cradle.  He  was  ordained  at 
seven  years  old,  was  made  a  cardinal  at  seventeen,  and 
pope  at  thirty-eight,  and  at  the  installation  procession  to 
the  Lateran  rode  upon  the  same  white  horse  upon  which 
he  had  fought  and  had  been  taken  prisoner  at  the  battle 
of  Ravenna.  His  reign  was  one  of  fetes  and  pleasures. 
He  was  the  great  patron  of  artists  and  poets,  and  Raffaelle 
and  Ariosto  rose  into  eminence  under  his  protection.  His 
tomb  is  from  a  design  of  Antonio  di  Sangallo,  but  the 
figure  of  the  pope  is  by  Raffaello  da  Montelupo. 

Near  the  foot  of  Leo  X.'s  tomb  is  the  flat  monumental 
stone  of  Cardinal  Bembo,  his  friend,  and  the  friend  of 
Raffaelle,  who  died  1547.  His  epitaph  has  been  changed. 
The   original  inscription,  half-pagan,  half-Christian,  ran  : 

"  Hie  Bembus  jacet  Aonidum  laus  maxima  Phoebi 

Cum  sole  et  luna  vix  periturus  hones. 
Hie  et  tama  jacet,  spes,  et  suprema  galeri 

Quam  non  ulla  queat  restituisse  dies. 
Hie  jacet  exemplar  vitae  omni  fraude  carentis, 

Summa  jacet,  summa  hie  cum  pietate  fides." 

On  the  right  of  the  choir  is  the  tomb,  by  Sangallo,  of 
Clement  VH.,  Giulio  de'  Medici  (1523-34),  son  of  the 
Giulio  who  fell  in  the  conspiracy  of  the  Pazzi, — who,  in 
his  unhappy  reign,  saw  the  sack  of  Rome  (1527)  under  the 
Constable  de  Bourbon,  and  the  beginning  of  the  separa- 
tion from  England  under  Henry  VHL  The  figure  of  the 
pope  is  by  Baccio  Eandi?icUi.  Among  other  graves  here 
is  that  of  the  English  Cardinal  Howard,  ob.  1694.  Just 
beyond  the  choir  is  a  passage  leading  to  a  door  into  tlie 
Via  S.  Ignazio.  Immediately  on  the  left  is  the  slab  tomb 
of  Fra  Angelico  da  Fiesole.      It  is  inscribed  : 


S.    MARIA    SOPRA    M/XERl'A.  553 

"  Hie  jacet  Vene  Pictor  Fl.  Jo.  de  Florentia  Ordinis 

praedicatorum,  140-). 
"  Non  mihi  sit  laudi  quod  eram  veiut  alter  Apelles, 
Sed  quod  lucra  tuis  omnia,  Christe,  dabam. 
Altera  nam  terris  opera  exstant,  altera  coelo. 
Urbs  me  Johannem  flos  tulit  Etruriae."  ' 

"  Fra  Angelico  was  simple  and  most  holy  in  his  manners, — and  let 
this  serve  for  a  token  of  his  simplicity,  that  Pope  Nicholas  one  morn- 
ing offering  him  refreshments,  he  scrupled  to  eat  flesh  without  the 
license  of  his  superior,  forgetful  for  the  moment  of  the  dispensing 
authority  of  the  pontiff.  He  shunned  altogether  the  commerce  of  the 
world,  and  living  in  holiness  and  in  purity,  was  as  loving  towards  the 
poor  on  earth  as  I  think  his  soul  must  be  now  in  heaven.  He  worked 
incessantly  at  his  art,  nor  would  he  ever  paint  other  than  sacred  sub- 
jects. He  might  have  been  rich,  but  cared  not  to  be  so,  saying  that 
true  riches  consisted  rather  in  being  content  with  little.  He  might 
have  ruled  over  many,  but  willed  it  not,  saying  there  was  less  trouble 
and  hazard  of  sin  in  obeying  others.  Dignity  and  authority  were 
within  his  grasp,  but  he  disregarded  them,  affirming  that  he  sought  no 
other  advancement  than  to  escape  hell  and  draw  nigh  to  Paradise. 
He  was  most  meek  and  temperate,  and  by  a  chaste  life  loosened  him- 
self from  the  snares  of  the  world,  ofttimes  saying  that  the  student  of 
painting  hath  need  of  quiet  and  to  live  without  anxiety,  and  that  the 
dealers  in  the  things  of  Christ  ought  to  live  habitually  with  Christ. 
Never  was  he  seen  in  anger  with  the  brethren,  which  appears  to  me  a 
thing  most  marvelous,  and  all  but  incredible  ;  his  admonitions  to  his 
friends  were  simple  and  always  softened  by  a  smile.  Whoever  sought 
to  employ  him,  he  answered  with  the  utmost  courtesy,  that  he  would 
do  his  part  willingly  so  the  prior  were  content.  —  In  !:um,  this  never 
sufficiently  to  be  lauded  father  was  m.ost  humble  and  modest  in  all  his 
words  and  deeds,  and  in  his  paintings  graceful  and  devout  ;  and  the 
saints  which  he  painted  have  more  of  the  air  and  aspect  of  saints  than 
those  of  any  other  artist.  He  was  wont  never  to  retouch  or  amend 
any  of  his  paintings,  but  left  them  always  as  they  had  come  from 
his  hands  at  first,  believing,  as  he  said,  that  such  was  the  will  of 
God.  Some  say  that  he  never  took  up  his  pencil  without  previous 
prayer.  He  never  painted  a  crucifix  without  tears  bathing  his  cheeks  ; 
and  throughout  his  works,  in  the  countenance  and  attitude  of  all  his 
figures,  the  correspondent  impress  of  his  sincere  and  exalted  appreci- 
ation of  the  Christian  religion  is  recognizable.  Such  was  this  verily 
Angelic  father,  who  spent  the  whole  time  of  his  life  in  the  service  of 
God  and  in  doing  good  to  the  world  and  to  his  neighbor.  And  truly 
a  gift  like  his  could  not  descend  on  any  but  a  man  of  most  saintly  life, 
for  a  painter  must  be  holy  himself  before  he  can  depict  holiness." — 
Lord  Lindsay,  from   Vasari. 

In  the  same  passage  are  tombs  of  Cardinal  Alessan- 
drino,  by    Giacojno  della   Porta;   of   Cardinal    Pimentel, 

>  It  is  no  honor  to  me  to  be  like  another  Appelles,  but  rather,  O  Christ,  that  I 
gave  all  my  (rains  to  thy  poor.  One  was  a  work  for  earth,  the  other  for  heavec. 
A  city,  tile  flower  of  Etruria,  bare  me,  John. 


554 


WALK'S  IJV  ROME, 


by  Bernini ;  and  of  Cardinal  Bonelli,  by  Ca^-lo  Ral- 
naldi. 

Beyond  this,  in  the  left  transept,  is  the  Chapel  of  S. 
Domenico,  \vith  eight  black  columns,  appropriate  to  the 
color  of  the  Order,  and  an  interesting  picture  of  the  saint. 
Here  is  the  tomb  of  Benedict  XIII.,  Vincenzo- Maria  Or- 
sini  (1724-30),  by  Pietro  Bracci.  This  pope,  who  had 
been  a  Dominican  monk,  labored  hard  in  his  short  reign 
for  the  reformation  of  the  Church  and  the  morals  of  the 
clergy. 

"  Benoit  XIII.  se  mettait  a  genoux  par  humilite,  dans  son  cabinet, 
quand  il  ecrivait  a  son  general,  et  etait  d'une  vanite  insupportable  sur 
sa  naissance. " — Lettres  du  president  de  Brasses. 

Over  a  door  leading  to  the  Sacristy  are  frescoes  repre- 
senting the  election  of  Eugenius  IV.  in  1431,  and  of  Nicho- 
las V.  in  1447,  which  both  took  place  in  this  church.  The 
altar  of  the  sacristy  has  a  Crucifixion,  by  Andrea  Sacchi. 

Returning  down  the  left  aisle,  the  second  chapel,  count- 
ing from  this  end,  is  that  of  the  Lante  family,  which  con- 
tains the  fine  tomb  of  the  Duchess  Lante,  ob.  1840,  by 
Tenerani,  with  the  Angel  of  the  Resurrection,  a  sublime 
upward-gazing  figure  seated  upon  a  sarcophagus.  Here  is 
a  picture  of  S.  James,  by  Baroccio. 

The  third  chapel  is  that  of  S.  Vincenzo  Ferreri,  apostle 
of  the  Order  of  Preachers,  with  a  miracle-working  picture, 
by  Bernardo  Castelli.  The  fourth  chapel — of  the  Grazioli 
family — has  on  the  right  a  statue  of  S.  Sebastian,  by  Mino 
da  Fiesole,  and  over  the  altar  a  lovely  head  of  our  Saviour, 
by  Periigino.  This  chapel  was  purchased  by  the  Grazioli 
from  the  old  family  of  Maffei,  of  which  there  are  some  line 
tombs.  The  fifth  chapel — of  the  Patrizi  family — contains 
the  famous  miraculous  picture  called  "  La  Madonna  Con- 
solatrice  degli  Afifiitti,"  in  honor  of  which  Pope  Gregory 
XVI.  conceded  many  indulgences,  as  we  read  by  the  in- 
scription. 

"  La  santita  di  N.  S.  Gregorio  Papa  XVI.  con  breve  in  data  17 
Sept.  1836.  Ho  accordato  I'lndulgenzia  plenaria  a  chiunque  confes- 
sato  e  communicato  visitcrfi  livotamente  questa  santa  immagine  della 
15.  Vergine  sotto  il  titolo  di  consolatrice  degli  afllitii  nelia  seconda 
domcnica  di  Liiglio  e  suo  ottavo  di  ciascun  anno  :  concedo  altresi  la 
parziale  iiidulgenza  di  200  giorni  in  qualunque  giorno  dell'  anno  a 
chiunque  alineno  co'.itrito  visiter.!  la  delta  .S.  Immagine  :  le  dette  in- 
dulgenze  poi  sono  pure  appiicabih  allc  benedette  anime  del  purgatorio," 


CONVENT  OF    THE  MINER  I' A. 


555 


The  last  chapel,  belonging  to  a  Spanish  nobleman,  con- 
tains the  picture  of  the  Crucifixion  which  is  said  to  have 
conversed  with  S.  Rosa  di  Lima. 

Near  the  entrance  is  the  tomb  of  Cardinal  Giacomo 
Tebaldi,  ob.  1466,  and  beneath  it  that  of  Francesco  Tor- 
nabuoni,  by  Mino  da  Fiecolc.  It  was  for  the  tomb  of  the 
wife  of  this  Tornabuoni,  who  died  in  cliildbirth,  that  the 
wonderful  relief  of  Verocchio,  novv  in  the  Uffizi  at  Flo- 
rence, was  executed.  In  the  pavement  is  the  p;ravestone 
of  Paulius  Manutius,  the  printer,  son  of  the  famous  Aldus 
Manutius  of  Venice,  with  the  inscription  "  Paulo  Manutio 
Aldi  Filio.     Obit  cidiolxxiv." 

The  great  Dominican  Convent  of  the  Minen^a  is  the  resi- 
dence of  the  General  of  the  Order.  It  contains  the  Biblio- 
theca  Casanatensis  (so  called  from  its  founder,  Cardinal 
Casanata),  the  largest  library  in  Rom.e  after  that  of  the 
Vatican,  comprising  120,000  printed  volumes  and  4,500 
MSS.  It  is  open  from  eight  to  eleven  a.m.,  and  half-past 
one  to  half-past  three  p.m.  This  convent  has  always  been 
connected  with  the  history  of  the  Inquisition.  Here,  on 
June  22,  1633,  Galileo  was  tried  before  its  tribunal  for  the 
*'  heresy  "  of  saying  that  the  earth  went  round  the  sun,  in- 
stead of  the  sun  round  the  earth,  and  was  forced  to  recant 
upon  his  knees  this  "  accursed,  heretical,  and  detestable 
doctrine."  As  he  rose  from  his  humiliation,  he  is  said  to 
have  consoled  himself  by  adding,  in  an  undertone,  "  E  pur 
si  muove."  When  the  "  Palace  of  the  Holy  Office  "  was 
stormed  by  the  mob  in  the  revolution  of  1848,  it  was 
feared  that  the  Dominican  convent  would  have  been  burnt 
down. 

The  very  beautiful  cloister  of  the  convent,  which  has  a 
vaulted  roof  richly  painted  in  arabesques,  contains  grand 
fifteenth-century  tombs — of  Cardinal  Tiraso,  ob.  1502,  and 
of  Cardinal  Astorgius,  ob.  1503.  S.  Antonio,  archbishop 
of  Florence,  who  lived  in  the  reigns  of  Eugenius  IV.  and 
Nicholas  V.,  was  prior  of  this  convent. 

From  the  Minerva,  the  Via  del  Pie  di  Blarmo  (so  called 
from  a  gigantic  marble  foot  which  stands  at  the  entrance 
of  a  street  on  the  right)  leads  to  the  Corso.' 

'  That  part  of  the  ancient  Campus  Martius  whicii  contains  the  Theater  of 
Marcellus  and  Poriico  of  Octavia,  is  described  in  Chapter  V.  ;  that  which  be- 
bngs  to  the  Via  Flammia  in  Chapter  II. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE    BORGO    AND    S.    PETER'S. 

Via  Tcrdinona — S.  Salvatore  in  Lauro — House  of  Raffaelle — S.  Gio- 
vanni de'  Fiorentini — Bridge  and  Castle  of  S.  Angelo — S.  Maria 
Traspontina — Palazzo  Giraud — Piazza  Scossa  Cavalli — Hospital  of 
Santo  Spirito — Piazzo  and  Obelisk  of  the  Vatican — S.  Peter's  ;  its 
Portico,  Tombs,  ("rypts,  Dome,  and  Sacristy — Churches  of  S. 
Stefano  and  S.  Marta — II  Cimeterio  dei  Tedeschi — Palazzo  del 
Santo  Uffizio — S.  Salvatore  in  Torrione — S.  Michaele  in  Sassia. 

CONTINUING  in  a  direct  course  from  the  Piazza 
Borghese,  we  pass  through  a  series  of  narrow  dirty 
streets  quite  devoid  of  interest,  but  bordering  upon  one 
side  upon  the  Tiber,  of  which — with  its  bridge,  S.  Angelo 
and  S.  Peter's — beautiful  views  may  be  obtained  from 
little  courts  and  narrow  strips  of  shore,  at  the  back  of  the 
houses. 

A  short  distance  after  passing  (on  left)  the  Locanda  dell' 
Orso,  where  Montaigne  stayed  when  he  was  in  Rome,  and 
beneath  which  are  some  curious  vaulted  chambers  of  c. 
A.D.  1500,  the  street,  which  repeatedly  changes  its  name, 
is  called  Via  Tordinona,  from  the  Tor  di  Nona,  which 
once  stood  here,  but  was  destroyed  in  1690.  It  was  used 
as  a  prison,  as  is  shown  by  the  verse  of  Regnier  : 

"  Qu'un  barisel  vous  mit  dedans  la  tour  de  Nonne." 

(One  of  the  narrow  streets  on  the  left  of  the  Via  Tordi- 
nona  debouches  into  the  Via  dei  Coronari,  close  to  the 
Church  of  S.  Salvatore  in  Lauro,  built  on  the  site  of  a 
laurel-grove,  which  flourished  near  the  portico  of  Europa, 
It  contains  a  picture  of  the  Nativity,  by  Pieiro  da  Cortotm. 
and  a  modern  work  of  Ga'^liardi,  representing  S.  Emidio, 
S.  Nicolo  da  Tolentino,  and  S.  Giacomo  della  Marina,  the 
three  protectors  of  Ancona.  In  a  side  chapel,  opening  out: 
of  the   cloisters,  is  the  rich   tomb  of  Pope  Eugenius  IV. 


V/A    TORDINONA.  557 

(Gabriele  Condolmieri,  ob.  1439),  with  his  recumbent  figure 
by  Isaia  da  Pisa.  Francesco  Salviati  painted  a  portrait  of 
this  pope  for  the  adjoining  convent,  to  which  he  had  be- 
longed, as  well  as  a  fine  fresco  of  the  Marriage  of  Cana. ' 

There  are  several  other  fine  monuments  in  the  same 
chapel  with  the  tomb,  which  in  1867  was  given  up  as  a 
barrack  to  the  French  Zouaves,  at  the  great  risk  of  in  jury- 
to  its  delicate  carvings. ) 

Passing  the  Apollo  Theater,  the  Via  Tordinona  emerges 
upon  the  quay  of  the  Tiber,  opposite  S.  Angelo.  Hence 
several  streets  diverge  into  the  heart  of  the  city. 

(At  the  corner  of  the  Via  dei  Banchi  is  a  house  with  a 
frieze,  richly  sculptured  with  lions'  heads,  etc.  This  was 
formerly  the  Fleet  Street  of  Rome  and  the  residence  of 
the  chief  merchants,  especially  of  the  goldsmiths,  from 
whom  the  district  derives  its  name.  Here  Benvenuto  Cel- 
lini had  his  workshop,  and  being  insulted  through  his  open 
window  by  the  goldsmith  Pompeo,  rushed  out,  and  stab- 
bed him  to  the  heart.  This  occurred  during  one  of  the 
papal  conclaves,  which  always  created  scenes  of  license 
and  violence  in  the  Banchi,  which  at  such  times  became  "  a 
kind  of  improvised  exchange,  where  the  rival  chances  of 
candidates  were  publicly  quoted  and  eagerly  discounted, 
amidst  commotion  that  commonly  was  attended  with  riot."^ 
On  the  left  of  the  street  is  the  Church  of  S.  Celso  in  Banchi, 
in  front  of  which  Lorenzo  Colonna,  the  protonotary,  was 
murdered  by  the  Orsini  and  Santa  Croce,  immediately 
after  the  death  of  Sixtus  IV.  (1484)  ;  and  where  his 
mother,  finding  his  head  cut  off,  and  seizing  it  by  the  hair, 
shrieked  forth  her  curses  upon  his  enemies.  On  the 
right,  farther  down  the  street,  is  the  Church  of  S.  Caterina 
da  Siena,  which  contains  an  interesting  altar-piece  by 
Girolamo  Genga,  representing  the  return  of  Gregory  XL 
from  Avignon,  which  was  due  to  her  influence). 

The  house  joining  the  Ponte  S.  Angelo  is  said  to  have 
been  that  of  the  "  Violinista,"  the  friend  of  Raffaelle,  who 
is  familiar  to  us  from  his  portrait  in  the  Sciarra  Palace. 
Some  say  that  Raffaelle  died  while  he  was  on  a  visit  to 
him.  But  the  best  authorities  maintain  that  he  died  in  a 
house  built  for  him  by  Bramante,  in  the  Piazza  Rusti- 
cucci,  which  was  pulled  down  to  enlarge  the  Piazza  of  S. 

'  Vasari,  v.  ^  See  Cattwright's  Papal  Conclaves. 


538  WALKS  /N  ROME. 

Peter's.  No.  124  Via  Coronari,  not  far  from  the  Ponte  S. 
Angelo,  is  shown  as  the  house  in  which  the  great  painter 
Hved  previously  to  this,  and  is  that  which  he  bequeathed 
to  the  chapel  in  the  Pantheon  in  which  he  is  buried.  It 
was  partly  rebuilt  in  1705,  when  Carlo  Maderno  painted  on 
its  tagade  a  portrait  of  Raffaelle  in  c/iiaro-scuro,  now 
almost  obliterated.  The  house  at  present  belongs  to  the 
the  canons  of  S.  Maria  Maggiore. 

The  Via  S.  Gio7'anni  de  Fiorentini  leads  to  the  Church  of 
that  name,  abutting  picturesquely  into  the  angle  of  the 
Tiber.  This  is  the  national  church  of  the  Tuscans,  and 
was  built  at  the  expense  of  the  city  of  Florence.  In  the 
tribune  are  tombs  of  the  Falconieri  family.  Here  are  sev- 
eral fine  pictures  ;  a  S.  Jerome  writing,  by  Cigoli,  who  is 
buried  in  this  church  ;  S.  Jerome  praying  before  a  crucifix, 
Ttlo  Santi^  (1538-1603)  ;  S.  Francis,  Tito  Santi ;  SS. 
Cosmo  and  Damian  condemned  to  martyrdom  by  fire — a 
grand  work  of  Salvator  Rosa. 

"Some  of  the  altar-pieces  of  Salvator  Rosa  (1615-1673)  are  well 
conceived  and  full  of  effect,  especially  when  they  represent  a  horrible 
subject,  like  the  martyrdom  in  S.  Giovanni  de'  P'iorentini.' — Lanzi, 
ii.  165. 

The  Chapel  of  the  Crucifix  is  painted  by  Lanfranco : 
the  third  chapel  on  the  right  has  frescoes  by  Tevipesta  on 
the  roof,  relating  to  the  history  of  S.  Lorenzo. 

The  building  of  this  church  was  begun  in  the  reign  of 
Leo  X.  by  Sansovino,  who,  for  want  of  space,  laid  its 
foundations,  at  enormous  expense,  in  the  bed  of  the  Tiber. 
While  overlooking  this,  he  fell  from  a  scaffold,  and  being 
dangerously  hurt,  was  obliged  to  give  up  his  place  to  Anto- 
nio da  Sangallo.'  Soon  after,  Pope  Leo  died,  and  the  work, 
Avith  many  others,  was  suspended  during  the  reign  of  Ad- 
rian VI.  Under  Clement  VII.  Sansovino  returned,  but 
was  driven  away,  robbed  of  all  his  possessions  in  the  sack 
of  Rome,  under  Constable  de  Bourbon.  The  church  was 
finished  by  Giacomo  della  Porta  in  1588,  but  Alessandro 
Galileo  added  the  facade  in  1725. 

"  En  T48S,  une  affreuse  epidemic  decimait  les  m  ilheureux  habitants 
des  environs  de  Rome  :  les  monrantsetaient  abandonnes,  les  cadavres 
restaient  sans  sepulture.     Aussitot  queiques   Florentins  ferment  une 

■A  scholar  of  Bronzino,  *  See  Vasari.  vol  vii. 


POXTE   S.    ANGELO. 


559 


confrerie  sous  le  titre  de  la  Pifie,  pourrendre  aux  pestife'res  les  demieres 
devoirs  de  la  charite  chretienne  ;  c'est  a  cette  confrerie  qu'on  doit  la 
belle  eglise  de  Saint-Jean  des  Floventins,  a  Strada  Giulia." — Goiinierie, 
Rome  Chretienne. 

T\\Q.  Fonte  S.  Angela  is  the  Pons  Aelius  of  Hadrian,  built 
as  an  approach  to  his  mausoleum,  and  only  intended  for 
this,  as  another  public  bridge  existed  close  by,  at  the  time 
of  its  construction.  It  is  almost  entirely  ancient,  except 
the  parapets.  Ihe  statues  of  S.  Peter  and  S.  Paul,  at  the 
extremity,  were  erected  here  by  Clement  VII.,  in  the  place 
of  two  chapels,  in  1530,  and  the  angels,  by  Clement  IX.,  in 
1688.  The  statue  of  S.  Paul  is  the  work  of  Paolo  Romano, 
the  only  Roman  sculptor  of  the  first  half  of  the  fifteenth 
century.  The  pedestal  of  the  third  angel  on  the  right  is  a 
relic  of  the  siege  of  Rome  in  1 849,  from  which  it  bears  the 
impress  of  a  cannon-ball. 

These  angels,  which  have  been  called  the  "  breezy  ma- 
niacs "  of  Bernini,  are  only  from  his  designs.  The  two 
angels  which  he  executed  himself,  and  intended  for  this 
bridge,  are  now  at  S.  Andrea  delle  Fratte.  The  idea  of 
Clement  IX.  was  a  fine  one,  that  "  an  avenue  of  the  heavenly 
host  should  be  assembled  to  welcome  the  pilgrim  to  the 
shrine  of  the  great  apostle." 

Dante  saw  the  bridge  of  S.  Angelo  divided  lengthv/ays 
by  barriers  to  facilitate  the  movement  of  the  croAvds  going 
to  and  from  S.  Peter's  on  the  occasion  of  the  first  jubilee, 
1300. 

"  Come  i  Romani  per  1'  esercito  molto, 
L'  anno  del  giubbileo,  su  per  lo  ponte 
Hanno  a  passar  la  gente  modo  tolto  ; 
Che  dair  un  lato  tutti  hanno  la  fronte 
Verso  'I  castello,  e  vanno  a  Santo  Pietro, 
Dair  altra  sponda  vanno  verso  '1  monte." 

/«/>;-«(?,  xviii.  29. 

From  the  Ponte  S.  Angelo,  when  the  Tiber  is  low,  are 
visible  the  remains  of  the  bridge  by  which  the  ancient 
Via  Trhnnphalis  crossed  the  river.  Close  by,  where  Santo 
Spiiito  now  stands,  Avas  the  Porta  Triumphalis,  by  which 
victors  entered  the  city  in  triumph. 

Facing  the  bridge  is  the  famous  Castle  of  S.  Angelo, 
built  by  the  Emperor  Hadrian  as  his  family  tomb,  because 
the  last  niche  in  the  imperial  mausoleum  of  Augustus  was 
filled  when  the  ashes  of  Nerva  were  laid  there.     The  first 


560  WALKS  LV  ROME. 

funeral  here  was  that  of  AeHus  Verus,  the  first  adopted  son 
of  Hadrian,  who  died  before  him.  The  emperor  himself 
died  at  Baiae,  but  his  remains  were  transported  hither  from 
a  temporary  tomb  at  Pozzuoli  by  his  successor  Antoninus 
Pius,  by  whom  the  mausoleum  was  completed  in  a.d.  140. 
Here,  also,  were  buried  Antoninus  Pius,  a.d.  161  ;  Marcus 
Aurelius,  a.d.  180;  Commodus,  a.d.  192  ;  and  Septimius 
Severus,  in  an  urn  of  gold,  inclosed  in  one  of  alabaster, 
A.D.  211  ;  Caracalla,  in  a.d.  217,  was  the  last  emperor  in- 
terred here.     The  well-known  lines  of  Byron — 

"  Turn  to  the  mole  which  Hadrian  rear'd  on  high, 
Imperial  mimic  of  old  Egypt's  piles, 
Colossal  copyist  of  deformity, 
Whose  travel'd  phantasy  from  the  fair  Nile's 
Enormous  model,  doom'd  the  artist's  toils 
To  build  for  giants,  and  for  his  vain  eartli, 
His  shrun]<en  ashes,  raise  this  dome  !     How  smiles 
The  gazer's  eye  with  philosophic  mirth, 
To  view  the  huge  design  which  sprung  from  such  a  birth," 

seem  rather  applicable  to  the  Pyramid  of  Caius  Cestius 
than  to  this  mausoleum. 

The  castle,  as  it  now  appears,  is  but  the  skeleton  of  the 
magnificent  tomb  of  the  emperors.  Procopius,  writing  in 
the  sixth  century,  describes  its  appearance  in  his  time.  "It 
is  built,"  he  says,  "of  Parian  marble;  the  square  blocks 
fit  closely  to  each  other  without  any  cement.  It  has  four 
equal  sides,  each  a  stone's  throw  in  length.  In  height  it 
rises  above  the  walls  of  the  city.  On  the  summit  are 
statues  of  men  and  horses,  of  admirable  workmanship,  in 
Parian  marble."  Canina,  in  his  "  Architectura  Romana," 
gives  a  restoration  of  the  mausoleum,  which  shows  how  it 
consisted  of  three  stories  :  i,  a  quadrangular  basement, 
the  upper  part  intersected  with  Doric  pillars,  between 
which  were  spaces  for  epitaphs  of  the  dead  within,  and  sur- 
mounted at  the  corners  by  marble  equestrian  statues  ;  2,  a 
circular  story,  with  fluted  Ionic  colonnades  ;  3,  a  circular 
story,  surrounded  by  Corinthian  columns,  between  which 
were  statues.  The  whole  was  surrounded  by  a  pyramidal 
roof,  ending  in  a  bronze  fir-cone. 

"  The  mausoleum  which  Hadrian  erected  for  himself  on  the  further 
bank  of  the  Tiber  far  outshone  the  tomli  of  Augustus,  which  it  nearly 
confronted.  Of  the  size  and  dignity  which  characterized  this  work  of 
Egyptian  massivenes,  we  may  gain  a  conception  from  the  existing  re- 


CASTLE   OF  S.    ANGELO.  561 

mains  ;  but  it  requires  an  effort  of  imagination  to  transform  tlie  scarred 
and  shapeless  bulk  before  us  into  the  graceful  pile  which  rose  column 
;tpon  column,  surmounted  by  a  gilded  dome  of  span  almost  unri- 
valed."— iMerivale,  ch.  Ixvi. 

The  history  of  the  Mausoleum,  in  the  middle  ages,  is 
almost  the  history  of  Rome.  It  was  probably  first  turned 
into  a  fortress  by  Honorius,  a.d.  423.  From  Theodoric  it 
derives  the  name  of  "Career  Theodorici."  In  537  it  was 
besieged  by  Vitiges,  when  the  defending  garrison,  reduced 
to  the  last  extremity,  hurled  down  all  the  magnificent 
statues  which  decorated  the  cornice  upon  the  besiegers.  In 
A.D.  498  Pope  Symmachus  removed  the  bronze  fir-cone  at 
the  apex  of  the  roof  to  the  court  of  S.  Peter's,  whence  it 
was  afterwards  transferred  to  Giardino  della  Pigna  at  the 
Vatican,  where  it  is  still  to  be  seen  between  two  bronze 
peacocks,  which  probably  stood  on  either  side  of  the  en- 
trance. The  colossal  head  of  Hadrian's  statue,  found 
here,  is  now  in  the  Museo  Pio  Clementino. 

Belisarius  defended  the  castle  against  Totila,  whose 
Gothic  troops  captured  and  held  it  for  three  years,  after 
which  it  was  taken  by  Narses. 

It  was  in  530  that  the  event  occurred  which  gave  the 
building  its  present  name.  Pope  Gregory  the  Great  was 
leading  a  penitential  procession  to  S.  Peter's  in  order  to 
offer  up  prayers  for  the  staying  of  the  great  pestilence 
which  followed  the  inundation  of  530  ;  when,  as  he  was 
crossing  the  bridge,  even  while  the  people  were  falling 
dead  around  him,  he  looked  up  at  the  mausoleum,  and 
saw  an  angel  on  its  summit,  sheathing  a  bloody  sword,' 
while  a  choir  of  angels  around  chanted  with  celestial 
voices  the  anthem,  since  adopted  by  the  church  in  her 
vesper  service — "  Regina  coeli,  laetare — quia  quem  meriiisti 
portare — rcsurrexit,  siciit  dixit,  Alleluja." — To  which   the 

'  It  is  interesting;  to  observe  that  the  same  vision  was  seen  underthe  same  cir- 
cumstances in  other  periods  of  history. 

"  So  the  Lord  sent  pestilence  upon  Israel,  and  there  fell  of  Israel  seventy 
thousand  men.  And  God  sent  an  angel  to  Jerusalem  to  destroy  it  .  .  .  and 
David  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  saw  the  angel  of  the  Lord  stand  between  the  earth 
and  the  heaven,  having  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand  stretched  out  over  Jerusa- 
lem."—  I  Chron   x.xi.  14-16. 

"  Before  the  plague  of  London  had  begun  (otherwise  than  in  S  Giles's),  see- 
ing a  crowd  of  people  in  the  street,  I  joined  them  to  satisfy  my  curiosity,  and 
found  them  all  staring  up  into  the  air,  to  see  what  a  woman  told  them  appeared 
plain  to  her.  This  was  an  angel  clothed  in  white,  with  a  fiery  sword  in  his 
hand,  waving  it,  or  brandishing  it  over  his  head  ;  she  described  every  part  of 
the  figure  to  the  life,  and  showed  them  the  motion  and  the  form."— Z3</oi',  Hist 
of  the  Plague. 

24* 


56 i  WALKS  IN'  ROME. 

earthly  voice  of  the  pope  solemnly  responded,  "  Ora pro 
nobis  Deu7!i,  Alleluja."  ' 

In  the  tenth  century  the  fortress  was  occupied  by  the 
infamous  Marozia,  who,  in  turn,  brought  her  three  husbands 
(Alberic,  Count  of  Tusculum  ;  Guido,  Marquis  of  Tus- 
cany ;  and  Hugo,  King  of  Italy)  thither,  to  tyrannize  with 
har  over  Rome.  It  was  within  the  walls  of  this  building 
that  Alberic,  her  son  by  her  first  husband,  waiting  upon 
his  royal  stepfather  at  table,  threw  a  bowl  of  water  over 
him,  when  Hugo  retorted  by  a  blow,  which  was  the  signal 
for  an  insurrection,  the  people  taking  part  with  Alberic, 
putting  the  king  to  flight,  and  imprisoning  Marozia.  Shut 
up  within  these  walls.  Pope  John  XI.  {931-936)  son  of 
Marozia  by  her  first  husband,  ruled  under  the  guidance 
of  his  stronger-minded  brother  Alberic  :  here,  also,  Octa- 
vian,  son  of  Alberic,  and  grandson  of  Marozia,  succeeded 
in  forcing  his  election  as  John  XII.  (being  the  first  pope 
who  took  a  xvq.\v  name),  and  scandalized  Christendom  by  a 
life  of  murder,  robbery,  adultery,  and  incest. 

In  974  the  castle  was  seized  by  Cencio  (Crescenzio  No- 
mentano),  the  consul,  who  raised  up  an  anti-pope  (Boni- 
face VII.)  here,  with  the  determination  of  destroying  the 
temporal  power  of  the  popes,  and  imprisoned  and  murdered 
two  popes,  Benedict  VI.  (972),  and  John  XIV.  (984), 
within  these  walls.  In  996  another  lawful  pope,  Gregory 
v.,  calling  in  the  emperor  Otho  to  his  assistance,  took  the 
castle  and  beheaded  Cencio,  though  he  had  promised  him 
life  if  he  would  surrender.  From  this  governor  the  fortress 
long  held  the  name  of  Castello  de  Crescenzio,  or  Turris 
Crescentii,  by  which  it  is  described  in  mediaeval  writings. 
A  second  Cencio  supported  another  anti-pope,  Cadolaus, 
here  in  1063,  against  Pope  Alexander  II.  A  third  Cencio 
imprisoned  Gregory  VII.  here  in  1084.  From  this  time 
the  possession  of  the  castle  was  a  constant  point  of  contest 
between  the  popes  and  anti-popes.  In  13 13  Arlotto  degli 
Stefaneschi,  having  demolished  most  of  rhe  other  towers  in 
the  city,  arranged  the  same  fate  for  S.  Angelo,  but  it  was 
saved  by  cession  to  the  Orsini.      It  Avas  from  hence,  on 

■  The  pictures  at  Ara  Coeli  and  S.  Maria  Magpiorc  both  claim  to  be  that  car- 
ried by  S.  Gregory  in  this  procession.  The  song  of  tlie  angels  is  annually  com- 
memorated on  S  Mark's  Day,  when  the  clergy  pass  by  in  procession  to  S. 
Peter's,  and  the  Franciscans  of  Ara  Cocli  and  the  canons  of  S.  Maria  Maggiore. 
halting  here,  chant  the  antiphon,  "  Regina  coeli,  laetare." 


CASTLE   OF  S.    ANGELO.  563 

December  15,  1347,  that  Rienzi  fled  to  Bohemia,  at  the 
end  of  his  first  period  of  power,  his  wife  having  previously 
made  her  escape  disguised  as  a  friar. 

"  The  cause  of  final  ruin  to  this  monument  "  is  described 
by  Nibby  to  have  been  the  resentment  cf  the  citizens  against 
a  French  governor  who  espoused  the  cause  of  the  anti-pope 
(Clement  VII.)  against  Urban  VI.  in  1370.  It  was  then 
that  the  marble  casings  were  all  torn  from  the  walls  and 
used  as  street  pavements. 

A  drawing  of  Sangallo  of  1465  shows  the  "  upper  part  of 
the  fortress  crowned  with  high  square  towers  and  turreted 
buildings  ;  a  cincture  of  bastions  and  massive  square  tow- 
ers girding  the  whole  ;  two  square-built  bulwarks  flanking 
the  extremity  of  the  bridge,  which  v/as  then  so  connected 
with  these  outworks  that  passengers  would  have  immedi- 
ately found  themselves  inside  the  fortress  after  crossing  the 
river.  Marlianus,  1588,  describes  its  double  cincture  of 
fortifications — a  large  round  tower  at  the  inner  extremity 
of  the  bridge  ;  two  towers  with  high  pinnacles,  and  the 
cross  on  their  summits,  the  river  flowing  all  around."  ' 

The  castle  began  to  assume  its  present  aspect  under  Boni- 
face IX.,  in  1395.  John  XXIII.,  141 ',  commenced  the 
covered  way  to  the  Vatican,  which  was  finished  by  Alex- 
ander VI.,  and  roofed  by  Urban  VIII.,  in  1630.  By  the 
last-named  pope  the  great  outworks  of  the  fortress  were 
built  under  Bernini,  and  furnished  with  cannon  made  from 
the  bronze  roof  of  the  Pantheon.  Under  Paul  III.  the  in- 
terior was  decorated  with  frescoes,  and  a  colossal  marble 
angel  erected  on  the  summit,  in  the  place  of  a  chapel  (S. 
Angelo  inter  Nubes)  built  by  Boniface  IV.  The  marble 
angel  was  exchanged  by  Benedict  XIV.  for  the  existing 
angel  of  bronze,  by  a  Dutch  artist,  Verschaffelt. 

"  Paul  III.  voulant  justifier  le  nom  donne  a  cette  forteresse,  fit 
placer  au  sommet  de  I'edifice  une  statue  de  marbre,  representant  un 
ange  tenant  a  la  main  une  epee  nue.  Cet  ouvrage  de  Raphael  de 
Montelupo  a  ete  remplace,  du  temps  de  Benoit  XIV.,  par  une  statue 
de  bronze  qui  fournit  cette  belle  reponse  a  un  officier  fran^ais  assiege 
dans  le  fort  :  '  Je  me  rendrai  quand  I'ange  remettra  son  epee  dans  le 
fourreau.' 

"...  Cet  ange  a  I'air  naif  d'une  jeune  filie  de  dix-huit  ans,  et  ne 
cherche  qu'a  bien  remettre  son  epee  dans  le  fourreau." — Stendhal, 
!•  33- 

'  Hemans'  Story  of  Monuments  fit  Rome. 


564 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


"  I  suppose  no  one  ever  looked  at  this  statue  critically — at  least,  for 
myself,  I  never  could  ;  nor  can  I  remember  novv  whecher,  as  a  work  of 
art,  it  is  above  or  below  criticism  ;  perhaps  both.  Wiih  its  vast  \\ings, 
poised  in  air,  as  seen  against  the  deep  blue  skies  of  Rome,  or  liglued 
up  by  the  golden  sunset,  to  me  it  was  ever  like  what  it  was  inLended 
to  represent — like  a  vision." — Jaawsotis  Sac7-cd  Art,  p.  gS. 

Of  the  castle,  as  we  now  see  it  externally,  only  the  quad- 
rangular basement  and  the  lower  part  of  the  round  tower 
are  of  the  time  of  Hadrian  ;  the  upper  part  was  added  by 
Paul  III.  The  four  round  towers  of  the  outworks,  called 
after  the  four  Evangelists,  are  of  Nicholas  V.,  1447. 

The  interior  of  the  fortress  can  be  visited  by  an  order. 
Excavations  made  in  1825  have  laid  open  the  sepulchral 
chamber  in  the  midst  of  the  basement.  Here  stood,  in 
the  center  the  porphyry  sarcophri.gus  of  Hadrian,  which  was 
stolen  by  Pope  Innocent  II.  to  be  used  as  his  own  tomb  in 
the  Lateran,  where  it  was  destroyed  by  the  fire  of  1360,  the 
cover  alone  escaping,  which  was  used  for  the  tomb  of 
Otho  II.  in  the  atrium  of  S.  Peter's,  and  which,  after  filling 
this  office  for  seven  centuries,  is  now  the  baptismal  font  of 
that  basilica.  A  spiral  passage,  thirty  feet  high  and  eleven 
wide,  up  which  a  chariot  could  be  driven,  gradually  ascends 
through  the  solid  mass  of  masonry.  There  is  wonderfully 
little  to  be  seen.  A  saloon  of  the  time  of  Paul  III.  is 
adorned  with  frescoes  of  the  life  of  Alexander  the  Great, 
by  Pieri?io  del  Vaga.  This  room  would  have  been  used  by 
the  popes  in  case  of  their  having  had  to  take  refuge  in 
S.  Angelo.  An  adjoining  room,  adorned  with  a  stucco 
frieze  of  Tritons  and  Nereids,  is  that  in  which  Cardinal 
Caraffa  was  strangled  (1561)  under  Pius  IV.,  for  alleged 
abuses  of  authority  under  his  uncle  Paul  IV. — his  brother, 
the  Marquis  Caraffa,  being  beheaded  in  the  castle  the  same 
night.  The  reputed  prison  of  Beatrice  Cenci  is  shown,  but 
it  is  very  uncertain  that  she  was  ever  confined  here, — also 
the  prison  of  Cagliostro,  and  that  of  Benvenuto  Cellini, 
who  escaped,  and  broke  his  leg  in  trying  to  let  himself 
down  by  a  rope  from  the  ramparts.  The  statue  of  the 
angel  by  Montelupo  is  to  be  seen  stowed  away  in  a  dark 
corner.    Several  horrible  trabocchette  (oubliettes)  are  shown. 

On  the  roof,  from  which  there  is  a  beautiful  view,  are 
many  modern  prisons,  where  prisoners  suffer  terribly  from 
the  siunmer  sun  beating  upon  their  flat  roofs. 


THE   BORGO.  565 

Among  the  sculptures  found  here  were  the  Barberini 
Faun,  now  at  Munich  ;  the  Dancing  Faun,  at  Florence  ; 
and  the  bust  of  Hadrian,  at  the  Vatican.  The  sepulchral 
inscriptions  of  the  Antonines  existed  till  1572,  when  they 
were  cut  up  by  Gregory  XIII.  (Buoncompagni),  and  the 
marble  used  to  decorate  a  chapel  in  S.  Peter's  !  The  mag- 
nificent Easter  display  of  fireworks  (from  an  idea  of  Michael 
Angelo,  carried  out  by  Bernini),  called  the  girandola,  is 
exhibited  here.  From  1849  to  1870,  the  castle  was  occu- 
pied by  French  troops,  and  their  banner  floated  here,  ex- 
cept on  great  festivals,  when  it  was  exchanged  for  that  of 
the  pope. 

Running  behind,  and  crossing  the  back  streets  of  the 
Borgo,  is  the  covered  passage  intended  for  the  escape  of 
the  popes  to  the  castle.  It  was  used  by  Alexander  VI. 
when  invaded  by  Charles  VIII.  in  1494,  and  twice  by  Cle- 
ment VII.  (Giulio  de'  Medici),  who  fled,  in  1527,  from 
Moncada,  viceroy  of  Naples,  and  in  May,  1527,  during  the 
terrible  sack  of  Rome  by  the  troops  of  the  Constable  de 
Bourbon. 

"  Pendant  que  I'on  se  battait,  Clement  VII.  etait  en  prieres  devant 
I'autel  de  sa  chapelle  au  Vatican,  detail  singulier  chez  un  homme  qui 
avait  commence  sa  carriere  par  etre  militaire.  Lorsque  les  cris  dcs 
mourants  lui  annoncerent  la  prise  de  la  ville,  il  s'enfuit  du  Vatican  au 
chateau  S.  Ange  par  le  long  corridor  qui  s't'leve  au-dessus  des  plus 
hautes  maisons.  L"historien  Paul-Jove,  qui  suivait  Clement  VII., 
relevait  sa  longue  robe  pour  qu'il  pilt  marcher  plus  vite,  et  lorsque  le 
pape  fut  arrive  au  pont  qui  le  laissait  a  decouvert  pour  un  instant, 
Paul-Jove  le  couvrit  de  son  manteau  et  de  son  chapeau  violet,  de  peur 
qu'il  ne  fut  reconnu  a  son  rochet  blanc  et  ajuste  par  quelque  soldat 
bon  tireur. 

"  Pendant  cette  longue  fuite  le  long  du  corridor,  Clenrient  VII. 
apercevait  au-dessous  de  lui.  par  les  pelites  fenetres,  ses  sujcts  pour- 
suivis  par  les  soldats  vainqueurs  qui  de'ja  se  re'pandaient  dans  les  rues. 
lis  ne  faisaient  aucun  quartier  a  pertonne,  et  tuaient  a  coups  de  pique 
tout  ce  qu'ils  pouvaient  atteindre." — Stendhal,  i.  388. 

'*  The  Escape  "  consists  of  two  passages  ;  the  upper 
open  like  -a  loggia,  the  lower  covered,  and  only  lighted  by 
loopholes.  The  keys  of  both  were  kept  by  the  pope 
himself. 

S.  Angelo  is  at  the  entrance  of  the  Borgo,  falsely  prom- 
ised at  the  Italian  invasion  of  September,  1870,  as  the 
sanctuary  of  the  papacy,  the  tiny  sovereignty  where  the 
tem.poral  sway  of  the  popes  should  remain  undisturbed  ! 


566  IV A  LA'S  J.V  ROME. 

Thi  Borgo,  or  Leoniri".  City,  is  surrounded  by  walls  of  its 
own,  which  were  begun  in  a.d.  846,  by  Pope  Leo  IV.,  for 
the  better  defense  of  S.  Peter's  from  the  Saracens,  who 
had  been  carrying  their  devastations  up  to  the  very  walls 
of  Rome.  These  walls,  10,800  feet  in  circumference,  were 
completed  in  four  years  by  laborers  summoned  from  every 
town  and  monastery  of  the  Roman  States.  Pope  Leo  him- 
self daily  encouraged  their  exertions  by  his  presence.  In 
852  the  walls  were  solemnly  consecrated  by  a  vast  proces- 
sion of  the  whole  Roman  clergy  barefooted,  their  heads 
strewn  with  ashes,  who  sprinkled  them  with  holy  water, 
while  the  pope  offered  a  prayer  composed  by  himself,'  at 
each  of  the  three  gates. 

The  adjoining  Piazza  Pia  is  decorated  with  a  fountain 
erected  by  Pius  IX.  The  principal  of  the  streets  which 
meet  here  is  the  Via  del  Borgo  Nuovo,  the  main  artery  to 
S.  Peter's.  On  its  left  is  the  Church  of  S.  Maria  Tras- 
pontina,  built  in  1566,  containing  tv/o  columns  which  bear 
inscriptions,  stating  that  they  v/ere  those  to  which  S.  Peter 
and  S.  Paul  were  respectively  attached,  when  they  suffered 
flagellation  by  order  of  Nero  ! 

This  church  occupies  the  site  of  a  Pyramid  supposed  to 
have  been  erected  to  Scipio  Africanus,  who  died  at  Liter- 
num,  B.C.  183,  and  which  was  regarded  in  the  middle  ages 
as  the  tomb  of  Romulus.  Its  sides  were  once  coated  with 
marble,  which  was  stripped  off  by  Donus  I.  This  pyramid 
is  represented  on  the  bronze  doors  of  S.  Peter's. 

A  little  farther  is  the  Palazzo  Giraud,  now  belonging  to 
Prince  Torlonia.  It  was  built  by  Bramante,  for  Cardinal 
Adriano  da  Corneto,^  and  was  given  in  1504  by  Cardinal 
Castellari  to  Henry  VII.  of  England.  Henry  VIII.  gave 
it  to  Cardinal  Campeggio,  when  it  became  for  a  short 
time  the  residence  of  the  English  ambassador  before  the 
Reformation.  Innocent  XII.  converted  it  into  a  college 
for  priests,  by  whom  it  was  sold  to  the  Marquis  Giiaud. 

Facing  this  palace  is  the  Piazza  Scossa  Cavalli,  with  a 

'  "  Deus.  gui  apostolo  tuo  Petrocollatis  clavibus  regni  coelestis  lifrandi  et  sol- 
vendi  p:.ntiiicium  tradidisti :  concede  ut  intercessior.is  ejusnu.xilio,  a  peccatorum 
nostrorum  lepibus  libercmur:  ct  banc  civitatcm,  qnam  te  adjuvante  fundavimus, 
lac  ab  ira  tna  in  pcrpetuum  perma  lere  sccuram,  et  de  hostib';s.  quorum  causa 
consiructa  est,  novos  el  inultiplicatos  habere  triumphos,  per  Dominum  nos- 
trum,' &C.  K         .  K 

*  The  same  whom  Alexander  VI.  had  intended  to  poison,  when  he  poisooed 
himself  instc-ad. 


PIAZZA    S.   PIETRO. 


5r-,7 


pretty  fountain.  Its  name  bears  witness  to  a  curious 
legend,  which  tells  how  when  S.  Helena  returned  from 
Palestine,  bringing  with  her  the  stone  on  which  Abraham 
was  about  to  sacrifice  Isaac,  and  that  on  which  the  Virgin 
Mary  sat  down  at  the  time  of  the  presentation  of  the 
Saviour  in  the  Temple,  the  horses  drawing  these  precious 
relics  stood  still  at  this  spot,  and  refused  every  effort  to 
make  them  move.  Then  Christian  people,  "  recognizing 
the  finger  of  God,"  erected  a  church  on  this  spot(S. 
Giacomo  Scossa  Cavalli),  Avhere  the  stones  are  still  to  be 
seen. 

The  Strada  del  Borgo  Santo  Spirito  contains  the  im- 
mense Hospital  of  Santo  Spirito,  running  along  the  bank 
of  the  Tiber.  This  establishment  was  founded  in  1 198  by 
Innocent  III.  Sixtus  IV.,  in  147 1,  ordered  it  to  be  rebuilt 
by  Baccio  Pintelli,  who  added  a  hall  376  feet  long  by 
44  high  and  37  wide.  Under  Benedict  XIV.,  Ferdinando 
Fuga  built  another  great  hall.  The  altar  in  the  midst  of 
the  great  hall  is  the  only  work  of  Andrea  Palladio  in  Rome. 
The  church  v/as  designed  by  Baccio  Pintelli,  but  built  by 
Antonio  di  Sangallo  under  Paul  III.  Under  Gregory  XII., 
Ottaviano  Mascherino  built  the  palace  of  the  governor 
which  unites  the  hospital  with  the  church. 

The  institution  comprises  a  hospital  for  every  kind  of 
disease,  containing  in  ordinary  times  1,620  beds,  a  number 
which  can  be  almost  doubled  in  time  of  necessity  ;  a  luna- 
tic asylum  containing  an  average  of  450  inmates  ;  and  a 
foundling  hospital.  Upwards  of  3,000  foundlings  pass 
through  the  hospital  annually.  The  person  who  wishes  to 
deposit  an  infant  rings  a  bell,  v>'hen  a  little  bed  is  turned 
toward  the  grille  near  the  door,  in  which  the  baby  is  de- 
posited. Close  to  this  is  another  grille,  without  any  appa- 
rent use.  "  What  is  that  for  ? "  you  ask.  "  Because,  when 
nurses  come  in  from  the  country,  they  might  be  tempted 
to  take  the  children  for  money,  and  yet  not  feel  any  natu- 
ral tenderness  toward  them,  but  by  looking  through  the 
second  grille,  they  can  see  the  child,  and  discover  if 
it  is  simpatico,  and  if  not,  they  can  go  away  and  leave 
it." 

At  the  end  of  the  street  one  enters  the  Piazza  Rusti- 
cucci  (where  Raffaelle  died),  from  which  open  the  magni- 
ficent colonnades  of   Bernini,  leading   the   eye  up  to   the 


56S  WALKS  /.V   ROME. 

facade  of  S.  Peter's,  wliile  the  middle  distance  is  broken 
by  the  silver  spray  of  its  gUttering  fountains. 

The  Colonnades  have  284  columns,  arc  sixty-one  feet 
wide,  and  sixty-four  high  ;  they  inclose  an  area  of  777 
English  feet  ;  they  were  built  by  Bernini  for  Alexander 
VII.,  1657-67.  In  the  center  is  the  famous  red  granite 
Obelisk  of  the  Vatican,  brought  to  Rome  from  Heliopolis 
by  Caligula,  in  a  ship  which  Pliny  describes  as  being 
*' nearly  as  long  as  the  left  side  of  the  port  of  Ostia."  It 
was  used  to  adorn  the  circus  of  Nero,  and  was  brought 
from  a  position  near  the  present  sacristy  of  S.  Peter's  by 
Sixtus  V.  in  15S6.  Here  it  was  elevated  by  Domenico 
Fontana,  who  estimated  its  weight  at  963,537  Roman 
pounds;  and  em];loyed  800  men,  150  horses,  and  46 
cranes  in  its  removal. 

The  obelisk  was  first  exorcised  as  a  pagan  idol,  and 
then  dedicated  to  the  Cross.  Its  removal  was  preceded  by 
high  mass  in  S.  Peter's,  after  which  Pope  Sixtus  bestowed 
a  solemn  benediction  upon  Fontana  and  his  workmen,  and 
ordered  that  none  should  speak,  upon  pain  of  death,  dur- 
ing the  raising  of  the  obelisk.  The  immense  mass  was 
slowly  rising  upon  its  base,  when  suddenly  it  ceased  to 
move,  and  it  was  evident  that  the  ropes  were  giving  way. 
An  awful  moment  of  suspense  ensued,  when  the  breathless 
silence  was  broken  by  a  cry  of  "  Acqua  alle  funi !  " — 
throw  water  on  the  ropes,  and  the  workmen,  acting  on  the 
advice  so  unexpectedly  received,  again  saw  the  monster 
move  and  gradually  settle  on  its  base.  The  man  who 
saved  the  obelisk  was  Bresca,  a  sailor,  of  Bordigheira,  a  vil- 
lage of  the  Riviera  di  Ponente,  and  Sixtus  V.,  in  his  grati- 
tude, promised  him  that  his  native  village  should  ever 
thenceforth  have  the  privilege  of  furnishing  the  Easter 
palms  to  S.  Peter's.  A  vessel  laden  with  palm-branches, 
wliich  abound  in  Bordighiera,  was,  while  the  papal  power 
lasted,  annually  sent  to  the  Tiber  in  the  week  before  Palm 
Sunday,  and  the  palms,  after  being  prepared  and  plaited 
by  the  nuns  of  S.  Antonio  Abbate,  were  used  in  the  cere- 
monial in  S.  Peter's. 

The  height  of  the  whole  obelisk  is  132  feet ;  that  of  the 
shaft,  eighty-three  feet.  Upon  the  shaft  is  the  inscription 
to  Augustus  and  Tiberius  :  "  divo.  caes.  divi.  julii.  f.  au- 

GUSTO. — TI.  CAESARI.   DIVI.  AUG.  F. — AUGUSTA.  SACRUM." 


OBELISK   OF   S.    PETER'S.  569 

The  inscriptions  on  the  base  show  its  modern  dedication 
to  the  Cross' — "  Ecce  Crux  Domini— Fugete  partes  ad- 
versae — vicit  Leo  de  tribu  Juda." 

"  Sixte-Quint  s'applaudissait  du  succes,  comme  de  I'oeuvre  la  plus 
eigante>que  des  temps  modernes  ;  des  mcdailles  furent  frappees  ;  Yon- 
tana  fut  cree  noble  romain,  chevalier  de  I'Eperon  d'or,  et  re^ut  une 
gratification  de  5,00a  ecus,  independammeiit  des  materiaux  qui  avaient 
servi  a  Tentrepi-ise,  et  dont  la  valeur  s'clevait  a  20,000  ecus  (-oS.ooo 
fr.)  ;  enfin  des  poemes,  dans  toutes  les  langues,  sur  ce  nouv.au  tri- 
omphe  de  la  croix,  furent  adresses  aux  difierents  souverains  de 
I'Europe." — Gourmrie,  Rome  ChyMeime,  ii.  232. 

"  In  s'jnim2r  the  great  square  basks  in  unalluring  magnificence  in 
the  midday  sun.  Its  tall  obelisk  sends  but  a  slim  shadow  to  travel 
^ound  the  oval  plane,  like  the  gnomon  of  a  huge  dial  ;  its  fountains 
murmur  with  a  delicious  dreaminess,  sending  up  massive  jets  like 
blocks  of  crystal  into  the  hot  sunshine,  and  receiving  back  a  broken 
spray,  on  which  sits  serene  an  unbroken  iris,  but  present  no  "  cool 
grot,"  where  one  may  enjoy  their  freshness;  and,  in  spite  of  the 
shorter  path,  the  pilgrim  looks  with  dismiy  at  the  dazzling  pavement 
and  long  flight  of  unsheltered  steps  between  him  and  the  church,  and 
prudently  plunges  into  the  forest  of  columns  at  either  side  of  the 
piazza,  and  threads  his  way  through  their  uniting  shadows,  intended, 
as  an  inscription  ^  tells  him,  for  this  express  purpose." — Cardinal  Wise- 
man. 

"  Un  jour  Pie  V.  traversait,  avec  I'ambassadeur  de  Pologne,  cette 
place  du  Vatican.  Pris  d'enthousiasme  au  souvenir  du  courage  des 
martyrs  qui  I'ont  arrosee  de  leurs  larmes,  et  fertilisee  par  leur  sang,  il 
"e  baisse,  et  saisissant  dans  sa  main  une  poignee  de  poussiere  : 
'  Tenez,'  dit-il  au  representant  de  cette  noble  nation,  '  prenez  cettt 
poussiere  formee  de  la  cendre  des  saints,  et  impregnee  du  sang  de 
martyrs.' 

"  L'ambassadeur  ne  portait  pas  dans  son  coeur  la  foi  d'un  pape,  n' 
dans  son  ami  les  illuminations  d'un  saint  ;  il  recut  pourtant  avec  re- 
spect cette  relique  etrange  a  ses  yeux  :  mais  revenu  en  son  palais,  re- 
tirant,  d'une  main  indifferente  peut-etre,  le  linge  qui  la  contenait,  il  le 
trouva  ensanglante. 

"  La  poussiere  avail  disparu.  La  foi  du  pontife  avait  evoque  le  sang 
des  martyrs,  et  ce  sang  genereux  reparaissait  a  cet  appel  pour  attester, 
en  face  de  I'heresie,  que  I'Eglise  romaine,  au  xvi«  siecle,  etait  toujours 
celle  pour  laquelle  ces  heros  avaient  donne  leur  vie  sous  Neron." — 
Une  Ckr^tienne  h  Rofuc. 

No  one  can  look  upon  the  Piazza  of  S.  Peter's  without 
associating  it  with  the  great  reHgious  ceremonies  with  which 

'  At  th3  time  of  its  erection,  Sixtus  V.  conceded  an  indulgence  of  ten  years  to 
all  who,  passing  beneath  tiie  obelisk,  should  adore  the  cross  on  its  summit,  re- 
peating a  pater-noster. 

2  The  inscription  is  from  Isaiah  iv.  6:  "A  tabernacle  for  a  shade  in  the  day-tim-^ 
from  the  heat,  and  a  security  and  covert  from  the  whirlwind  and  from  the 
rain." 


5 JO  WALKS  /.V    ROME. 

it  has  been  connected,  especially  that  of  the  Easter  Bene- 
diction. 

"  Out  over  the  great  balcony  stretches  a  white  awning,  where  priests 
and  attendants  are  collected,  and  where  the  pope  will  soon  be  seen. 
Below,  the  piazza  is  alive  with  moving  nlas^5es.  In  the  center  are  drawn 
up  long  lines  of  soldiery,  with  yellow  and  red  pompons,  and  glittering 
helmets  and  bayonets.  These  are  surrounded  by  crowds  on  toot,  and 
at  the  ouier  rim  are  packed  carriages  hlled  and  overrun  with  people, 
mounted  on  the  seats  and  boxes.  What  a  sight  it  is ! — above  us  the 
great  dome  of  S.  Peter's,  and  below,  the  grand  embracing  colonnade, 
and  the  vast  space,  in  the  center  of  which  rises  the  solemn  obelisk 
thronged  with  masses  of  living  beings.  Peasants  from  the  Campagna 
and  the  mountains  are  moving  about  everywhere.  Filgrinih  in  oilcloth 
cape  and  with  iron  staff  demand  charity.  Un  the  steps  are  rows  of 
purple,  blue,  and  brown  umbrellas,  for  there  the  sun  blazes  fiercely. 
Everywhere  crop  forth  the  white  hoods  of  Sisters  of  Charity,  collected 
in  groups,  and  showing,  among  the  parti-colored  dresses,  like  beds  of 
chrysanthemums  in  a  garden.  One  side  of  the  massive  colonnade  casts 
a  grateful  shadow  over  the  crowd  beneath,  that  fill  up  the  intervals  of 
its  columns  ;  but  elsewhere  the  sun  burns  down  and  flashes  everywhere. 
Mounted  on  the  colonnade  are  crowds  of  people  leaning  over,  beside 
the  colossal  statues.  Through  all  the  heat  is  heard  the  constant  plash 
of  the  sun-lit  fountains,  that  wave  to  and  fro  their  veils  of  white  spray. 
At  last  the  clock  strikes.  In  the  far  balcony  are  seen  the  two  great 
showy  peacock  fans,  and  betw'een  them  a  figure  clad  in  white,  that 
rises  from  a  golden  chair,  and  spreads  his  great  sleeves  like  wings  as 
he  raises  his  arms  in  benediction.  That  is  the  pope,  Pius  the  Ninth. 
All  is  dead  silence,  and  a  musical  voice,  sweet  and  penetrating,  is  heard 
chanting  from  the  balcony  ; — the  people  bend  and  kneel  ;  with  a  cold 
gray  flash  all  the  bayonets  gleam  as  the  soldiers  drop  to  their  knees, 
and  rise  to  salute  as  the  voice  dies  away,  and  the  two  white  \\  ings  are 
again  waved  ; — then  thunder  the  cannon, — the  bells  clash  and  peal, — 
a  few  white  papers,  like  huge  snowflakes.  drop  wavering  from  the  bal- 
cony ; — these  are  indulgences,  and  there  is  an  eager  struggle  for  them 
below  ; — then  the  pope  again  rises,  again  gives  his  benediction,'  wav- 
ing to  and  fro  his  right  hand,  three  fingers  open,  and  making  the  sign 
of  the  cross, — and  the  peacock  fans  retire,  and  he  between  tiiem  is 
borne  away, — and  Lent  is  over." — Story's  Roba  di  Roma. 

The  first  church  which  existed  on  or  near  the  site  of  the 

'  It  may  not  be  uninteresting'  to  give  the  actual  words  of  the  benediction  : 

"  May  the  holy  apostles  Peter  and  Paul,  in  whose  power  and  dominion  we 
trust,  pray  for  us  to  the  Lord  !     Amen. 

"  Through  the  prayers  and  merits  of  the  blessed  Man',  ever  Virjiin,  of  the 
blnsscd  archansfpl  Michael,  the  blessed  John  the  Baptist,  the  holy  apostles  Peter 
and  Paul,  and  all  saints— may  the  Almij^hty  God  havo  mercy  upon  you.  may 
your  sins  be  forgiven  you,  and  may  Jesus  Christ  lead  you  to  eternal  life. 
Amen. 

"  Indulgence,  absolution,  and  forgiveness  cf  all  sins— time  for  true  repent- 
ance, a  continual  penitent  heart  and  amerdirent  cf  life,— may  the  Almighty 
and  merciful  God  grant  you  these  !    Amen. 

"  And  may  the  blessing  of  Almighty  God,  Father,  Son,  and  Hcl"  Spirit,  de- 
BCCfid  upon  you,  and  remain  with  you  for  ever.    Amen. " 


THE   BUILDING   OF   S.    PETER'S.  5J1 

present  building  was  the  oratory  founded  in  a.d.  90,  by 
Anacletus,  bishop  of  Rome,  who  is  said  to  have  been  or- 
dained by  S.  Peter  himself,  and  who  thus  marked  the  spot 
where  many  Christian  martyrs  had  suffered  in  the  circus 
of  Nero,  and  where  S.  Peter  was  buried  after  his  cruci- 
fixion. 

In  306  Constantine  the  Great  yielded  to  the  request  of 
Pope  Sylvester,  and  began  the  erection  of  a  basilica  on 
this  spot,  laboring  with  his  own  hands  at  the  work,  and 
himself  carrying  away  twelve  basket-loads  of  earth,  in 
honor  of  the  twelve  apostles.'  Anastasius  describes  how 
the  body  of  the  great  apostle  was  exhumed  at  this  time, 
and  re-niterred  in  a  shrine  of  silver,  inclosed  in  a  sarco- 
phagus of  gilt  bronze.  The  early  basilica  measured  395 
feet  in  length  by  212  in  width.  Its  naves  and  aisles  were 
divided  by  eighty-six  marble  pillars  of  different  sizes,  in 
great  part  brought  from  the  Septizonium  of  Severus,  and 
it  had  an  atrium  and  3.paradisus,or  quadrangular  portico, 
along  its  front.  ^  Though  only  half  the  size  of  the  present 
cathedral,  still  it  covered  a  greater  space  than  any  medi- 
aeval cathedral  except  those  of  Milan  and  Seville,  with 
which  it  ranked  in  size/ 

The  old  basilica  suffered  severely  in  the  Saracenic  in- 
vasion of  846,  when  some  authorities  maintain  that  even 
the  tomb  of  the  great  apostle  v/as  rifled  of  its  contents,  but 
it  was  restored  by  Leo  IV.,  who  raised  the  fortiiications  of 
the  Borgo  for  its  defense. 

Among  the  most  remarkable  of  its  (tzxVj  pilgrims  were, 
Theodosius,  who  came  to  pray  for  a  victory  over  Eugenius, 
Valentinian,  emperor  of  the  East,  with  his  wife  Eudoxia, 
and  his  mother  Galla-Placidia  ;  Belisarius,  the  great  general 
under  Justinian  ;  Totila  ;  Caedwalla,  king  of  the  West 
Saxons,  who  came  for  baptism,  and  died  immediately 
afterwards — "  candidus  inter  oves  Christi  ;  "  Cenred,  king 
of  the  Mercians,  who  came  to  remain  as  a  monk,  having 
cut  off  and   consecrated  his  long  hair  at  the  tomb  of  S. 

'  "  Exuens  se  chlamyde,et  accipiens  bidentem,  ipse  primus  terram  apeniit  ad 
fundamenta  basilicae  Sancti  Petri  construenda  ;  deinde  in  nurnero  duodccilii 
apostolorum,  duodecim  cophinos  plenos  suis  humeris  superircpositos  ba;it'lrpG, 
de  eo  loco,  ubi  fundamenta  Basilicae  ApostoH  erant  jacenda." — Cod.  Vat.  7— 
Snncta  Caecil.  ■?.. 

''  The  facade  of  the  old  basilica  is  seen  in  Raffaelle's  fresco  of  the  Inccndia 
del  Borgo,'and  it5  interior  in  that  of  the  Coronation  of  Charlemagne. 

'  See  Ferguson' s  Haneil>i>ak  0/ Architecture,  vol.  ii. 


3  72  WALK'S  IX  ROME. 

Peter  ;  Luitprand,  king  of  the  Lombards  ;  Ina  of  Wessex, 
who  founded  a  church  here  in  honor  of  the  Virgin,  that 
Anglo-Saxons  might  have  a  place  of  prayer,  and  those  who 
died  a  grave  ;  Carloman  of  France,  who  came  for  absolu- 
tion and  remained  as  a  monk,  first  at  S.  Oreste  (Soracte), 
then  at  Monte  Cassino  ;  Richard  of  England  ;  Bertrade, 
wife  of  Pepin,  and  mother  of  Charlemagne  ;  Offa,  the 
Saxon,  who  made  his  kingdom  tributary  to  S.  Peter  ; 
Charlemagne  (four  times),  who  was  crowned  here  by  Leo 
in.  ;  Lothaire,  crowned  by  Paschal  L  ;  and  in  the  last 
year  of  the  reign  of  Leo  IV.,  Ethelwolf,  king  of  the  Anglo- 
Saxons,  who  was  crowned  here,  remained  a  year,  and  who 
brought  with  him  his  boy  of  six  years  old,  afterwards  the 
great  Alfred. 

Of  the  old  basilica,  the  crypt  is  now  the  only  remnant, 
and  there  are  collected  the  few  relics  preserved  of  the 
endless  works  of  art  with  which  the  church  was  filled,  and 
which  for  the  most  part  were  lost  or  willfully  destroyed, 
when  it  was  pulled  down.  Its  destruction  was  first  plan- 
ned by  Nicholas  V.  (1450),  but  was  not  carried  out  till  the 
time  of  Julius  II.,  who  in  1506  began  the  new  S.  Peter's 
from  designs  of  Bramante,  whose  plans  and  theories  influ- 
enced the  designs  of  all  the  succeeding  architects  of  the 
church.'  The  four  great  piers  and  their  arches  above 
were  completed  before  the  deaths  of  both  Bramante  and 
Pope  Julius  interrupted  the  work.  The  next  pope,  Leo  X., 
obtained  a  design  for  a  church  in  the  form  of  a  Latin 
cross  from  Raffaelle,  which  was  changed  after  his  death 
(on  account  of  expense)  to  a  Greek  cross  by  Baldassare  Pe- 
ruzzi,  who  only  lived  to  complete  the  tribune.  Paul  III. 
(1534)  employed  Antonio  di  Sangallo  as  an  architect,  who 
returned  to  the  design  of  a  Latin  cross,  but  died  before  he 
could  carry  out  any  of  his  intentions.  Giulio  Romano 
succeeded  him,  and  died  also.  Then  the  pope,  "being  in- 
spired by  God,"  says  Vasari,  sent  for  Michael  Angelo, 
then  in  his  seventy-second  year,  who  continued  the  work 
under  Julius  III.,  returning  to  the  plan  of  a  Greek  cross, 
enlarging  the  tribune  and  transepts,  and  beginning  the 
dome  on  a  new  plan,  which  he  said  would  "  raise  the  Pan- 
theon in  the  air."     The  dome  designed  by  Michael  An- 

'  Sec  Projets  Pritiiili/s  pour  la  Basiiigue  de  S  Pierre^  par  Le  Bern  Henry  de 
Gaymiiller. 


THE   PORTICO    OF   S.    PETER'S.  573 

gelo,  however,  was  very  different  to  that  which  we  now 
admire,  being  much  lower,  flatter,  and  heavier.  The 
present  dome  is  due  to  Giacomo  della  Porta,  who  brought 
the  great  work  to  a  conclusion  in  1590,  under  Sixtus  V., 
who  devoted  100,000  gold  crowns  annually  to  the  build- 
ing. In  1605  Paul  V.  destroyed  all  that  remained  of  the 
old  basilica,  and  employed  Carlo  Maderno  as  his  architect, 
who  once  more  returned  to  the  plan  of  the  Latin  cross,  and 
completed  the  present  ugly  fagade  in  16 14.  The  church 
was  dedicated  by  Urban  VIII.,  November  18,  1626  ;  the 
colonnade  added  by  x^lexander  VII.,  1667,  the  sacristy  by 
Pius  VI.,  in  1780.  The  building  of  the  present  S.  Peter's 
extended  altogether  over  176  years,  and  its  expenses  were 
so  great  that  Julius  II.  and  Leo  X.  were  obliged  to  meet 
them  by  the  sale  of  indulgences,  which  led  to  the  Refor- 
mation. The  expense  of  the  main  building  alone  has  been 
estimated  at  10,000,000/.  The  annual  expense  of  repairs 
is  6,300/. 

"  S.  Pierre  est  una  sorte  de  ville  a  part  dans  Rome,  ayant  son  cli- 
mat,  sa  temperature  propre,  sa  lumiere  trop  vive  pour  etre  religieuse, 
tantot  deserte,  tantot  traversee  par  des  societes  de  voyageurs,  ou 
remplie  d'une  foule  attiree  par  les  ceremonies  religieuses  (a  I'epoque 
des  jubiles  le  nombre  des  pelerins  s'est  parfois  eleve,  a  Rome,  jusqu'a 
400,000).  Elle  a  ses  reservoirs  d'eau,  sa  fontaine  coolant  perpetuelle- 
ment  au  pied  de  la  grande  coupole,  dans  un  bassin  de  plomb,  pour  la 
commodite  des  travaux  ;  ses  rampes,  par  lesquelles  les  betes  de 
somme  peuvent  monter  ;  sa  population  tixe,  habitant  ses  lerrasses. 
Les  San  Pietrini,  ouvriers  charges  de  tous  les  travaux  qu'exige  la  con- 
servation d'un  aussi  precieux  edifice,  s'y  succedent  de  pere  en  fils,  et 
ferment  une  corporation  qui  a  ses  lois  et  sa  police." — A.  du  Pays. 

The  fa9ade  of  S.  Peter's  is  357  feet  long  and  144  feet 
high.  It  is  surmounted  by  a  balustrade  six  feet  in  height, 
bearing  statues  of  the  Saviour  and  the  Twelve  Apostles. 
Over  the  central  entrance  is  the  loggia  where  the  pope  is 
crowned,  and  whence  he  gives  the  Easter  benediction.  The 
huge  inscription  runs — "  In  .  Honorem  .  Principis .  Apost. 
Paulus  V .  Burghesius .  Romanus .  Pont .  Max .  A .  MDCXII . 
Pont.  VII." 

"  I  don't  like  to  say  the  fa(,-ade  of  the  church  is  ugly  and  obtrusive. 
As  long  as  the  dome  overawes,  that  facade  is  supportable.  You  ad- 
vance toward  it  through,  oh,  such  a  noble  court  !  with  fountains  flash- 
ing up  to  meet  the  sunbeam.s  ;  and  right  and  left  of  you  two  sweeping 
half-crescents  of  great  columns  ;  but  you  pass  by  the  courtiers  and  up 
to  the  steps  of  the  throne,  and  the  dome  seems  to  disappear  behind  it. 


574 


WALKS  I.V  HOME. 


It  is  as  if  tlie  throne  were  upset,  and  the  king  had  toppled  over."— 
Thackeray,   The  Neiuco/)ies. 

A  wide  flight  of  steps,  ;it  the  foot  of  whirh  are  statues  of 
S.  Peter  by  De  Fabris,  and  S.  Paul  by  'Jaaoli/ii,  lead  by  five 
entrances  to  the  Vestibule,  which  is  468  feet  long,  66  feet 
high,  and  50  feet  wide.  Closing  it  on  the  fight  is  a  statue 
of  Constantine  by  Bei'nini — on  the  left  that  of  Charle- 
magne by  Cornacchiui.  Over  the  principal  entrance  (facing 
the  door  of  the  church)  is  the  celebrated  J/^-'i'a/V  of  the  Na- 
viceUa,  executed  1298,  by  Giotto,  and  his  jtupil,  Pietro  Ca- 
vallini. 

"  For  the  ancient  basihca  of  S.  Peter,  Giotto  executed  his  celebrated 
mosaic  of  the  Navicella,  which  has  an  allegorical  foundation.  It  rep- 
resents a  ship,  with  the  disciples,  on  an  agitated  sea  ;  the  winds, 
personified  as  demons,  storm  against  it  ;  above  appear  the  Fathers  of 
the  Old  Testament  speaking  comfort  to  the  sufferers.  According  to  the 
early  Christian  symbolization,  the  ship  denoted  the  Church.  Nearer, 
and  on  the  right,  in  a  firm  attitude,  stands  Christ,  the  Rock  of  tlie 
Church,  raising  Peter  from  the  waves.  Opposite  sits  a  fisherman  in 
tranquil  expectation,  denoting  the  hope  of  the  believer.  The  mosaic 
has  frequently  changed  its  place,  and  has  undergone  so  many  restora- 
tions that  the  composition  alone  can  be  attributed  to  Giotto.  The 
fisherman  and  the  figures  hovering  in  the  air  are,  in  their  present  form, 
the  work  of  Marcello  Provenzale." — Kiiglcr,  i.  127. 

"  This  mosaic  is  ill-placed  and  ill-seen  for  an  especial  reason.  Early 
converts  from  paganism  retained  the  heathen  custom  of  turning  round 
to  venerate  the  sun  before  entering  a  church,  so  that  in  the  old  basilica, 
as  here,  the  mosaic  was  thus  placed  to  give  a  fitting  object  of  worship. 
The  learned  Cardinal  Baronius  never,  for  a  single  day,  during  the  space 
of  thirty  years,  failed  to  bow  before  this  symbol  of  the  primitive  church, 
tossed  on  the  stormy  sea  of  persecution  and  of  sin,  saying,  '  Lord, 
save  me  from  the  waves  of  sin  as  thou  didst  Peter  from  the  waves  of 
the  sea.'  " — Airs.  Elliot's  Historical  Pictures. 

The  magnificent  central  door  of  bronze  is  a  remnant 
from  the  old  basilica,  and  Avas  made  in  the  time  of  Eu- 
genius  IV.,  1431-39,  by  Antonio  Filarete,  and  Simone, 
brother  of  Donatello.  The  bass-reliefs  of  the  compart- 
ments represent  the  martyrdoms  of  SS.  Peter  and  Paul, 
and  the  principal  events  in  the  reign  of  Eugenius, — the 
council  of  Florence,  the  coronation  of  Sigismund,  emperor 
of  Germany,  &c.  The  bass-reliefs  of  the  framework  are 
entirely  mythological  ;  Ganymede,  Ledaand  her  Swan,  &c., 
are  to  be  distinguished. 

"  Corinne  fit  remarquer  a  Lord  Nelvil  que  sur  les  portes  etaient  re- 
presenles  en  bas-relief  les  metamorphoses  d'Ovide.     On  ne  se  scan- 


MONUMENT   OF  ADRIAN  I. 


575 


(Talise  point  a  Rome,  lui  dit-elle,  des  images  du  pagan  me,  quand  les 
beaux-arls  les  ont  consacrees.  Les  merveilles  du  genie  portent  tou- 
jours  a  I'ame  une  impression  religieuse,  et  nous  faisons  hommage  au 
culte  Chretien  de  tons  les  chefs-d'oeuvre  que  les  autres  cultes  ont  in- 
spires."— Mad.  de  Stael. 

Let  into  the  wall  between  the  doors  are  three  remarkable 
inscriptions  :  i.  Commemorating  the  donation  made  to  the 
church  by  Gregory  II.,  of  certain  olive-grounds  to  provide 
oil  for  the  lamps;  2.  The  bull  of  Boniface  VIII.,  1300, 
granting  the  indulgence  proclaimed  at  every  jubilee  ;  3.  In 
the  center  the  Latin  epitaph  of  Adrian  I.  (Colonna,  772- 
95),  by  Charlemagne,'  one  of  the  most  ancient  memorials 
of  the  papacy  : 

"  The  father  of  the  Church,  the  ornament  of  Rome,  the  famous  writer 

Adrian,  the  blessed  pope,  rest  in  peace  : 
God  was  his  life,  love  was  his  law,  Christ  was  his  glory  ; 
He  was  the  apostolic  shepherd,  always  ready  to  do  that  which  was 

right. 
Of  noble  birth,  and  descended  from  an  ancient  race, 
He  received  a  still  greater  nobility  from  his  virtues. 
The  pious  soul  of  this  good  shepherd  was  always  bent 
Upon  ornamenting  the  temples  consecrated  to  God. 
He  gave  gifts  to  the  churches,  and  sacred  dogmas  to  the  people  ; 
And  showed  us  all  the  way  to  heaven. 
Liberal  to  the  poor,  his  charity  was  second  to  none. 
And  he  always  watched  over  his  people  in  prayer. 
By  his  teachings,  his  treasures,  and  his  buildings,  he  raised, 
O  illustrious  Rome,  thy  monuments,  to  be  the  honor  of  the  town  and 

of  the  world. 
Death  could  not  injure  him,  for  its  sting  was  taken  away  by  the  death 

of  Christ ; 
It  opened  for  him  the  the  gate  of  the  better  life. 
I,  Charles,  have  written  these  verses,  while  weeping  for  my  father ; 

O  my  father,  my  beloved  one,  how  lasting  is  my  grief  for  thee. 
Dost  thou  think  upon  me,  as  I  follow  thee  constantly  in  spirit  ; 
Now  reign  blessed  with  Christ  in  the  heavenly  kingdom. 
The  clergy  and  people  have  loved  you  with  a  heart-love, 
Thou  wert  truly  the  love  of  the  world,  O  excellent  priest. 
O  most  illustrious,  I  unite  our  two  names  and  titles, 
Adrian  and  Charles,  the  king  and  the  father. 

O  thou  who  readest  these  verses,  say  with  pious  heart  the  prayer  : 
O  merciful  God,  have  pity  upon  them  both. 
Sweetly  slumbering,  O  friend,   may  thy  earthly  body  rest  in  the 

grave. 
And  thy  sp'rit  wander  in  bliss  with  the  saints  of  the  Lord 

'  As  in  the  portico  of  the  temple  of  Mars  were  preserved  the  verses  of  the 
poet  Attius  upon  Junius  Brutus 


576  WALKS  hV  ROME. 

Till  the  last  trumpet  sounds  in  thine  ears, 

Then  arise  with  Peter  to  the  contemplation  of  God. 

Yes,  I  know  that  thou  wilt  hear  the  voice  of  the  merciful  judge 

Bid  thee  to  enter  the  paradise  of  thy  Saviour. 

Then,  O  great  fatiier,  think  upon  thy  son, 

And  ask,  that  with  the  father  the  son  may  enter  into  joy. 

Go,  blessed  father,  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  Christ, 

And  thence,  as  an  intercessor,  help  thy  people  with  thy  prayers. 

Even  so  long  as  the  sun  rolls  upon  its  fiery  axis. 

Shall  thy  glory,  O  heavenly  father,  remain  in  the  world. 

'"Adrian  the  pope,  of  blessed  memory,  reigned  for  three-and-tvventy 
years,  ten  months,  and  seventeen  days,  and  died  on  the  25th  of  De- 
cember." 

The  body  of  Adrian  I.,  with  those  of  Leo  the  Great 
and  Gregory  the  Great,  were  removed  from  the  vestibule 
to  the  interior  of  the  old  basilica  in  the  seventh  century. 
At  that  time  the  vestibule  also  contained  the  tombs  of 
Honorius  and  his  nieces,  Maria  and  Theramantia,  daugh- 
ters of  Stilicho  ;  Helpis,  first  wife  of  the  philosopher 
Boethius  ;  Caedwalla,  king  of  the  West  Saxons  ;  and  many 
other  illustrious  persons. 

The  walled-up  door  on  the  right  is  the  Porta  Santa, 
only  opened  for  the  jubilee,  which  has  taken  place  every 
twenty-fifth  year  (except  1850)  since  the  time  of  Sixtus  IV. 
The  pope  himself  gives  the  signal  for  the  destruction  of 
the  wall  on  the  Christmas-eve  before  the  sacred  year. 

"  After  preliminary  prayers  from  Scripture  singularly  apt,  the  pope 
goes  down  from  his  throne,  and,  armed  with  a  silver  hammer,  strikes 
the  wall  in  the  doorway,  \\'hich  having  been  cut  round  from  its  jambs 
and  lintel,  falls  at  once  inwards,  and  is  cleared  away  in  a  moment  by 
the  San  Pietrini.  The  pope,  then,  bareheaded  and  torch  in  hand,  first 
enters  the  door,  and  is  followed  by  his  cardinals  and  his  other  attend- 
ants to  the  high  altar,  where  the  first  vespers  of  Christmas  Day  are 
chanted  as  usual.  The  other  doors  of  the  church  are  then  flung  open, 
and  the  great  queen  of  churches  is  filled." — Cardinal  IViscvian. 

"  Arrclez-vous  un  moment  ici,  dit  Corinne  a  Lord  Nelvil,  comme  il 
etait  deja  sous  le  portique  de  I'eglise  ;  arretez-vous,  avant  de  soulever 
le  ndeau  qui  couvre  la  porte  du  temple  ;  votre  cceur  ne  bat-il  pas  a 
rapproche  de  ce  sanctuaire  ?  et  ne  ressenlez-vous  pas,  au  moment 
d'entrer,  tout  ce  que  ftrait  eprouver  Tallente  d'un  evenement  solen- 
nel  ?  "—Mad.  de  Stael. 

We  now  push  aside  the  heavy  double  curtain  and  enter 
the  Basilica. 

"  Hilda  had  not  always  been  adequately  impressed  by  the  grandcf.r 
of  this  mighty  cathedral.      \Vhen   she  first  lifted  the   heavy  leathern 


/NTERIOR   OF  S.    PETER'S. 


577 


curtains,  at  one  of  ihe  doors,  a  shadowy  edifice  in  her  imagination  had 
been  dazzled  out  of  sight  by  the  reality." — Haivthorne. 

"  The  interior  burst  upon  her  astonished  gaze,  resplendent  in  light, 
magnificence,  and  beauty,  beyond  all  lliat  imagination  can  conceive. 
Its  apparent  smallness  of  size,  however,  mingled  some  degree  of  sur- 
prise, and  even  disappointment,  with  my  admiratio;.  ;  but  as  I  walked 
slowly  up  its  long  nave,  empaneled  with  the  rarest  and  richest  marbles, 
and  adorned  with  every  art  of  sculpture  and  taste,  and  caught  through 
the  lofty  arches  opening  views  of  chapels,  and  tombs,  and  altars  of 
surpassing  splendor,  I  felt  that  it  was,  indeed,  unparalleled  in  beau*y, 
in  magnitude,  and  magnificence,  and  one  of  the  noblest  and  most 
wonderful  of  the  works  of  man." — Eaton's  Rome. 

"  S.  Peter's,  that  glorious  temple — the  largest  and  most  beautiful,  it 
is  said,  in  the  world,  produced  upon  me  the  impression  rather  of  a 
Christian  pantheon,  than  of  a  Christian  church.  The  aesthetic  intel- 
lect is  edified  more  than  the  God-loving  or  God-seeking  soul.  The 
exterior  and  interior  of  the  building  appear  to  me  more  like  an  apo- 
theosis of  the  popedom  than  a  glorification  of  Christianity  and  its  doc- 
trines. Monuments  to  the  popes  occupy  too  much  space.  One  sees 
all  round  the  walls  angels  flying  upwards  with  papal  portraits,  some- 
times merely  with  papal  tiaras." — Frederika  Bremer. 

"  L' Architecture  de  S.  Pierre  est  une  musique  fixee." — Madame  de 
Slai'l. 

"  The  building  of  S.  Peter's  surpasses  all  powers  of  description.  It 
appears  to  me  like  some  great  work  of  nature,  a  forest,  a  mass  of 
rocks,  or  something  similar  ;  for  I  never  can  realize  the  idea  that  it  is 
the  work  of  man.  You  strive  to  distinguish  the  ceiling  as  little  as  the 
canopy  of  heaven.  You  lose  your  way  in  .S.  Peter's,  you  take  a  walk 
in  it,  and  ramble  till  you  are  quite  tired  ;  when  divine  service  is  per- 
formed and  chanted  there,  you  are  not  aware  of  it  till  you  come  quite 
close.  The  angels  in  the  baptistery  are  enormous  giants  ;  the  doves, 
colossal  birds  of  prey  ;  you  lose  all  sense  of  measurement  with  the 
eye,  or  proportion  ;  and  yet  who  does  not  feel  his  heart  expand,  when 
standing   under   the   dome,   and  gazing  up  at  it?" — Mendelssohn^ s 


ing 
Letters. 


But  thou,  of  temples  old,  or  altars  new, 

Standest  alone — with  nothing  like  to  thee — 

Worthiest  of  God,  the  holy  and  the  true. 

Since  Zion's  desolation,  when  that  He 

Forsook  His  former  city,  what  could  be 

Of  earthly  structures,  in  His  honor  piled, 

Of  a  sublimer  aspect  ?     Majesty, 

Power,  Glory,  Strength,  and  Beauty — all  are  aisled 

In  this  eternal  ark  of  worship  undefiled. 

Enter  :  its  grandeur  overwhelms  thee  not ; 
And  why  ?  it  is  not  lessen'd  ;  but  thy  mind, 
Expanded  by  the  genius  of  the  spot, 
Has  grown  colossal,  and  can  only  find 
A  fit  abode  wherein  appear  enshrined 
Thy  hopes  of  immortality  ;  and  thou 

25  -       


578  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

Shalt  one  day,  if  found  worthy,  so  defined, 
See  thy  God  face  to  face,  as  thou  dost  now 
His  Holy  of  Holies,  nor  be  blasted  by  His  brow." 

Byron,  Childe  Harold. 

"  On  pousse  avec  peine  une  grosse  portiere  de  cuir,  ct  nous  void 
dans  Saint-Pierre.  On  ne  peut  qu'adorer  la  religion  qui  produit  de 
telles  choses.  Rien  du  monde  ne  peut  etre  compare  a  I'inierieur  de 
Saint-Pierre.  Apres  un  an  de  sejour  a  Rome,  j'y  allais  encore  passer 
des  heures  entieres  avec  plaisir." — Fontana,  Tcmpio  Vaticano  Illits- 
trato. 

"  Tandis  que,  dans  les  eglises  gothiques,  I'impression  est  de  s'agc- 
nouiller,  de  joindre  les  mains  avec  un  sentiment  d'humble  priere  et  de 
profond  regret  ;  dans  Saint-Pierre,  au  contraire,  le  mouvement  invol- 
ontaire  serait  d'ouvrir  les  bras  en  signe  de  joie,  de  relever  la  tete  avec 
bonheur  et  epanouissement.  II  semble  que  la,  le  peche  n'accable 
plus  ;  le  sentiment  vif  du  pardon  par  le  triomphe  de  la  resurrection 
remplit  seul  le  coeur." — EugJnie  de  la  Ferronays. 

'  ■  In  this  church  one  learns  how  art  as  well  as  nature  can  set  aside 
every  standard  of  measurement." — Goethe. 

"  The  temperature  of  S.  Peter's  seems,  like  the  happy  islands,  to 
experience  no  change.  In  the  coldest  weather,  it  is  like  summer  to 
your  feelings,  and  in  the  most  oppressive  heats  it  strikes  you  with  a 
delightful  sensation  of  cold — a  luxury  not  to  be  estimated  but  in  a 
climate  such  as  this." — Eatoti's  Rome. 

On  each  side  of  the  nave  are  four  pillars  with  Corinthian 
pilasters,  and  a  rich  entablature  supporting  the  arches. 
The  roof  is  vaulted,  coffered,  and  gilded.  The  pavement 
is  of  colored  marble,  inlaid  from  designs  of  Giacomo  della 
Porta  and  Bernini.  In  the  center  of  the  floor,  immediately 
within  the  chief  entrance,  is  a  round  slab  of  porphyry,  upon 
which  the  emperors  were  crowned. 

The  enormous  size  of  the  statues  and  ornaments  in  S. 
Peter's  does  away  with  the  impression  of  its  vast  size,  and 
it  is  only  by  observing  the  living,  moving  figures  that  one 
can  form  any  idea  of  its  colossal  proportions.  A  line  in 
the  pavement  is  marked  with  the  comparative  size  of  the 
other  great  Christian  churches.  According  to  this  the 
length  of  S.  Peter's  is  613A  feet;  of  S.  Paul's,  London, 
520.}  feet;  Milan  Cathedral,  443  feet ;  S.  Sophia,  Constan- 
tinople, 360.^  feet.  The  height  of  the  dome  in  the  interior 
is  405  feet ;  on  the  exterior,  448  feet.  The  height  of  the 
baldacchino  is  94 ',  feet. 

The  first  impulse  will  be  to  go  up  to  the  shrine,  at  which 
a  circle  of  eighty-six  gold  lamps  is  always  burning  around 
the  tomb  of  the  poor  fisherman   of  Galilee,  and   to  look 


CUPOLA    OF  S.    PETER'S. 


579 


down  into  the  Confession,  where  there  is  a  beautiful  kneel- 
ing statue  of  Pope  Pius  VI.  (Braschi,  1785-1800)  by  Canova. 
Hence  one  can  gaze  up  into  the  dome,  with  its  huge  let- 
ters in  purple-blue  mosaic  upon  a  gold  ground  (each  six 
feet  long).'  "  Tu  es  Petrus,  et  super  banc  petram  aedifi- 
cabo  ecclesiam  raeam,  et  tibi  dabo  claves  regni  coelorum. '' 
Above  this  are  four  colossal  mosaics  of  the  Evangelists 
from  designs  of  the  Cav.  d'Arpino  ;  the  pen  of  S.  Luke  is 
seven  feet  in  length. 

"  The  cupola  is  glorious,  viewed  in  its  design,  its  altitude,  or  even 
its  decorations  ;  viewed  eitlier  as  a  whole  or  as  a  part,  it  enchants  the 
eye,  it  satisfies  the  taste,  it  expands  the  soul.  The  very  air  seems  to 
eat  up  all  that  is  harsh  or  colossal,  and  leaves  us  nothing  but  the  sub- 
lime to  feast  on  : — a  sublime  peculiar  as  the  genius  of  the  immortal 
architect,  and  comprehensible  only  on  the  spot." — Forsyth. 

"  Ce  dome,  en  le  considerant  mcme  d'en  bas,  fait  eprouver  une  sorte 
de  terreur  ;  on  croit  voir  des  abimes  suspendus  sur  sa  tete." — Madatne 
de  SLiel. 

"  But  when,  having  traversed  the  length  of  the  nave  without  utter- 
ing a  word,  he  passed  from  under  the  gilded  roofs,  and  the  spacious 
dome,  lofty  as  a  firmament,  expanded  itself  above  him  in  the  sky,  cov- 
ered with  tracery  of  the  celestial  glories,  and  brilliant  with  mosaic  and 
stars  of  gold  ;  when,  opening  on  all  sides  to  the  wide  transepts,  the 
limitless  pavement  stretched  away  beyond  the  reach  of  sense  ;  when, 
beneath  this  vast  work  and  finished  effort  of  man's  devotion,  he  saw 
the  high  altar,  brilliant  with  lights,  surmounted  and  enthroned  by  its 
panoply  of  clustering  columns  and  towering  cross  ;  when,  all  around 
him,  he  was  conscious  of  the  hush  and  calmness  of  worship,  and  felt 
in  his  inmost  being  the  sense  of  vastness,  of  splendor,  and  of  awe  ; — 
he  may  be  pardoned  if,  kneeling  upon  the  polished  floor,  he  conceived 
for  a  moment  that  this  was  the  house  of  Ciod,  and  that  the  gate  of 
heaven  was  here." — John  Iiiglcsant. 

The  Baldacchino,  designed  by  Bernini  in  1633,  is  of 
bronze,  with  gilt  ornaments,  and  was  made  chiefly  with 
bronze  taken  from  the  roof  of  the  Pantheon.  A  niece  of 
Urban  VIII.  promised  the  pillars  if  she  was  safely  de- 
livered of  a  son.  All  the  months  of  her  pregnancy  are 
quaintly  portrayed  on  the  pedestals,  and  the  last  is  repre- 
sented by  a  beautiful  babe.  The  baldacchino  covers  the 
high  altar,  which  is  only  used  on  the  most  solemn  occa- 
sions. Only  the  pope  can  celebrate  mass  there,  or  a  cardi- 
nal who  is  authorized  by  a  papal  brief. 

"Without  a  sovereign  priest  officiating  before  and  for  his  people, 

'  These  letters  are  in  real  mosaic.  Those  in  the  nave  and  transepts  are  in 
paper— to  complete  them  in  mosaic  would  have  been  too  expensive. 


jSo  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

S.  Peter's  is  but  a  grand  aggregation  of  splendid  churches,  chapels, 
tombs,  and  works  of  art.  With  him,  it  becomes  a  whole,  a  single, 
peerless  temple,  such  as  the  world  never  saw  before.  That  central 
pile,  with  its  canopy  of  bronze  as  lofty  as  the  Farnese  Palace,  with 
its  deep-diving  stairs  leading  to  a  court  walled  and  paved  with  precious 
stones,  that  yet  seems  only  a  vestibule  to  some  cavern  or  catacomb, 
with  its  simple  ahar  that  disdains  ornament  in  the  presence  of  what 
is  beyond  the  reach  of  human  price, — that  which  in  Irutli  forms  the 
heart  of  the  great  body,  placed  just  where  the  heart  should  be,  is  then 
animated,  and  suiTounded  by  living  and  moving  sumptuousness.  The 
immense  cupola  above  it  ceases  to  be  a  dome  over  asepulcher,  and  be- 
comes a  canopy  over  an  altar  ;  the  quiet  tomb  beneath  is  changed  into 
the  shrine  of  relics  below  the  place  of  sacrifice — the  saints  under  the 
altar  ; — the  quiet  spot  at  which  a  tew  devout  worshipers  at  most  times 
may  be  found,  bowing  under  the  hundred  lamps,  is  crowded  by  rising 
groups,  beginning  from  the  lowest  step,  increasing  in  dignity  and  in 
richness  of  sacred  robes,  til!,  at  the  summit  and  in  the  center,  stands 
supreme  the  pontiff  himself,  on  the  very  spot  which  becomes  him,  the 
one  living  link  in  a  chain,  the  first  ring  of  which  is  riveted  to  the  shrine 
of  the  Apostles  below.  .  .  .  S.  Peter's  is  only  itself  when  the  pope  is 
at  the  high  altar,  and  hence  only  by,  or  for,  him  it  is  used." — Carditial 
Wiseman. 

The  four  huge  piers  which  support  the  dome  are  used  as 
shrines  for  the  four  great  reUcs  of  the  church,  viz.:  i.  The 
lance  of  S.  Longinus,  the  soldier  who  pierced  the  side  of 
our  Saviour,  presented  to  Innocent  VIII.,  Ly  Pierre  d'Au- 
busson,  grand  master  of  the  Knights  of  Rhodes,  who  had 
received  it  from  the  Sultan  Bajazet ; '  2.  The  head  of  S. 
Andrew,  said  to  have  been  brought  from  Achaia  in  1460, 
when  its  arrival  was  celebrated  by  Pius  II.;  3.  A  portion 
of  the  true  cross,  brought  by  S.  Helena  ;  4.  The  napkin 
of  S.  Veronica,  said,  doubtless  from  the  affinity  of  names, 
to  bear  the  iinpression — vera-iconica — of  our  Saviour's 
face. 

"  The  '  Volto-Santo,"  s:iid  to  be  the  impress  of  the  countenance  of 
our  Saviour  on  the  handkerchief  of  S.  Veronica,  or  Berenice,  which 
wiped  his  brow  on  the  way  to  Calvary,  was  placed  in  the  Vaiican  by 
John  VII.,  in  707,  and  afterward  transferred  to  the. Church  of  Santo 
Spirito,  where  six  Roman  noblemen  had  the  care  of  it,  each  taking 
charge  of  one  of  the  keys  with  which  it  was  locked  up.  Among  the 
privileges  enjoyed  for  this  office,  was  that  of  receiving  every  year  from 
the  hospital  of  Santo  Spirito  at  the  feast  of  Pentecost,  two  cows, 
whose  flesh,  an  ancient  chronicle  says,  '  si  manp^iavano  R,  con  gran 
festa.'     In  i-(40,  this  j^icture  was  carried  back  to  S.  Peter's,  whence  it 

'  Innocent  sent  two  bishops  to  receive  it  at  Ancona,  two  cardinals  to  receive  it 
at  N.irni,  and  went  himself,  with  all  his  court,  to  meet  it  at  the  Porta  del 
Popolo. 


STATUE   OF  S.    PETER.  581 

has  not  since  been  moved.  When  I  examined  the  head  on  the  Ve- 
ronica handkerchief,  it  struck  me  as  undoubtediy  a  work  of  early  By- 
zantine art,  perhaps  of  the  seventh  or  eighth  century,  painted  on  linen. 
It  is  with  implicit  acceptance  of  its  claims  that  Petrarch  alludes  to  it — 
'  verendam  populis  Salvaloris  Imaginem.'  Ep.  ix.,  lib.  2.  During 
the  republican  domination  in  1S49,  it  v.'as  rumored  that,  about  Easter, 
the  canons  of  S.  Peter  saw  the  Volto-Santo  turn  pale,  and  ominously 
change  color  while  they  gazed  upon  it." — Hcnians'  Catholic  Italy, 
vol.   i. 

The  ceremony  of  exhibiting  the  relics  from  the  balcony 
above  the  statue  of  S.  Veronica  takes  place  on  Holy 
Thursday,  Good  Friday,  and  Easter  Day,  but  the  height 
is  so  great  that  nothing  can  really  be  distinguished. 

"  To-day  we  gazed  on  the  Veronica — the  holy  impression  left  by  our 
Saviour's  face  on  the  cloth  S.  Veronica  presented  to  him  to  wipe  his 
brow,  bowed  under  the  weight  of  the  cross.  We  had  looked  forward 
to  this  sight  for  days,  for  seven  thousand  years  of  indulgence  from 
penance  are  attached  to  it. 

"  But  when  the  moment  came  we  could  see  nothing  but  a  black 
board  hung  with  a  cloth,  before  which  another  white  cloth  was  held. 
In  a  few  minutes  this  was  withdrawn,  and  the  great  moment  was  over, 
the  glimpse  of  the  sacred  thing  on  which  hung  the  fate  of  seven  thou- 
sand years." — Schonberg-Cotta  Chronicles. 

The  niches  in  the  piers  are  occupied  by  four  statues  of 
S.  Longinus,  S.  Andrew,  S.  Helena,  and  S.  Veronica  hold- 
ing the  napkin  or  "  sudarium,"  "  flourishing  a  marble 
pocket-handkerchief."  ' 

"  Malheureusement  toutes  ces  statues  pechent  par  le  gout.  Le  ro- 
coco, mis  a  la  mode  par  le  Bernin,  est  surtout  execrable  dans  le  genre 
colossal.  Mais  la  presence  du  genie  de  Bramante  et  de  Michel-Ange 
se  fait  tellement  sentir,  que  les  choses  ridicules  ne  le  sont  plus  ici  ; 
elles  ne  sont  qu'insignifiantes.  Les  statues  colossal  des  piliers  repre- 
sentent  :  S.  Andre,  par  Francois  Quesnoy  (Fiammingo),  elle  excita  la 
jalousie  du  Bernin  ;  S.  Veronique  par  M.  Mochi,  dont  il  blamait  les 
draperies  volantes  (dans  un  endroit  clos).  Un  plaisant  lui  repondait 
que  leur  agitation  provenait  du  vent  qui  soufflait  par  les  crevasses  de 
la  coupole,  depuis  qu'il  avail  affaibli  les  piliers  par  des  niches  et 
tribunes  :  S.  Helene  par  A.  Bolgi,  S.  Longin  par  Bernin." — A.  du 
Pays. 

Not  very  far  from  the  confession,  against  the  last  pier 
on  the  right  of  the  nave,  stands  the  statue  of  S.  Peter,  said 
to  have  been  cast  by  Leo  the  Great,  from  the  old  statue  of 
Jupiter  Capitolinus,  to  commemorate  the  deliverance  of 
Rome  from  the  invasion  of  Attila.  The  figure  is  of  very 
rude  workmanship.     Its  extended  foot  is  eagerly  kissed  by 

'  Eaton's  Rome. 


582  WALK'S  IjV  ROME. 

Roman  Catholic  devotees,  who  then  rub  their  foreheads 
against  its  toes.  Protestants  wonder  at  the  feeUng  which 
this  statue  excites.  Gregory  II.  wrote  of  it  to  Leo  the 
Isaurian  :  "Christ  is  my  witness,  that  when  I  enter"  the 
temple  of  the  prince  of  the  Apostles,  and  contemplate  his 
image,  I  am  filled  with  such  emotion,  that  tears  roll  down 
my  cheeks  like  the  rain  from  heaven."  On  high  festivals 
this  statue  is  dressed  up  in  a  mitre  and  pontificial  robes. 

"  La  coutume  antique  chez  les  Grecs  d'habiller  et  de  parer  les 
statues  sacrees  s'etait  conservee  a  Rome,  et  s'y  conserve  encore.  Tout 
le  monde  a  vu  la  statue  de  saint  Pierre  reveiir  dans  les  grandes  solen- 
nites  ses  magnitiques  habits  de  pape.  On  lavait  les  statues  des  dieux, 
on  les  frottait,  on  les  frisait  comme  des  poupees.  Les  divinites  du 
Capitole  avaient  un  nombreux  domestique  attache  a  leur  personne  et 
qui  etait  charge  de  ce  soin.  L'usage  remain  a  subsiste  chez  les  popu- 
lations latines  de  I'Espagne  et  elles  I'ont  porte  jusqu'au  Mexique  ou 
j'ai  vu,  a  Puebla,  la  veille  d'une  fete,  une  femme  de  chambre  faire  une 
toilette  en  regie  a  une  statue  de  ia  Vierge." — Ampire,  Hist.  Rom. 
iv.  gi. 

Above  the  statue  of  S.  Peter  is  the  mosaic  picture  of 
Pius  IX.,  erected  by  the  clergy  of  the  Vatican  in  1871,  to 
commemorate  the  length  of  his  reign,  which  had  then 
equaled  that  of  the  supposed  episcopate  of  S.  Peter,  a 
period  it  was  believed  no  pope  could  survive. 

Along  the  piers  of  the  nave  and  transepts  are  ranged 
statues  of  the  different  founders,  male  and  female,  of  re- 
ligious Orders. 

Returning  to  the  main  entrance,  we  will  now  make  the 
tour  of  the  basilica.  Those  who  expect  to  find  monuments 
of  great  historical  interest  will,  however,  be  totally  disap- 
pointed. Scarcely  anything  remains  above  ground  which 
is  earlier  than  the  sixteenth  century.  Of  the  tombs  of  the 
eighty-seven  popes  who  were  buried  in  the  old  basilica,  the 
greater  part  were  totally  lost  at  its  destruction  ;  a  few 
were  removed  to  other  churches  (those  of  the  Piccolomini 
to  S.  Andrea  della  Valle,  &c.),  and  some  fragments  are 
still  to  be  seen  in  the  crypt.  Only  two  monuments  were 
replaced  in  the  new  basilica,  those  of  the  two  popes  who 
lived  in  the  time  and  excited  the  indignation  of  Savona- 
rola— "  Sixtus  IV.,  with  whose  cordial  concurrence  the 
assassination  of  Lorenzo  de'  Medici  was  attempted — and 
Innocent  VIII.,  the  main  object  of  whose  policy  was  to 
secure  place  and  power  for  his  illegitimate  children." 


MONUMENTS  OF  S.    PETER'S  583 

' '  The  side-chapels  are  splendid,  and  so  large  that  they  might  serve 
for  independent  churches.  The  monuments  and  statues  are  numer- 
ous, but  all  are  subordinate,  or  unite  harmoniously  with  the  large  and 
beautiful  proportions  of  the  chief  temple.  Everything  there  is  har- 
mon3S  light,  beauty — an  image  of  the  church  triumphant,  but  a  very 
worldly,  earthly  image  ;  and  whilst  the  mind  enjoys  its  splendor,  the 
soul  cannot,  in  the  higher  sense,  be  edified  by  its  symbolism." — 
Efederika  Bremer. 

The  first  chapel  on  the  right  derives  its  name  from  the 
Pieta  of  Michael  Atigelo,  representing  the  dead  Saviour 
upon  the  knees  of  the  Madonna,  a  work  of  the  great  artist 
in  his  twenty-fourth  year,  upon  an  order  from  the  French 
ambassador,  Cardinal  Jean  de  Villiers,  abbot  of  S.  Denis. 
The  sculptor  has  inscribed  his  name  (the  only  instance  in 
which  he  has  done  so)  upon  the  girdle  of  the  Virgin. 
Francis  I.  attempted  to  obtain  this  group  from  Michael 
Angelo  in  1507,  together  with  the  statue  of  Christ  at  the 
Minerva  "  comme  de  choses  que  Ton  m'a  assure  estre  des 
plus  exquises  et  excellentes  en  votre  art"  Opening  from 
this  chapel  are  two  smaller  ones.  That  on  the  right  has  a 
Crucifix  by  Pietro  Cavalliiii;  the  mosaic,  representing  S. 
Nicholas  of  Bari,  is  by  Cj'istofori.  That  on  the  left  is 
called  Cappella  della  Colonna  Sa?ita,  froni  a  colum.n,  said  to 
have  been  brought  from  Jerusalem,  and  to  have  been  that 
against  which  our  Saviour  leaned  when  he  prayed  and 
taught  in  the  temple.     It  is  inscribed  : 

"  Haec  est  ilia  columna  in  qua  DNS  N^  Jesus  XPS  appodiatus  dum 
populo  praedicabat  et  Deo  pno  preces  in  templo  effundebat  adhae- 
rendo,  stabatque  una  cum  aliis  undecim  liic  circumstantibus.  De  Salo- 
monis,  templo  in  triumphum,  hujus  Basilicae  hie  locata  fuit :  demones 
expellit  et  imundis  spiritibus  vexatos  liberos  reddit  et  multa  miracula 
cotidie  facit.  P.  reverendissimum  prefn  et  Dominum  Dominus.  Card, 
de  Ursinis.     a.d.  mdcccxxviii." 

A  more  interesting  object  in  this  chapel  is  the  sarcoph- 
agus (once  used  as  a  font)  of  Anicius  Probus,  a  prefect  of 
Rome  in  the  fourth  century,  of  the  great  family  of  the 
Anicii,  to  which  S.  Gregory  the  Great  belonged.  Its  five 
compartments  have  bass-reliefs,  representing  Christ  and  the 
Apostles. 

Returning  to  the  aisle,  on  the  right,  is  the  tomb  of  Leo 
XII.,  Annibale  della  Genga  (1823-29)  by  Fabris;  on  the 
left  is  the  tomb  of  Christina  of  Sweden,  daughter  of  Gus- 
tavus  Adolphus,  who  died  at  Rome,  16S9,  by  Carlo  Fontana, 


c;84  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

with  a  bass-relief  by  Teudon,  representing  her  abjuration 
of  Protestantism  in  1655,  in  the  cathedral  of  Inspruck. 

On  the  right  is  the  altar  of  S.  Sebastian,  with  a  mosaic 
copy  of  Domenichino's  picture  at  S.  Maria  degU  Angeli  ; 
bevond  which  is  the  tomb  of  Innocent  XII.,  Antonio  Pi- 
gnatelli  (i 691-1700).  This  was  the  last  pope  who  wore 
the  martial  beard  and  moustache,  which  we  see  represented 
in  his  statue.  Pignatella  is  Italian  for  a  little  cream-jug  ; 
in  allusion  to  this  we  may  see  three  little  cream-jugs  in  the 
upper  decorations  of  this  monument,  Avhich  is  by  Filippo 
Valle.  On  the  left  is  the  tomb,  by  Bernini,  of  the  Countess 
Matilda,  foundress  of  the  temporal  power  of  the  popes,  who 
died  in  1 1 15,  was  buried  in  a  monastery  near  Mantua,  and 
transported  hither  by  Urban  VIII.  in  1635.  The  bass- 
relief  represents  the  absolution  of  Henry  IV.  of  Germany, 
by  Hildebrand,  which  took  place  at  her  intercession,  and 
in  her  presence. 

We  now  reach,  on  the  right,  the  large  Chapel  of  the  San- 
tissinto  Sacramento,  decorated  with  a  fresco  altar-piece,  rep- 
resenting the  Trinity,  by  Pietro  da  Cortona,  and  a  taber- 
nacle of  lapis-lazuli  and  gilt  bronze,  copied  from  Braman- 
te's  little  temple  at  S.  Pietro  in  Montorio.  Here  is  the 
magnificent  tomb  of  Sixtus  IV.,  Francesco  della  Rovere 
(147 1-8 1 ),  removed  from  the  choir  of  the  old  S.  Peter's, 
where  it  was  erected  by  his  nephew.  Cardinal  Giulio  della 
Rovere,  afterward  Pope  Julius  II.  This  pope's  reign  was 
entirely  occupied  with  politics,  and  he  was  secretely  in- 
volved in  the  conspiracy  of  the  Pazzi  at  Florence  ;  he  was 
the  first  pope  who  carried  nepotism  to  such  an  extent  as  to 
found  a  principality  (Imola  and  Forli)  for  his  nephew  Gi- 
rolamo  Riario.  The  tomb  is  a  beautiful  work  of  the  Flo- 
rentine artist,  Antonio  Pollajuolo,  in  1493.  The  figure  of 
the  pope  reposes  upon  a  bronze  couch,  surrounded,  in 
memory  of  his  having  taught  successively  in  the  six  great 
universities  of  Italy,  with  allegorical  bass-reliefs  of  Arith- 
metic, Astrology,  Philology,  Rhetoric,  Grammar,  Perspec- 
tive, Music,  Geography,  Philosophy,  and  Theology,  Avhich 
last  is  represented  like  a  pagan  Diana,  with  a  (juiver  of 
arrows  on  her  shoulders.  Close  to  this  monument  of  his 
uncle,  a  flat  stone  in  the  pavement  marks  the  grave  of  Ju- 
lius II.,  for  whom  the  grand  tomb  at  S.  Pietro  in  VincoU 
was  intended. 


MONUMENTS   OF  S.    PETER'S.  585 

Returning  to  the  aisle,  we  see  on  the  right  the  tomb 
of  Gregory  XIII.,  Ugo  Buoncompagni  (1572-85),  during 
whose  reign  the  new  calendar  was  invented,  an  event  com- 
memorated in  a  bass-relief  upon  the  monument,  which  was 
not  erected  till  1723,  and  is  by  Camillo  Rusconi.  The  figure 
of  the  pope  (he  died  aged  eighty-four)  is  in  the  attitude  of 
benediction  :  beneath  are  \Visdom,  represented  as  Minerva, 
and  Faith,  holding  a  tablet  inscribed,  "  Novi  opera  hujuset 
fidem."  Opposite  this  is  the  paltry  tomb  of  Gregory  XIV., 
Nicolo  Sfrondati  (1590-91). 

"  Le  tombeau  de  Gregoire  XIII.,  que  le  massacre  de  Saint  Barthe- 
lemy  rejouit  si  fort,  est  de  marbre.  Le  tombeau  de  stuc  ou  d'abord  il 
avait  ete  place,  a  ete  accorde,  apres  son  depart,  au  cendres  de  Gregoire 
YAW"— Stendhal. 

On  the  left,  against  the  great  pier,  is  a  mosaic  copj''  of 
Domenichino's  Communion  of  S.  Jerome.  On  the  right  is 
the  chapel  of  the  Madonna,  founded  by  Gregory  XIII.,  and 
built  by  Giasomo  della  Porta.  The  cupola  has  mosaics  by 
Girolamo  Muziano.  Beneath  the  altar  is  buried  S.  Greg- 
ory Nazianzen,  removed  hither  from  the  convent  of  S. 
Maria  in  the  Campo  Marzo  by  Gregory  XIII. 

S.  Gregory  Nazianzen  (or  S.  Gregory  Theologos)  was  son  of  S. 
Gregory  and  S.  Nonna,  and  brother  of  S.  Gorgonia  and  S.  Cesarea. 
He  was  born  r .  A.  D.  328.  In  his  childhood  he  was  influenced  by  a 
vision  of  the  two  virgins,  Temperance  and  Chastity,  summoning  him  to 
pursue  them  to  the  joys  of  Paradise.  Being  educated  at  Athens  (to- 
gether with  Julian  the  Apostate),  he  formed  there  a  great  friendship 
with  S.  Basil.  He  became  first  the  coadjutor,  afterwards  the  successor 
of  his  father,  in  the  bishopric  of  Nazianzen,  but  removed  thence  to 
Constantinople,  where  he  preached  against  the  Aiians.  By  the  influ- 
ence of  Thaodosius.  he  was  ordained  Bishop  of  Constantinople,  but  was 
so  worn  out  by  the  cabals  and  schisms  in  the  church,  that  he  resigned 
his  office,  and  retired  to  his  paternal  estate,  where  he  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  in  the  composition  of  Greek  hymns  and  poems.  He 
died  May  g,  a.d.  390. 

On  the  right  is  the  tom.b  of  Benedict  XIV.,  Prospero 
Lambertini  (1740-58),  by  Pictro  Bracci,  a  huge  and  ugly 
monument.  On  the  left  is  the  tomb  of  Gregory  XVI., 
Mauro-Cappellari  (1831-46),  by  Amici,  erected  in  1855  by 
the  cardinals  he  had  created. 

Turning  into  the  right  transept  (used  as  a  council-cham- 
ber, for  which  purpose  it  proved  thoroughly  unsatisfactory, 
1869-70),  we  find  several  fine  mosaics  from  pictures,  viz.  : 
25* 


5S6 


WALKS  I.V  ROME. 


the  Martyrdom  of  SS.  Processus  and  Martinianus  from  the 
Valentin  at  the  Vatican ;  the  Martyrdom  of  S.  Erasmus 
from  Poussin  ;  S.  Wenceslaus,  king  of  Bohemia,  from  Ca- 
roselli ;  Our  Saviour  walking  on  the  sea  to  the  boat  of  S. 
Peter,  from  Lanfranco. 

Opposite  to  the  last-named  mosaic  is  the  famous  monu- 
ment of  Clement  XIII.,  Carlo  Rezzonico  (1758-69).  This 
tomb,  the  greatest  work  of  Canova,  was  uncovered  April  4, 
1795,  in  the  presence  of  an  immense  crowd,  with  whom  the 
sculptor  mingled,  disguised  as  an  abbe,  to  hear  their  opin- 
ion. The  pope  (aged  75)  is  represented  in  prayer,  upon  a 
pedestal,  beneath  which  is  the  entrance  to  a  vault,  guarded 
by  two  grand  marble  lions.  On  the  right  is  Religion,  stand- 
ing erect  with  a  cross  ;  on  the  left  the  Genius  of  Death, 
holding  a  torch  reversed.  The  beauty  of  this  work  of 
Canova  is  only  felt  when  it  is  compared  with  the  monu- 
ments of  the  seventeenth  century  in  S  Peter's;  "then  it 
seems  as  if  they  were  separated  by  an  abyss  of  centuries."  ' 

Beyond  this  are  mosaics  from  the  S.  Michael  of  Guido 
at  the  Cappuccini,  and  from  the  Martyrdom  of  S.  Petro- 
nilla,  of  Guercino,  at  the  Capitol.  Each  of  these  large 
mosaics  has  cost  about  150,000  francs. 

Now,  on  the  right,  is  the  tomb  of  Clement  X.,  Gio. 
Battista  Altieri  (1670-76),  by  Rossi,  the  statue  by  ^;r^/^ 
Ferrata  ;  and  on  the  left,  is  a  mosaic  of  S.  Peter  raising 
Tabitha  from  the  dead,  by  Costanzi. 

Ascending  into  the  tribune,  we  see  at  the  end  of  the 
church,  beneath  the  very  ugly  window  of  yellow  glass,  the 
"Cathedra  Petri"  of  Bernini,  supported  by  figures  of  the 
four  Fathers  of  the  Church,  Augustine,  Ambrose,  Chry- 
sostom,  and  Athanasius.  Enclosed  in  this,  is  a  very  an- 
cient wooden  senatorial  chair,  encrusted  with  ivory,  which 
is  believed  to  have  been  the  episcopal  throne  of  S.  Peter 
and  his  immediate  successors.  Late  Roman  Catholic  au- 
thorities (Mgr.  Gerbet,  &c.)  consider  that  it  may  perhaps 
have  been  originally  the  chair  of  the  senator  Pudens,  with 
whom  the  apostle  lodged.  A  magnificent  festival  in  honor 
of  S.  Peter's  chair  (Natale  Petri  de  Cathedra)  has  been 
annually  celebrated  here  from  the  earliest  times,  and  is 
mentioned  in  a  calendar  of  Pope  Liberius  of  a-d.  354. 
It  used  to  be  said  that  if  any  pope  were  to   reign  longer 

'  Gregorovius,  Graitm  tier  dtr  Papste. 


MONUMENTS  OF  S.    PETER'S.  587 

than  the  traditional  years  of  the  government  of  S.  Peter, 
S.  Peter's  chair  would  be  again  brought  into  use  ;  but  this 
occurred  in  the  case  of  Pius  IX.,  and  nothing  happened. 

On  the  right  of  the  chair  is  the  tomb  of  Urban  VIII., 
Matteo  Barberini  (1623-44),  who  was  chiefly  remarkable 
from  his  passion  for  building,  and  who  is  perpetually 
brought  to  mind  through  the  immense  number  of  his 
erections  which  still  exist.  The  tomb  is  by  Ber?ii?ii,  the 
architect  of  his  endless  fountains  and  public  buildings,  and 
has  the  usual  fault  of  this  sculptor  in  overloading  his  fig- 
ures (except  in  that  of  Urban  himself,  which  is  very  fine') 
with  meaningless  drapery.  Figures  of  Charity  and  Justice 
stand  by  the  black  marble  sarcophagus  of  the  pope,  and  a 
gilt  skeleton  is  occupied  in  inscribing  the  name  of  Urban 
on  the  list  of  Death.  The  whole  monument  is  alive  with 
the  bees  of  the  Barberini.  The  pendant  tomb  on  the  left 
is  that  of  Paul  III.,  Alessandro  Farnese  (1534-50),  in 
whose  reign  the  Order  of  the  Jesuits  was  founded.  This 
pope  (the  first  Roman  who  had  occupied  the  throne  for 
103  years  since  Martin  V.),  was  learned,  brilliant  and 
witty.  He  was  adored  by  his  people,  in  spite  of  his  in- 
tense nepotism,  which  induced  him  to  form  Parma  into  a 
duchy  for  his  natural  son  Pierluigi,  to  build  the  Farnese 
Palace,  and  to  marry  his  grandson  Ottavio  to  Marguerite, 
natural  daughter  of  Charles  V.,  to  whom  he  gave  the 
Palazzo  Madama  and  the  Villa  Madama  as  a  dowery.  His 
tomb,  by  GugUelmo  della  Porta,  perhaps  the  finest  in  S. 
Peter's,  cost  24,000  Roman  crowns  ;  it  was  erected  in  the 
old  basilica  just  before  its  destruction  in  1562 — and  in 
1 57-1-  was  transferred  to  this  church,  where  its  position  was 
the  source  of  a  quarrel  between  the  sculptor  and  Michael 
Angelo,  by  whose  interest  he  had  obtained  his  commis- 
sion.'' It  was  first  placed  on  the  site  where  the  Veroinca 
now  stands,  whence  it  was  moved  to  its  present  position 
in  1629.  The  figure  of  the  pope  is  in  bronze.  In  its 
former  place  four  marble  statues  adorned  the  pedestal  ; 
two  are  now  removed  to  the  Farnese  Palace  ;  those  which 
remain,  of  Prudence  and  Justice,  were  once  entirely  nude, 
but  were  draped  by  Bernini.      The  statue  of   Prudence  is 

'  There  Is  a  fine  portrait  of  Urban  VIII.  by  Pietro  da  Cortona,  in  the  Capitol 
gallery. 
'^  See  Vasari,  vi.  265. 


588  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

said  to  represent  Giovanna  Caetani  da  Sermoneta,  the 
mother  of  the  pope,  and  that  of  Truth  his  infamous  sister, 
GiuHa  Bella,  the  mistress  of  Alexander  VI.,  to  whom  he 
owed  his  promotion  to  the  purple.  There  is  a  covert  satire 
in  the  representation  of  her  as  Truth,  as  in  that  of  her 
mother  as  Prudence. 

"  On  a  dit  de  ces  figures  que  c'etait  le  Rubens  en  sculpture." — A. 
du  Pays. 

Near  the  steps  of  the  tribune  are  two  marble  slabs,  on 
which  Pius  IX.  has  immortalized  the  names  of  the  car- 
dinals and  bishops  who,  on  December  8,  1854,  accepted, 
on  this  spot,  his  dogma  of  the  Immaculate  Conception. 

Turning  towards  the  left  transept,  on  the  left  is  a 
mosaic  of  S.  Peter  healing  the  lame  man,  from  Mancini. 
On  the  right  is  the  tomb  of  Alexander  VIII.,  Pietro  Otto- 
buoni  (1689-91),  by  Giuseppe  Verlosi  and  Angela  Rossi, 
gorgeous  in  its  richness  of  bronze,  marbles,  and  alabasters. 
Beyond  this  is  the  altar  of  Leo  the  Great,  over  which  is  a 
huge  bass-relief,  by  Algardi,  representing  S.  Leo  calling 
down  the  assistance  of  SS.  Peter  and  Paul  against  the  in- 
vasion of  Attila. 

"The  King  of  the  Huns,  terrified  by  the  apparition  of  the  two 
apostles  in  the  air,  turns  his  back  and  flies.  We  have  here  a  picture 
in  marble,  with  all  the  faults  of  taste  and  style  which  prevailed  at  that 
time,  but  the  workmanship  is  excellent  ;  it  is,  perhaps,  the  largest 
bass-relief  in  existence,  excepting  the  rock  sculpture  of  the  Indians 
and  Egyptians — at  least  fifteen  feet  in  height." — Jameson's  Sacred  Art, 
p.  685. 

Next  to  this  is  the  Cappella  della  Colonna,  possessing  a 
much  revered  Madonna  from  a  pillar  of  the  old  basilica, 
and  beneath  it  an  ancient  Christian  sarcophagus  contain- 
ing the  remains  of  Leo  II.  (ob.  683),  Leo  III.  (ob.  816), 
and  Leo  IV.  (ob.  855).  In  the  pavement  near  these  two 
altars  is  the  slab  tomb  of  Leo  XII.  (ob.  i828\  with  an 
epitaph  illustrating  Invocation  of  Saints,  but  touching  in 
its  humility. 

"  Commending  myself,  a  suppliant,  to  my  great  celestial  patron 
Leo,  I,  Leo  XIL,  his  humble  client,  unworthy  of  so  great  a  name, 
have  chosen  a  place  of  sepulture  near  his  holy  ashes." 

Over  the  door  known  as  the  Porta  S.  Marta  (from  the 
church  in  the  square  behind  S.  Peter's,  to  which  it  leads) 


MONUMENTS  OF  S.    PETER'S.  589 

IS  the  tomb  of  Alexander  VII.,  Fabio  Chigi  (1655-67),  the 
last  work  of  Bernitii,  who  had  built  for  this  pope  the  Scala 
Regia  and  the  Colonnade  of  S.  Peter's.  This  is,  perhaps, 
the  worst  of  all  the  papal  monuments  ;  a  hideous  figure  of 
Death  is  pushing  aside  an  alabaster  curtain  and  exhibiting 
his  hour-glass  to  the  kneeling  pope. 

Opposite  to  this  tomb  is  an  oil  painting  on  slate,  by 
Francesco  Vanni,  of  the  Fall  of  Simon  Magus.  The  south 
transept  has  a  series  of  mosaic  pictures  ;  The  Incredulity 
of  <S.  Thomas  from  Camuccini,  the  Crucifixion  of  S.  Peter 
and  a  S.  Francis  from  Guido,  and,  on  the  pier  of  the  Cu- 
pola, Ananias  and  Sapphira  from  the  Roncalli  at  S.  Maria 
degli  Angeli,  and  the  Transfiguration  from  Raffaelle.' 

Opposite  the  mosaic  of  Ananias  and  Sapphira  is  the 
tomb  which  has  been  last  erected  in  S.  Peter's,  that  of 
Pius  VIII.,  Francesco  Castiglione  (1827-31),  by  Tcnerani. 
It  represents  the  pope  kneeling,  and  above  him  the  Saviour 
in  benediction,  with  SS.  Peter  and  Paul.  It  is  of  no  great 
merit. 

The  Cappella  Clementina  has  the  Miracle  of  S.  Gregory 
the  Great  from  the  Andrea  Sacchi  at  the  Vatican.  Close 
to  this  is  the  tomb  of  Pius  VII.,  Gregorio  Chiaramonte 
(1800-23),  who  crowned  Napoleon, — who  suffered  exile 
for  seven  years  for  refusing  to  abdicate  the  temporal 
power, — and  who  returned  in  triumph  to  die  at  the  Qui- 
rinal,  after  having  re-established  the  Order  of  the  Jesuits. 
His  monument  is  the  work  of  T/iorwaldscn,  graceful  and 
simple,  though  perhaps  too  small  to  be  in  proportion  to 
the  neighboring  tombs.  The  figure  of  the  pope,  a  gentle 
old  man  (he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-one,  having  reigned 
twenty-three  yearj),  is  seated  in  a  chair  ;  figures  of  Cour- 
age and  Faith  adorn  the  pedestal.  The  tomb  was  erected 
by  Cardinal  Consalvi,  the  faithful  friend  and  minister  of 
this  pope  (who  died  very  poor,  having  spent  all  his  wealth 
in  charity),  at  an  expense  of  27,000  scudi. 

Turning  into  the  left  aisle, — on  the  right  is  the  tomb  of 
Leo  XL,  Alessandro  de'  Medici  (1605),  to  which  one  is 
inclined  to  grudge  so  much  space,  considering  that  the 
pope  it  commemorates  only  reigned  twenty-six  days.  The 
tomb,  in  allusion  to  this  short  life,  is  sculptured  with  flowers, 

'  This  mosaic  occupied  ten  men  constantly  for  nine  years,  and  cost  60,000 
francs. 


590 


WALKS  I.V  ROME. 


and  bears  the  motto,  Sic  Florui.  It  is  the  work  of  Algardi. 
The  figures  of  Wisdom  and  Abundance,  which  adorn  the 
pedestal,  are  fine  specimens  of  this  allegorical  type. 

Opposite,  is  the  tomb  of  Innocent  XL,  Benedetto  Odes- 
calchi  (1676-89),  by  Etienne  Monot,  with  a  bass-relief  rep- 
resenting the  raising  of  the  siege  of  Vienna  by  King  John 
Sobieski. 

Near  this  is  the  entrance  to  the  Cappella  del  Coro,  the 
very  inconvenient  chapel  (decorated  with  gilding  and  stucco 
by  Giacomo  della  Porta),  in  which  the  vesper  services  are 
held.  The  altar-piece  is  a  mosaic  copy  of  the  Concep- 
tion by  Pietro  Bianchi  at  the  Angeli.  In  the  pavement  is 
the  gravestone  of  Clement  XL,  Giov.  Francesco  Albani 
(1700-21). 

Under  the  next  arch  of  the  aisle,  on  the  left,  is  the  inter- 
esting tomb  of  Innocent  VIII. ,  Giov.  Battista  Cibo  (1484- 
92),  by  Pietro  and  Antonio  Pollajuolo.  The  pope  is  rep- 
resented asleep  upon  his  sarcophagus,  and  a  second  time 
above,  seated  on  a  throne,  his  right  hand  extended  in  bene- 
diction, and  his  left  holding  the  sacred  lance  of  Longinus 
(said  to  have  been  that  which  pierced  the  side  of  our 
Saviour),  sent  to  him  by  the  sultan  Bajazet.  It  is  supposed 
that  it  was  owing  to  the  representation  of  this  relic,  that 
this  tomb  alone  (except  those  of  Paul  III.  and  of  Sixtus 
IV.,  uncle  of  the  destroyer)  was  replaced  after  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  old  basilica.  Upon  the  sarcophagus  of  the 
pope,  in  allusion  to  the  name  of  Innocent,  is  inscribed  the 
nth  verse  of  the  26th  Psalm,  "  In  innocentia  mea  ingres- 
sus  sum,redime  me  Domine  et  miserere  mei."  '  Some,  how- 
ever, find  in  the  epitaph  an  allusion  to  the  fact  that,  when 
Innocent  VIIT.  was  dying,  three  young  boys,  to  each  of 
whom  one  ducat  was  paid,  were  forced,  as  a  last  resource, 
to  infuse  their  young  blood  into  his  stiffening  veins.  Oppo- 
site, is  a  tomb  which  is  a  kind  of  Memento  Mori  to  the  liv- 
ing pope,  which  always  bears  the  name  of  his  predecessor, 
and  in  which  his  corpse  will  be  deposited  till  his  real  tomb 
is  prepared. 

Passing  the  Cappella  della  Presentazione,  which  contains 
a  mosaic  from  the  "  Presentation  of  the  Virgin  "  by  Roma- 
iiclli,  we  reach  the  last  arch,  which  contains  the  tombs  of 
the  Stuarts.  On  the  right  is  the  monument,  by  Filippo 
Barigioni,  of  Maria  Clementina  Sobieski,  wife  of  Charles 


MONUMENTS  OF  S.   FE TEH'S. 


59' 


Edward,  called  in  the  inscription,  "  Queen  of  Great  Britain, 
France,  and  Ireland  ;  "  on  the  left  is  that  by  Canova  to  the 
three  Stuart  princes,  James  III.,  and  his  sons,  Charles 
Edward  and  Henry — Cardinal  York.  The  calzoni  on  the 
figures  of  the  angel  guardians  were  added  by  the  folly  of 
Leo  XII.     The  monument  bears  the  inscription  : 

"JACOBO    III. 

JACOBI  II.,   MAGNAE    BRIT.   REGIS,   FILIO, 

KAROLO  EDOARDO 

ET    HENRICO,   DECANO    PATRUM 

CARDINALIUM, 

JACOBI   III.    FILIIS, 

REGIAE  STIRPIS  STVARDIAE   POSTREMIS, 

ANNO    MDCCCXI.X. 

BEATI  MORTUI  QUI    IN  DOMINO  MORIUNTUR." 

"George  IV.,  fidele  a  sa  reputation  Axi.  gentleman  le  plus  accompli 
des  trois  royaumes,  a  voulu  honorer  la  cendre  des  princes  malheureu- 
ses  que  de  leur  vivant  il  eut  envoyes  a  lechafaud  s'ils  fussent  tombes 
en  son  pouvoir. " — Stendhal. 

"  Beneath  the  unrivaled  dome  of  S.  Peter's  lie  mouldering  the  re- 
mains of  what  was  once  a  brave  and  gallant  hearf  •  ^nd  a  stately  mon- 
ument from  the  chisel  of  Canova,  and  at  the  charge,  as  I  believe,  of 
the  House  of  Hanover,  has  since  arisen  to  the  memory  of  James  the 
Third,  Charles  the  Third,  and  Henry  the  Ninth,  Kings  of  England, 
— names  which  an  Englishman  can  scarcely  read  without  a  smile  or  a 
sigh  \  Often  at  the  present  day  does  the  British  traveler  turn  from 
the  sunny  crest  of  the  Pincian,  or  the  carnival  throng  of  the  Corso,  to 
gaze,  in  thoughtful  silence,  on  that  mockery  of  human  greatness,  and 
that  last  record  of  ruined  hopes  I  The  tomb  before  him  is  of  a  race 
justly  expelled  ;  the  m.agnificent  temple  that  enshrines  it  is  of  a  faith 
wisely  reformed  ;  yet  who  at  such  a  moment  would  harshly  remember 
the  errors  of  either,  and  might  not  join  in  the  prayer  even  of  the  err- 
ing Church  for  the  departed,  '  Requiescant  in  pace?'" — Lord  Ma- 
hon. 

The  last  chapel  is  the  Baptistery,  and  contains,  as  a 
font,  the  ancient  porphyry  cover  of  the  sarcophagus  of 
Hadrian,  which  was  afterward  used  for  the  tomb  of  the 
emperor  Otho  II.  The  mosaic  of  the  Baptism  of  our  Sav- 
iour is  from  Carlo  Maratta. 

Distributed  around  the  whole  basilica  are  confessionals 
for  every  Christian  tongue. 

"  Au  milieu  de  toutes  les  creations  hardies  et  splendides  de  I'art 
dans  le  basilique  de  S.  Pierre,  il  est  une  impression  morale  qui  saisit 
I'esprit,  a  la  vue  des  confessionaux  des  diverses  langues.  II  y  a  la  en- 
core une  a^tre  espece  de  grandeur.'" — A.  du  Fays. 


592 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


The  Crypt  of  S.  Peter's  can  usually  be  visited  by  gentle- 
men between  9  and  1 1,  on  application  in  the  sacristy  ;  but 
by  ladies  only  witri  a  special  permission.  The  entrance  is 
near  the  statue  of  S.  Veronica.  The  visitor  is  terribly 
hurried  in  his  inspection  of  this,  the  most  historically  in- 
teresting part  of  the  basilica,  and  the  works  of  art  it  con- 
tains are  so  ill-arranged  as  to  be  difficult  to  investigate  or 
remember.  The  crypt  is  divided  into  two  portions,  the 
Grotte  Nuove,  occupying  the  area  beneath  the  dome,  and 
opening  into  some  ancient  lateral  chapels — and  the  Grotte 
Vecckie,  which  extended  under  the  whole  nave  of  the  old 
basilica,  and  reach  as  far  as  the  Cappelle  del  Coro  of  the 
present  edifice. 

The  first  portion  entered  is  a  corridor  in  the  Grotte 
Nuove.  Hence  open,  on  the  right,  two  ancient  chapels. 
The  first,  S.  Maria  in  Portico,  derives  its  name  from  a 
picture  of  the  Virgin,  attributed  to  Simone  Mernmi,  which 
stood  in  the  portico  of  the  old  basilica ;  it  contains  an 
ancient  marble  copy  of  the  bronze  statue  of  S.  Peter, 
seated  on  a  Gothic  throne  which  was  once  occupied  by  the 
statue  of  Benedict  XII.,  by  Paolo  da  Sie/ia,  which  is  seen 
close  by.  Several  statuettes  here  cam.e  from  the  magnifi- 
cent monument  of  Nicholas  V.,  which  perished  with 
the  old  church.  Here  also  is  a  statue  of  S.  Peter  which 
stood  in  the  portico,  and  the  cross  which  crowned  its 
summit.  The  second  chapel,  S.  Maria  delle  Partorienti, 
has  a  statue  of  Boniface  VIII.,  attributed  to  Andrea  Pi- 
sa no  ;  a  mosaic  of  our  Saviour  in  benediction,  from  the 
tomb  of  Otho  II.;  a  mosaic  of  the  Virgin,  of  the  eighth 
century ;  several  ancient  inscriptions ;  and,  at  the  en- 
trance, statues  of  the  two  apostles  James,  from  the  tomb  of 
Nicholas  V.  Behind  this  chapel  were  preserved  the 
remains  of  Leo  II.,  III.,  and  IX.,  till  they  were  removed  to 
the  upper  church  by  Leo  XII. 

The  visitor  is  hurried  through  the  neighboring  corridor, 
with  no  time  to  examine  the  precious  fragments  of  inscrip- 
tions, mosaics,  and  statuettes,  chiefly  from  the  tombs  of 
the  mediaeval  popes,  by  which  it  is  incrusted. 

Entering  the  Grotte  Vecchie,  we  find  a  nave  and  aisles 
separated  by  pilasters  with  low  arches.  Following  the 
south  aisle  we  are  first  arrested  by  the  marble  inscription 
on  the  left  relating  to  the  donation  of  lands  made  by  the 


CRYPT  OF  S.    PETEKS. 


593 


Countess  Matilda  to  the  church  in  i  iC2.  Near  this  is  the 
Altare  del  Salzatore,  close  to  which  are  a  bass-relief  of  the 
Virgin  and  Child  by  Arnoljo,  which  once  decorated  the 
tomb  of  Boniface  VIII.,  and  the  grave  of  Charlotte, 
Queen  of  Cyprus,  who  died  in  148 7.  Following  the  south 
aisle,  we  reach  the  sepulchral  urns  of  the  three  Stuart 
princes,  commemorated  in  the  upper  church  ;  then  the 
epitaph  of  Nicholas  V.  (S67)  ;  and  the  tombs  of  Cardinal 
Tebaldeschi  (1378)  and  the  deacon  Felix  (495).  At  the 
vrest  end  of  the  aisle  is  an  early  Christian  sarcophagus 
used  as  the  tomb  of  Pope  Gregory  V.  (999)  and  the  huge 
sarcophagus  of  the  Emperor  Otho  I.,  who  died  at  Rome 
in  A.D.  983  ;  this  fonnerly  stood  in  the  portico  of  the 
basilica. 

Close  by,  at  the  end  of  the  central  aisle,  is  the  empty 
tomb  of  Alexander  VI.,  Rodrigo  Borgia  (149 2-1 5 03),  the 
wicked  and  avaricious  father  of  Caesar  and  Lucretia,  v>'ho 
is  believed  to  have  died  of  the  poison  which  he  intended 
for  one  of  his  cardinals. 

' '  All  Rome  ran  with  indescribable  gladness  to  visit  the  corpse. 
Men  could  not  satiate  their  eyes  with  feeding  on  the  carcass  of  the 
serpent,  who,  by  his  unbounded  ambition  and  pestiferous  pertidy,  by 
every  demonstration  of  horrible  cruelty,  monstrous  lust,  and  unheard- 
of  avarice,  selling  without  distinction  things  sacred  and  profane,  had 
filled  the  world  with  venom." — Guicciarditii. 

The  body  of  this  pope  .was  not  allowed  to  rest  in  peace. 
Julius  II.,  the  bitter  enemy  of  the  Borgias,  turned  it  out  of 
its  tomb,  and  had  it  carried  to  S.  Giacomo  degli  Spagnuoli, 
whence,  when  that  church  was  dismantled,  it  was  taken  to 
S.  ]Maria  di  Monserrato.  The  empty  sarcophagus  is  sur- 
mounted by  the  figure  of  Alexander,  who  was  himself  a 
handsome  old  man,  and  in  whose  features  may  be  traced 
the  lineaments  of  the  splendid  Caesar  Borgia,  known  to  us 
from  the  picture  in  the  Borghese  Palace. 

hX.  the  end  of  th,"  central  nave  is  the  sarcophagus  of 
Christina  of  Sv\-eden,  who  has  a  monument  in  the  upper 
church. 

We  now  reach  the  huge  tomb  of  Adrian  TV.  (Nicholas 
Breakspeare,  1154-59),  the  only  Englishman  who  ever  oc- 
cupied the  papal  throne.'     He  it  was  who  hung  and  burnt 

'  He  had  been  Bishop  o£  S.  Alban's,  and  a  missionary  for  the  conversiDn  of 
Xorxvav. 


-04  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

Arnold  of  Erescia,  and  crowned  Frederick  Barbarossa. 
He  is  buried  in  a  pagan  sarcophagus  of  red  granite, 
adorned  with  Medusa  heads  in  rehef,  and  without  any  in- 
scription. 

Beyond  this  are  two  early  Christian  sarcophagi  appro- 
priated as  the  tombs  of  Pius  II.,  Aeneas  Sylvius  Piccolo- 
mini  (1458-64)  and  Pius  III.,  Antonio  Todeschini  Picco- 
lomini  (1503),  whose  monuments  are  removed  to  S.  Andrea 
della  Valle. 

Next  comes  a  noble  fragment  of  the  tomb  of  Boniface 
VIII.,  Benedetto  Caetani  (1294-1303). 

The  last  prince  of  the  church,  who  understood  the  papacy  in  the 
sense  of  universal  dominion,  in  the  spirit  of  Gregory  VII.,  of  Alexan- 
der and  Innocent  III.  Two  kings  held  the  bridle  of  his  palfrey  as  he 
rode  from  S.  Peter's  to  the  Lateran  after  his  election.  He  received 
Dante  as  the  ambassador  of  Florence  ;  in  1300  he  instituted  the  jubi- 
lee ;  and  his  reign — filled  with  contests  with  Philip  le  Bel  of  France 
and  the  Colonnas — ended  in  his  being  taken  prisoner  in  his  palace  at 
Anagni  by  Sciarra  Colonna  and  William  of  Nogaret,  and  subjected  to 
the  most  cruel  indignities.  He  was  rescued  by  his  fellow-citizens  and 
conducted  to  Rome  by  the  Orsini,  but  he  died  thirty-seven  days  after 
of  grief  and  mortification.  The  Ghibelline  story  relates  that  he  sat 
alone  silently  gnawing  the  top  of  his  staff,  and  at  length  dashed 
out  his  brains  against  the  wall,  or  smothered  himself  with  his  own  pil- 
lows. But  the  contemporary  verse  of  the  Cardinal  S.  George  describes 
him  as  dying  quietly  in  the  midst  of  his  cardinals,  at  peace  with  the 
world,  and  having  received  all  the  consolations  of  the  Church. — See 
Milman  s  Latin  Christianity,  vol.  v. 

The  character  of  Boniface  has  ever  been  one  of  the  bat- 
tlefields of  history.  He  was  scarcely  dead  when  the  epi- 
taph, "  He  came  in  like  a  fox,  he  ruled  like  a  lion,  he  died 
like  a  dog,"  was  proclaimed  to  Christendom.  He  was  con- 
signed by  Dante  to  the  lowest  circle  of  Hell  ;  yet  even 
Dante  expressed  the  universal  shock  with  which  Cliristen- 
dom  beheld  "  the  Fleur  de  Lis  enter  Anagni,  and  Christ 
again  captive  in  his  Vicar, — the  mockery,  the  gall  and  \in- 
egar,  the  crucifixion  between  living  robbers,  the  cruelty  of 
the  second  Pilate."  In  later  times,  Tosti,  Drumann, 
and  lastly,  Cardinal  Wiseman,  have  engaged  in  his  de- 
fense. 

Boniface  VIII.  was  buried  with  the  utmost  magnificence 
in  a  splendid  chapel,  whicn  he  had  built  himself,  and 
adorned  with  mosaics,  and  where  a  grand  tomb  was  erected 
to  him.    Of  this  nothing  remains  now  but  the  sarcophagu!> 


CRYPT  OF  S.    PETER'S. 


595 


which  bears  a  majestic  figure  of  the  pope  by  Arnolfo  del 
Cambio. 

"  The  head  is  unusually  beautiful,  severe  and  noble  in  its  form,  and 
corresponds  perfectly  with  the  portrait  which  we  have  (at  the  Lateran) 
from  the  hand  of  Giotto,  which  represents  his  face  as  beardless  and  of 
the  most  perfect  oval.  His  head  is  covered  by  a  long,  pointed  mitre, 
like  a  sugar-loaf,  decked  with  two  crowns.  This  proud  man  was  in- 
deed the  tirst  who  wore  the  double  crown, — all  his  predecessors  having 
been  content  with  a  simple  crowned  mitre.  This  new  custom  existed 
till  the  time  of  Urban  V.,  by  whom  the  third  crown  was  added." — 
Gregorovius,  Grabiiialer  der  Piipstc. 

Passing  the  tomb  of  a  nephew  of  Boniface  VIII.,  we 
reach,  against  the  north  wall,  a  sarcophagus  bearing  the 
figure  of  Nicholas  V.,  Tommaso  di  Sarzana  (1447-55), 
being  nearly  all  that  has  been  preserved  of  the  glorious  tomb 
of  that  pope,  who  founded  the  Vatican  library,  collected 
around  him  a  court  of  savants  and  poets,  and  "with  whom 
opened  the  age  of  papacy  to  which  belonged  the  times  of 
Julius  II.  and  Leo  X."  His  epitaph,  attributed  to  Pius  II., 
is  by  his  secretary,  Mafeo  Vegio. 

"  The  bones  of  Nicholas  V.  rest  in  this  grave. 
Who  gave  to  thee,  O  Rome  !  thy  golden  age. 
Famous  in  council,  more  famous  in  shining  virtue. 
He  honored  wise  men,  who  was  himself  the  wisest  of  all. 
He  gave  healing  to  the  world,  long  wounded  with  schism, 
And   renewed  at  once  its  manners  and  customs,  and  the  buildings 

and  temples  of  the  city. 
He  gave  an  altar  to  S.  Bernardino  of  Siena 
When  he  celebrated  the  holy  year  of  jubilee. 
He  crowned  with  gold  the  forehead  of  Frederick  and  his  wife, 
And  gave  order  to  the  affairs  of  Italy  by  the  treaty  which  he  made. 
He  translated  many  Greek  writings  into  the  Latin  tongue  ; — 
Then  offer  incense  to-day  at  his  holy  grave." 

Next  comes  a  remnant  of  the  tomb  of  Paul  II.,  Pietro 
Barbo  (1464-71),  chiefly  remarkable  for  his  personal  beauty, 
of  which  he  was  so  vain,  that  when  he  issued  from  the  con- 
clave as  pope,  he  wished  to  take  the  name  of  Formosus. 
This  pontiff  built  the  Palazzo  S.  Marco,  and  gave  a  name 
to  the  Corso,  by  establishing  the  races  there-  He  also  pre- 
pared for  himself  one  of  the  most  splendid  tombs  in  the  old 
basilica,  for  which  he  obtained  Mino  da  Fiesole  as  an 
architect.  It  was  his  wish  to  lie  in  the  porphyry  sarcoph- 
agus of  S.  Costanza,  which  he  stole  from  her  church  for 
this  purpose  ;  hence  the  simplicity  of  the  existing  sarcoph- 


596  WALK'S  I.V  ROME. 

agus,  which  bears  his  effigy.  Beyond  this  are  sarcophagi 
of  Julius  III.,  Gio.  Maria  Ciocchi  del  Monte  (1550-55), 
builder  of  the  Villa  Papa  Giulio  ;  and  Nicholas  III.,  Gae- 
tano  Orsini  (1277-81),  who  made  a  treaty  with  Rudolph 
of  Hapsburg,  and  obtained  from  him  a  ratification  of  the 
donation  of  the  Countess  Matilda.  Dante  finds  him  by  a 
burning  gulf,  the  head  within,  the  feet  without,  red  with 
the  flames  of  hell. 

"  Le  pontifical  de  Nicholas  III.  est  I'architype  du  ncpotisinc,  devenu 
depuis  endemique  dans  la  papaute.  D'aatres,  avant  lui,  avaient  essaye 
d'agrandir  leurs  families  et  de  les  rapprocher  des  maisons  souveraines 
par  la  possession  du  pouvoir  ou  I'acquisition  de  la  richesse  ;  le  premier, 
Gaetano  Orsini,  erigea  le  nepotisme  en  systeme,  lui  donna  un  but 
precis,  le  soumit  a  des  regies  et  en  fit  une  des  supremes  sciences  de 
la  cour  de  Rome." — Alexis  de  Saint-Priest,  Hist,  de  la  Conqurfe  de 
Naples. 

Next  comes  the  sarcophagus  of  Urban  VI.,  Bartolom- 
meo  Prignani  (1378-S7),  the  sole  relic  of  a  most  magnifi- 
cent tomb  of  this  cruel  pope,  who  is  believed  to  have  died 
of  poison.  It  bears  his  figure,  and,  in  the  front,  a  bass- 
relief  of  him  receiving  the  keys  from  S.  Peter.  His  epitaph 
runs  : 

"  Here  rests  the  just,  wise,  and  noble  prince. 
Jrban  VI.,  a  native  of  Naples. 

He,  full  of  zeal,  gave  a  sate  refuge  to  the  teachers  of  the  failh. 
That  gained  for  him,  noble  one,  a  fatal  poi.son  cup  at  the  close  of 

the  repast. 
Great  was  the  schism,  but  great  was  his  courage  in  opposing  it. 
And  in  the  presence  of  this  mighty  pope  Simony  sate  dumb. 
But  it  is  needless  to  reiterate  liis  praises  upon  earth. 
While  heaven  is  shining  with  his  immortal  glory." 

"  Sepelitur  in  beati  Petri  Basilica,  paucis  admodum  ejus  mortem, 
lUpote  horainis  rustic!  et  inexorabilis,  flentibus.  Hujus  autem  sepul- 
ciirum  adhuc  visitur  cum  epila]:>hio  satis  rustico  et  inepto. " — Platrna. 

We  next  see  the  sarcophagi  of  Innocent  VII.,  Cosmato 
de  Miliorati  (1404-6),  bearing  his  figure  ;  of  Marcellus  II., 
Marcello  Cervini  (1555),  who  only  reigned  twenty-five 
days  ;  and  of  Innocent  IX.,  Giov.  Antonio  Facchinetti 
(1591-92),  who  reigned  only  sixty. 

Passing  the  tombs  of  Cardinal  Fonseca,  Cardinal  della 
Porta  (1434),  and  Cardinal  Eruli,  each  with  a  statue,  and 
the  grave  of  Archbishop  Piccolomini,  we  reach  the  monu- 


TOMB    OF   SS.    PETER   AND  PAUL. 


59: 


ment  of  Agnese  Caetani  Colonna,  the  only  lady  not  of  royal 
birth  buried  in  the  basilica. 

Hence  we  return  to  the  corridor  of  the  Grotte  Nuove, 
containing  a  number  of  mosaics  and  statues  detached  from 
different  papal  tombs,  the  best  being  those  from  that  of 
Nicholas  V.  and  that  of  Paul  II.,  by  Mino  da  Fiesole  (a 
figure  of  Charity  is  especially  beautiful)  and  a  bass-relief 
of  the  Virgin  and  Child,  by  Arnolfo,  from  the  tomb  of 
Benedict  VIII. 

Near  the  entrance  of  the  shrine  are  marble  reliefs  of  the 
martyrdoms  of  S.  Peter  and  S.  Paul.  Opposite  to  the 
entrance  is  the  magnificent  sarcophagus  of  Junius  Bassus, 
Christian  prefect  of  Rome,  who  died  a.d.  359.  It  was  dis- 
covered near  its  present  site  in  1595.  It  is  adorned  with 
admirable  sculptures  from  the  Old  and  New  Testament. 

Opening  from  the  center  of  the  circular  passage  is  the 
Confessiofi  or  Shrine  of  SS.  Peter  and  Paul ^  which  contains 
the  sarcophagus  brought  from  the  catacomb  near  S.  Sebas- 
tiano  in  257,  and  which  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  has 
always  revered  as  that  of  S.  Peter.  On  the  altar,  conse- 
crated in  1 122,  are  two  ancient  pictures  of  S.  Peter  and  S. 
Paul.  Only  half  the  bodies  of  the  saints  are  held  to  be 
preserved  here,  the  other  portion  of  that  of  S.  Peter  being 
at  the  Lateran,  and  of  S.  Paul  at  S.  Paolo  fuori  le  Mura. 

To  the  Roman  Catholic  mind  this  is  naturally  one  of  the 
most  sacred  spots  in  the  world,  since  it  holds  literally  the 
v.'ords  of  S.  Ambrose,  that  :  "  Where  Peter  is,  there  is  the 
Church, — and  where  the  Church  is,  there  is  no  death,  but 
life  eternal."  ^ 

"  From  this  place  Peter,  from  this  place  Paul,  shall  be  caught  up  in 
the  resurrection.  Oh,  consider  with  trembling  that  which  Rome  will 
behold,  when  Paul  suddenly  rises  with  Peter  from  this  sepulcher,  and 
is  carried  up  into  the  air  to  meet  the  Lord." — S.John  Chrysostom, 
Homily  on  the  Ep.  to  the  Romans. 

"  Among  the  cemeteries  ascribed  by  tradition  to  apostolic  times,  the 
crypts  of  the  Vatican  would  have  the  first  claim  on  our  attention,  had 
they  not  been  almost  destroyed  by  the  foundations  of  the  vast  basilica 
which  gTjards  the  tomb  of  S.  Peter.  .  .  .  The  Liber  Pontificalis  says 
that  Anacletus,  the  successor  of  Clement  in  the  Apostolic  See,  '  buill 
and   adorned   the   sepulchral    monument   (construxit  memoriam)   of 

'  The  principal  authorities  for  the  fact  of  S.  Peter  being  at  Rome— so  often 
denied  by  ulira-protestants— are :  S.  Jerome,  Catalogus  scnptorum  ecclesiasti- 
corum  in  Petro ;  Tertulhan,  de  Prcscriptionibus,  c.  xxxvi.  ;  and  Eusebius,  His- 
loria  Ecclesiastica,  lib.  ii.  cap.  24. 


5^8  WALKS  IiV    HOME. 

blessed  Peter,  since  he  had  been  ordained  priest  byS.  Peter,  and  other 
burial-places  where  the  bishops  might  be  laid.'  It  is  added  that  he 
himself  was  buried  there  ;  and  tlie  same  is  recorded  of  Linus  and 
Cletus,  and  of  Evaristus,  Sixtus  I.,  Telesephorus,  Hyginus,  Pius  I., 
Eleutherius,  and  Victor,  the  last  of  whom  was  buried  a.d.  203  ;  and 
after  S.  Victor,  no  other  pontiff  is  recorded  to  have  been  buried  at  the 
Vatican  until  Leo  the  Great  was  laid  in  S.  Peter's,  a.d.  461.  The  idea 
conveyed  by  the  words  constntxit  niemoriam  is  that  of  a  monument 
above  ground  according  to  the  usual  Roman  custom  ;  and  we  have 
seen  that  such  a  monument,  even  though  it  covered  the  tomb  of 
Christian  bishops,  would  not  be  likely  to  be  disturbed  at  any  time 
durmg  the  first  or  second  century.  For  the  reason  we  have  already 
stated,  it  is  impossible  to  confront  those  ancient  notices  with  any  ex- 
isting monuments.  It  is  worth  mentioning,  however,  that  De  Rossi 
believes  that  the  sepulcher  of  S.  Linus  was  discovered  in  this  very 
place  early  in  the  seventeenth  century,  bearing  simply  the  name  of 
Linus." — Noithcote  and  Biowniow,  Roma  Sotteranca. 

The  ascent  of  the  Dome  of  S.  Peter  s  is  only  allowed  on 
Thursdays  (not  being  festivals)  from  8  to  10  a.m.,  and  not 
more  than  twenty  persons  are  permitted  to  ascend  at  the 
same  time.  The  entrance  is  from  the  first  door  in  the  left 
aisle,  near  the  tomb  of  Mar!a-Clementina  Sobieski.  The 
ascent  is  by  an  easy  staircase,  a  cordoni,  the  walls  of  which 
bear  memorial  tablets  to  all  the  royal  personages  who  have 
ascended  it.  The  aspect  of  the  roof  is  exceedingly  curious 
from  the  number  of  small  domes  and  houses  of  workmen 
with  which  it  is  studded,— quite  a  little  village  in  them- 
selves. 

"  We  climbed  up  to  the  roof  of  the  church,  where  one  finds  the 
image  of  a  well-built  town  in  miniature — houses  and  shops,  fountains 
(in  semblance  at  least),  churches,  and  a  great  temple — all  in  the  air, 
and  beautiful  walks  between." — Goethe. 

A  chamber  in  one  of  the  pillars  which  support  the  dome 
contains  a  model  of  the  ancient  throne  of  S.  Peter,  and  a 
model  of  the  church  by  Michael  Angelo  and  his  predeces- 
sor, Antonio  di  Sangallo.  The  dome  is  three  hundred 
feet  above  the  roof,  and  six  hundred  and  thirteen  and  one- 
half  feet  in  circumference.  An  iron  staircase  leads  thence 
10  the  ball,  which  is  capable  of  containing  sixteen  persons. 

"  Cette  hauteur  fait  fremir,"  dit  Beyle,  "  quand  on  songe  aux  trem- 
blements  de  terre  qui  agitent  frequcmment  I'ltalie,  et  qu'un  instant 
pent  vous  priver  du  plus  beau  monument  qui  existe.  Certainement 
jamais  il  nc  serait  releve  :  nous  sommes  trop  raisfluiiahlcs." 

"  De  Brossc  racontc  que  deux   inoincs  espagnols,  qui  se  trouvaient 


SACRISTY   OF  S.    PETER'S.  ^^. 

dans  la  boule  de  S.  Pierre  lors  de  la  secousse  de  1730,  eurent  una  tere 
peur,  que  I'un  d'eux  mourut  sur  la  place." — A,  dii  Pays. 

The  Sacristy  of  S.  Peter  s,  which  is  entered  by  a  gray 
marble  door  on  the  left,  before  turning  into  the  south 
transept,  was  built  by  Pius  VI.,  in  1755,  from  designs  of 
Ca7-lo  Marchione.  It  consists  of  three  halls,  with  a  corridor 
adorned  by  columns  and  inscriptions  from  the  old  church, 
and  by  statues  of  SS.  Peter  and  Paul,  which  stood  in  front 
of  it.  The  central  hall,  Sagrcstia  Commiuie,  is  decorated 
with  eight  fluted  pillars  of  gray  marble  (bigio)  from  Ha- 
drian's Villa.  On  the  left  is  the  Sagrestia  del  Canonici,  with 
the  Cappella  dei  Cano?tici,  which  has  two  pictures,  the  Ma- 
donna and  Saints  (Anna,  Peter,  and  Paul),  by  Francesco 
Penfii,  and  the  Madonna  and  Child,  Giulio  Romano.  Hence 
opens  the  Stanza  Capitolare,  containing  an  interesting 
remnant  of  the  many  works  of  Giotto  in  the  old  basilica 
under  Boniface  VIII.  (for  which  he  received  3,020  gold 
florins),  in  three  panel  pictures  belonging  to  the  ciborium 
for  the  high  altar  ordered  by  Cardinal  Stefaneschi,  and 
representing — Christ  with  that  Cardinal — the  Crucifixion 
of  S.  Peter — the  Execution  of  S.  Peter — and  on  the  back 
of  the  same  panel,  another  picture,  in  which  Cardinal  Ste- 
faneschi is  offering  his  ciborium  to  S.  Peter. 

"  The  fragments  which  are  preserved  of  the  painting  which  Giotto 
executed  for  the  Church  of  S.  Peter  cannot  fail  to  make  us  regret  its 
loss.  The  fragments  are  treated  with  a  grandeur  of  style  which  has 
led  Rumohr  to  suspect  that  the  susceptible  imagination  of  Giotto  was 
unable  to  resist  the  impression  which  the  ancient  mosaics  of  the  Chris- 
tian basilicas  must  have  produced  upon  him." — Rio.  Poetry  of  Chris- 
tian Art. 

Here  also  are  several  exquisitely  beautiful  fragments  of 
the  frescoes,  hy  Melozzo  da  Forli,  which  existed  in  the  for- 
mer dome  of  the  SS.  Apostoli,  and  of  which  the  finest 
portion  is  now  at  the  Quirinal  Palace.  On  the  right  is  the 
Sagrestia  dei  Benefiziati,  which  contains  a  picture  of  the 
Saviour  giving  the  keys  to  S.  Peter,  by  Muziano,  and  an 
image  called  La  Madonna  della  Febbre,  which  stood  in  the 
old  Sacristy.  Opening  hence  is  the  Treasury  of  S.  Peter's., 
containing  many  ancient  jewels,  crucifixes,  and  candelabra, 
by  Benvenuto  Cellini  and  Michael  Angelo,  and,  amongst 
Its  glorious  collection  of  church  vestments,  the  famous 
sacerdotal  robe  called  the  Dalmatica  di  Papa  San  Leone, 


goo  WALK'S   IN  ROME. 

*'  said  to  have  been  embroidered  at  Constantinople  for  the 
coronation  of  Charlemagne  as  Emperor  of  the  West,  but 
fixed  by  German  criticism  as  a  production  of  the  twelfth, 
or  the  early  part  of  the  thirteenth  century.  The  emperors, 
at  least,  have  worn  it  ever  since,  while  serving  as  deacons 
at  the  pope's  altar  during  their  coronation  mass." 

■'It  is  a  large  robe  of  stiff  brocade,  falling  in  broad  and  unbroken 
folds  in  front  and  behind, — broad  and  deep  enough  for  the  Goliath- 
like stature  and  the  Herculean  chest  of  Charlemagne  himself.  On  the 
breast,  the  Saviour  is  represented  in  glory,  on  the  back  the  Transfig- 
uration, and  on  the  two  shoulders  Christ  administering  the  Eucharist 
to  the  Apostles.  In  each  of  these  last  compositions,  our  Saviour,  a 
stiff  but  majestic  figure,  stands  behind  the  altar,  on  which  are  deposited 
a  chalice  and  a  paten  or  basket  containing  crossed  wafers.  He  gives, 
in  the  one  case,  the  cup  to  S.  Paul,  in  the  other  the  bread  to  S.  Peter, 
— they  do  not  kneel,  but  bend  reverently  to  receive  it  ;  five  other  dis- 
ciples await  their  turn  in  each  instance, — all  are  standing. 

"  I  do  not  apprehend  your  being  disappointed  with  the  Dalmatica 
di  San  Leone,  or  your  dissenting  from  my  conclusion,  that  a  master,  a 
Michael-Angelo  I  would  almost  say,  then  flourished  at  Byzantium. 

"  It  was  in  this  Dalmatica — then  seince  all  over  with  pearls  and  glit- 
tering in  freshness — that  Cola  di  Rienzi  robed  himself  over  his  armor 
in  the  sacristy  of  S.  Peter's,  and  thence  ascended  to  the  Palace  of  the 
Popes,  after  the  manner  of  the  Caesars,  with  sounding  trumpets  and 
his  horsemen  following  him — his  truncheon  in  his  hand  and  his  crown 
on  his  head — '  terribile  e  fanta.slico,'  as  his  biographer  describes  him 
— to  wait  upon  the  Legate." — Lord  Lindsay  s   Christian  Art,  i.  137. 

Above  the  Sacristy  are  the  Archives  of  S.  Peter  s,  con- 
taing,  among  many  other  ancient  MSS.,  a  life  of  S.  George, 
with  minatures  by  Giotto.  The  entrance  to  the  Archivio, 
at  the  end  of  the  corridor,  is  adorned  with  fragments  of 
the  chains  of  the  ports  of  Smyrna  and  Tunis.  Here,  also, 
is  a  statue  of  Pius  VI.,  by  Agostino  Penna. 

It  is  quite  worth  while  to  leave  S.  Peter's  by  the  Porta 
S.  Marta  beneath  the  tomb  of  Alexander  VII,,  in  order  to 
examine  the  exterior  of  the  church  from  behind,  where  it 
completely  dwarfs  all  the  surrounding  buildings.  Among 
these  are  the  Church  of  S.  Stefano,  with  a  fine  door  com- 
posed of  antique  fragments,  and  the  dismal  Church  of  S. 
Marta,  which  contains  several  of  the  Roman  weights 
known  as  "  Pietre  di  Paragone,"  said  to  have  been  used  in 
the  martyrdoms.  Beyond  the  Sacristy  is  the  pretty  little 
Cimcterio  dei  Tedeschi,  the  oldest  of  Christian  burial- 
grounds,  said  to  have  been  set  apart  by  Constantine,  and 


S.    SALVATORE  IN    TORRIONE.  60 1 

filled  with  earth  from  Calvary.  It  was  granted  to  the 
Germans  in  1779,  by  Pius  VI.  Close  by  is  the  Church  of 
S.  Maria  della  Pieta  i?i  Campo  Santo. 

Not  far  from  hence  (in  a  street  behind  the  nearest  col- 
onnade) is  the  Palazzo  del  Santo  Uffizio — or  of  the  Inqui- 
sition. This  body  was  established  here  in  1536  by  Paul 
III.,  acting  on  the  advice  of  Cardinal  Caraffa,  afterward 
Paul  IV.,  for  inquiry  into  cases  of  heresy,  and  the  punish- 
ment of  ecclesiastical  offenses.  It  was  by  the  authority  of 
the  "  Holy  Office  "  that  the  "  Index  "  of  prohibited  books 
was  first  drawn  up.  Paul  IV.,  on  his  death-bed,  summoned 
the  cardinals  to  his  side,  and  recommended  to  them  this 
"  Santissimo  Tribunale,"  as  he  called  it,  and  succeeding 
popes  protected  and  encouraged  it.  Even  in  the  last 
years  of  papal  rule  the  Inquisition  frequently  exercised  its 
powers  with  extreme  severity.  The  tribunal  was  formally 
abolished  by  the  Roman  Assembly  in  February,  1849,  but 
was  re-established  by  Pius  IX.  in  the  following  June  ;  its 
meetings  now  take  place  in  the  Vatican. 

In  the  interior  of  the  building  is  a  lofty  hall,  with  gloomy 
irescoes  of  Dominican  saints — and  many  terrible  dungeons 
and  cells  in  which  the  victim  is  unable  to  stand  upright, 
having  their  vaulted  ceihngs  lined  with  reeds,  to  deaden 
sound — but  all  this  is  seldom  seen.  When  the  people 
rushed  into  the  Inquisition  at  the  revolution,  a  number  of 
human  bones  were  found  in  these  vaults,  which  so  excited 
the  popular  fury,  that  an  attack  on  the  Dominican  convent 
at  the  Minerva  was  anticipated.  Ardent  defenders  of  the 
papacy  maintain  that  these  bones  had  been  previously 
transported  to  the  Inquisition  from  a  cemetery  to  get  up  a 
sensation.' 

Built  up  into  the  back  of  this  palace  is  the  tribune  of 
the  Church  of  S.  Salvatore  in  Torrione  or  in  Macello,  whose 
foundation  is  ascribed  to  Charlemagne  (797).  Senerano 
("  Sette  Chiese  ")  supposes  that  the  French  had  here  their 
schola  or  special  center — Schola  Francoruin — for  worship 
and  assemblage.  The  windows  of  this  building  are  among 
the  few  examples  of  Gothic  in  Rome,  and  there  are  good 
terra-cotta  mouldings.  It  may  best  be  seen  from  the 
Porta  Ciivalieggieri,  which  was  designed  by  Sangallo,  and 
derives  its  name  from  the  cavalry  barracks  close  by. 

'  See  Hemans'  Catholic  Italy ^  vol.  i. 


6o2  WALK'S  /.V  ROME. 

A  short  distance  from  the  lower  end  of  the  colonnade 
is  the  Church  of  S.  Alichele  in  Sassia,  whose  handsome 
tower  is  a  relic  of  the  church  founded  by  Leo  IV.,  who 
built  the  walls  of  the  Borgo,  especially  for  funeral  masses 
for  the  souls  of  those  who  fell  in  its  defense  against  the 
the  Saracens.  Raphael  Mengs  is  buried  in  the  modem 
church. 

The  name  of  this  church  commemorates  the  Saxon  set- 
tlement "called  Burgus  Saxonum,  Vicus  Saxonum,  Schola 
Saxonum,  and  simply  Saxia  or  Sassia,'  founded  c.  727  by 
Ina,  king  of  Wessex,  and  enlarged  in  794  by  Off  a,  king  of 
Mercia,  when  he  made  a  pilgrimage  to  Rome  in  penance 
for  the  murder  of  Ethelbert,  king  of  East  Anglia.  Ina 
founded  here  a  church,  "  S.  Maria  quae  vocatur  Schola 
Saxonum,"  which  is  mentioned  as  late  as  854.  Dyer 
("  Hist,  of  the  City  of  Rome  ")  says  that  "when  Leo  IV. 
inclosed  this  part  of  the  city,  it  obtained  the  name  of 
Borgo,  from  the  Burgus  Saxonum,  and  one  of  the  gates 
was  called  Saxonum  Posterula. 

*  See  Dyer's  Hht.  o/the  City  of  R^tne^  p.  358. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

THE    VATICAN. 

History  of  the  Vatican  Quarter  and  of  the  Palace — Scala  Regia — 
Paoline  Chapel — Sistine  Chapel — Sala  Ducale — The  Stanze — 
Chapel  of  S.  Lorenzo — The  Loggie — The  Picture  Gallery — The 
Sala  a  Croce  Greca — Sala  della  Biga — Galleria  dei  Candelabri — 
Galleria  degli  Arrazi — Sala  Rotonda — Sala  degli  Animali — Cortile 
del  Belvidere — The  Vestibules  —  Museo  Chiaramonti  —  Braccio 
Nuovo  —  Museo  Lapidario  —  Library  —  Appartamento  Borgia — 
Etruscan  Museum — Egyptian  Museum — Gardens — Villa  Pia. 

THE  hollow  of  the  Janiculum  between  S.  Onofrio  and 
the  Monte  Mario  is  believed  to  have  been  the  site  of 
Etruscan  divination. 

"  Fauni  vatesque  canebant." 

E,nnius. 

Hence  the  name,  which  is  now  only  used  in  regard  to  the 
papal  palace  and  the  basilica  of  S.  Peter,  but  which  was 
once  applied  to  the  whole  district  between  the  foot  of  the 
hill  and  the  Tiber  near  S.  Angelo. 

"  .    .   .   ut  paterni 
Fluminis  ripae,  simul  et  jocosa 
Redderet  laudes  tibi  Vaticani 
Montis  imago.' 

Horace,  Od.  i.  20. 

Tacitus  speaks  of  the  unwholesome  air  of  this  quarter. 
In  this  district  was  the  Circus  of  Caligula,  adjoining  the 
gardens  of  his  mother  Agrippina,  decorated  by  the  obelisk 
which  now  stands  in  the  front  of  S.  Peter's.'  Here  Seneca 
describes  that  while  Caligula  was  walking  by  torchlight  he 
amused  himself  by  the  slaughter  of  a  number  of  distin- 
guished persons — senators  and  Roman  ladies.  Afterward 
it  became  the  Circus  of  Nero,  who  from  his  adjoining  gar- 

'  Pliny,  XXXV.  15. 

603 


6o4  WALK'S  J\  HOME. 

dens  used  to  watch  the  martyrdom  of  the  Christians' — men- 
tioned by  Suetonius  as  "  a  race  given  up  to  a  new  and  evil 
superstition  " — and  who  used  their  Hving  bodies,  covered 
with  pitch  and  set  on  fire,  as  torches  for  his  nocturnal 
promenades. 

The  first  residence  of  the  popes  at  the  Vatican  was 
erected  by  S.  Symmachus  (a.d.  498-514)  near  the  forecourt 
of  the  old  S.  Peter's,  and  here  Charlemagne  is  believed  to 
have  resided  on  the  occasion  of  his  several  visits  to  Rome 
during  the  reigns  of  Adrian  I.  (772-795)  and  Leo  III. 
(795-816).  During  the  twelfth  century,  this  ancient  palace 
having  fallen  into  decay,  it  was  rebuilt  in  the  thirteenth  by 
Innocent  III.  It  was  greatly  enlarged  by  Nicholas  III. 
( 1 277-1 281),  but  the  Lateran  continued  to  be  the  papal 
residence,  and  the  Vatican  palace  was  only  used  on  state 
occasions,  and  for  the  reception  of  any  foreign  sovereigns 
visiting  Rome.  After  the  return  of  the  popes  from  Avig- 
non, the  Lateran  palace  had  fallen  into  decay,  and  for  the 
sake  of  the  greater  security  afforded  by  the  vicinity  of  S. 
Angeio,  it  was  determined  to  make  the  pontifical  residence 
at  the  Vatican,  and  the  first  conclave  was  held  there  in 
1378.  In  order  to  increase  its  security,  John  XXIII.  con- 
structed the  covered  passage  to  S.  Angeio  in  1410.  Nich- 
olas V.  (1447-1455)  had  the  idea  of  making  it  the  most 
magnificent  palace  in  the  world,  and  of  uniting  in  it  all, 
the  government  offices  and  dwellings  of  the  cardinals,  but 
died  before  he  could  do  more  than  begin  the  work.  The 
building  which  he  commenced  was  finished  by  Alexander 
VI.,  and  still  exists  under  the  name  of  Tor  di  Borgia.  In 
1437  Sixtus  IV.  built  the  Sixtine  Chapel,  and  in  1490  "the 
Belvidere  "  was  erected  as  a  separate  garden-house  by  In- 
nocent VIII.  from  designs  of  Antonio  da  Pollajuolo.  Ju- 
lius II.,  with  the  aid  of  Bramante,  united  this  villa  to  the 
palace  by  means  of  one  vast  courtyard,  and  erected  the 
Loggie  around  the  Court  of  S.  Damasus  ;  he  also  laid  the 
foundation  of  the  Vatican  Museum  in  the  gardens  of  the 
Belvidere.  The  Loggie  were  comjjleted  by  Leo  X.;  the 
Sala  Regia  and  Paoline  Chapel  were  built  by  Paul  HI. 
Sixtus  V.  divided  the  great  court  of  Bramante  into  two  by 
the  erection  of  the  librarv,  and  began  the  present  residence 
of  the  popes,  which  was  finished  by  Clement  VIII.  (1592- 

'  Tac.  Ann.  xv.  44. 


THE   STORY  OF    THE    VATICAN.  605 

1605).  Urban  VIII.  built  the  Scala  Regia  ;  Clement  XIV. 
and  Pius  VII.,  the  Museo  Pio-Clementino  ;  Pius  VII.,  the 
Braccio  Nuovo  ;  Leo  XII.,  the  picture-gallery  ;  Gregory 
XVI.,  the  Etruscan  Museum  ;  and  Pius  IX.,  the  handsonie 
staircase  leading  to  the  court  of  Braniante. 

The  length  of  the  Vatican  palace  is  1,151  English  feet; 
it ;  breadth,  767.  It  has  eight  grand  staircases,  twenty  courts, 
r.nd  is  said  to  contain  1 1,000  chambers  of  different  sizes. 

(The  Pictorial  Treasures  of  the  Vatican — the  Sistine  Chapel,  the 
Stunze  and  Loggie  of  Raffaelle,  and  the  Pinacoteca  or  Gallery  of  Pict- 
ures may  be  visited  daily  from  9  to  3,  except  on  .Saturdays  and  festi- 
vals, and  are  reached  by  the  "  Portone  di  Bronzo,"  on  the  left  in  as- 
cending the  Scala  Regia. 

On  Monday  mornings  a  portion  of  the  Pinacoteca  is  closed,  on  ac- 
count of  the  papal  audiences,  which  are  held  in  the  rooms  beneath. 


The  greater  portion  of  the  Collection  of  Sculpture  in  the  Vatican  may 
be  visited  from  9  to  3,  except  on  festivals  and  on  Thursdays  and  Satur- 
days. On  Thursdays  only  a  small  portion  of  the  galleries  is  open, 
comprising  the  Galleria  dei  Candelabri,  the  Arazzi,  and  the  Etruscan 
and  Egyptian  antiquities  :  these  portions  are  closed  on  other  days. 

The  present  entrance  to  all  the  sculpture  galleries  is  by  the  Garden 
Gate  (Cancello  del  Giardino),  which  is  reached  by  the  Via  dei  Fonda- 
menti  at  the  back  of  S.  Peter's.  A  coachman  should  always  be  directed 
to  drive  to  the  Cancello  del  Giardino,  which  is  at  a  great  distance  from 
the  front  entrance  to  the  Vatican. 


Since  the  change  of  government  an  order  has  been  necessary  for 
visiting  any  part  of  the  Vatican  ;  but  the  order  is  'gw^n  gratis  o\\  as- 
cending to  the  Cortile  S.  Damaso  (by  the  staircase  on  the  left  of  the 
passage  in  the  right  gallery  of  approach  to  S.  Peter's)  and  applying  at 
the  office  at  the  end  of  the  corridor.  Orders  may  also  generally  be 
obtained  through  a  banker.  A  single  order  does  not  admit  more  than 
four  persons. 

No  one  should  go  to  the  distant  Cancello  del  Giardino  without 
being  previously  provided  with  an  order  of  admittance.) 


The  principal  entrance  of  the  Vatican  is  at  the  end  of 
the  right  colonnade  of  S.  Peter's.  Hence  a  door  on  the 
right  opens  upon  the  staircase  leading  to  the  Cortile  di  S. 
Damaso,  and  is  the  nearest  way  to  all  the  collections,  and 
the  one  by  which  visitors  were  admitted  until  the  fall  of 
the  papal  government. 

Following  the  great  corridor,  and  passing  on  the  left  the 
entrance  to  the  portico   of  S.  Peter's,  v>'e  reach  the  Scala 


6o6  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

J^egia,  a  magnificent  work  of  Bernini,  watched  by  the  pic- 
turesque Swiss  guard  of  the  pope.  Hence  we  enter  the  Sala 
Regia,  built  in  the  reign  of  Paul  111.  by  Antonio  di  San- 
gallo,  and  used  as  a  hall  of  audience  for  ambassadors.  It 
is  decorated  with  frescoes  illustrative  of  the  history  of  the 
popes. 

Entrance  Wall  : 

Vasari :  Alliance  of   the   Venetians  with   Paul  \'.  against   the 
Turks,  and  Battle  of  Lepanto,  1571. 
Ri^At  Wall  : 

Federigo  and    Taddeo  Zucchero :    Absolution   of   the  Emperor 
Henry  IV.  by  Gregory  VII. 
Left  Wall: 

Vasari  :  Massacre  of  S.  Bartholomew. 
Opposite  Wall,  toward  the  Sala  Regia  : 
Return  of  Gregory  XL  from  Avignon. 

Giuseppe  Porta  :  Benediction  of  Frederick  Barbarossa  by  Alex- 
ander III.,  in  the  Piazza  of  S.  Marco. 

On  the  right  is  the  entrance  of  the  Paoline  Chapel  (Cap- 
pella  Paolina),also  built  (1540)  by  Antonio  di  Sangallo  for 
Paul  III.  Its  decorations  are  chiefly  the  work  of  Sabhatini 
and  F.  Zucchero,  but  it  contains  two  frescoes  by  Michael 
Angela. 

"Two  excellent  frescoes,  executed  by  Michael  Angelo  on  the  side 
wall  of  the  Pauline  Chapel,  are  little  cared  for,  and  are  so  much  black- 
ened by  the  smoke  of  lamps  that  they  are  seldom  mentioned.  The 
Crucifixion  of  S.  Peter,  under  the  large  window,  is  in  a  most  unfavor- 
able light,  but  is  distinguished  for  its  grand,  severe  composition.  That 
on  the  opposite  wall — the  Conversion  of  S.  Paul — is  still  tolerably  dis- 
tinct. The  long  train  of  his  soldiers  is  seen  ascending  in  the  back- 
ground. Christ,  surrounded  by  a  host  of  angels,  bursts  upon  his  sight 
from  the  storm-llash.  Paul  lies  stretched  on  the  ground — a  noble  and 
finely  developed  form.  His  followers  fly  on  all  sides,  or  are  struck 
motionless  by  the  thunder.  The  arrangement  of  the  groups  is  excel- 
lent, and  some  of  the  single  figures  are  very  dignified  ;  the  composition 
has,  moreover,  a  principle  of  order  and  repose  which,  in  comparison 
with  the  Last  Judgment,  places  this  picture  in  a  very  favorable  light. 
If  there  are  any  traces  of  old  age  to  be  found  in  these  works,  they  are 
at  most  discoverable  in  the  execution  of  details." — Kugler,  p.  308. 

On  the  left  of  the  approach  from  the  Scala  Regia  is  the 
Sixtine  Chapel  (Cappella  Sistina),  built  by  Baccio  Pintelli  in 
1473  for  Sixtus  IV.'     The  lower  part  of  the  walls  of  this; 
wonderful  chapel  was  formerly  hung  on  festivals  with  thej 

'  Travelers  are  often  only  admitted  bv  a  small  door  on  the  staircase  to  the 
Stanze,  which  is  reached  by  the  Portonedi  Bronco  on  the  left  of  the  Scala  Regia  j 


CAPPELLA    SISTINA.  607 

tapestries  executed  from  the  cartoons  of  Raffaelle  ;  the 
upper  portion  is  decorated  in  fresco  by  the  great  Florentine 
masters  of  the  fifteenth  century. 

"  It  was  intended  to  represent  scenes  from  the  life  of  Moses  on  one 
side  of  the  chapel,  and  from  the  life  of  Christen  the  other,  so  that  the 
old  law  might  be  confronted  by  the  new — the  type  by  the  typified." — 
Lanzi. 

The  following  is  the  order  of  the  frescoes,  type  and  anti- 
type, together : 

Over  the  altar — now  destroyed  to  make  way  for  the  Last  Judgment : 

1.  Perugino  :  Moses  in  the  Bui- |  I.  /'fr«_§'j«^  .•  Christ  in  the  Man- 
rushes.  !  ger. 

(Between  these  was  the  Assumption  of  the  Virgin,  in  which  Pope 
Sixtus  IV.  was  introduced,  kneeling  :  Perugino.) 

On  the  left  wall,  still  existing  :         !  On  the  right  wall,  still  existing  : 

2.  Luca  Signorelll :  Moses  and  1  2.  Perugino  :  The  Baptism  of 
Zipporah    on    the  way  to   Egypt,     Christ. 

and  the  circumcision  of  their  son.    i 

"3.   Sandra  Botticelli:  Moses  kill-        3.  Sandro  Botticel/i :  The  Temp- 
ing  the  Egyptian,  and  driving  away    tation  of  Christ, 
the  shepherds  from  the  well. 

4.  Cosinio  Roselli  :  Moses  and  4.  Domenico  Ghirlandajo  :  The 
the  Israelites,  after  the  passage  of  calling  of  the  Apostles  on  the 
the  Red  Sea.  Lake  of  Gennesareth. 

5.  Cosimo  Roselli  :  Moses  giv- '  5.  Cosinio  Koselli  :  Christ's  Ser- 
ing  the  Law  from  the  Mount.  ;  mon  on  the  Mount. 

6.  Sandro  Botticelli  :  The  pun-  j  6.  Perugiito  :  The  institution  of 
ishment  of  Korah,  Dathan,  and  the  Christian  Priesthood.  Christ 
Abiram,  who  aspired  uncalled  to    giving  the  keys  to  Peter. 

the  priesthood.  \ 

7.  Luca  Sigiiorelli :  The  last  7.  Cosinio  Roselli :  The  Last 
interview  of  Moses  and  Joshua.      1  Supper. 

On  the  entrance  wall  : 

8.  Cecc/iino  Salviati  :  Michael  1  8.  Domenico  Ghirlandajo,  re- 
bears  away  the  body  of  Moses.  I  stored  by  Ariigo  Flamingo  :  The 
(Jude  9.)  i  Resurrection. 

On  the  pillars  between  the  windows  are  the  figures  of 
twenty-eight  popes,  by  Sandro  Botticelli. 

"  Vasari  says  that  the  two  works  of  Luca  Signorelli  surpass  in  beauty 
all  those  which  surround  them. — an  assertion  which  is  at  least  ques- 
tionable as  far  as  regards  the  frescoes  of  Perugino  ;  but  with  respect 
to  all  the  rest,  the  superiority  of  Signorelli  is  evident,  even  to  the  most 
inexperienced  eye.  The  subject  of  the  first  picture  is  the  journey  of 
Moses  and  Zipporah  into  Egypt  ;  the  landscape  is  charming,  although 
evidently  ideal  :  there  is  great  depth  in  the  aerial  perspective  :  and  in 


6o8  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

the  various  groups  scattered  over  the  different  parts  of  the  picture 
there  are  female  forms  of  such  beauty  that  they  may  have  afforded 
models  to  Kaffaelle.  The  .same  graceful  treatment  is  also  perceptible 
in  the  representation  of  the  deatli  of  Moses,  the  mournful  details  of 
which  have  given  scope  to  the  poetical  imagination  of  the  artist.  The 
varied  group  to  whom  Moses  has  just  read  the  Law  for  the  last  time, 
the  sorrow  of  Joshua,  who  is  kneeling  before  the  man  of  God,  the 
ch.irming  landscape,  with  the  river  Jordan  threading  its  way  between 
the  mountains,  which  are  made  singularly  beautiful,  as  if  to  explain 
the  regrets  of  Moses  when  the  angel  announces  to  him  that  he  will 
not  enter  into  the  promised  land  — all  form  a  scries  of  melancholy 
scenes  perfectly  in  harmony  with  one  another,  the  only  defect  being 
that  the  whole  is  crowded  into  too  small  a  space." — Jiio.  Poetry  of 
Christian  Art. 

The  aventie  of  pictures  is  a  preparation  for  the  surpass- 
ing grandeur  of  the  ceiling  : 

"  The  ceiling  o\  the  Sistine  Chapel  contains  the  most  perfect  works 
done  by  Michael  Angclo  in  his  long  and  active  life.  Here  his  great 
spirit  appears  in  its  noblest  dignity,  in  its  highest  purity  ;  here  the  at- 
tention IS  not  disturbed  by  that  arbitrary  display  to  which  his  great 
power  not  unfrequently  seduced  him  in  other  works.  The  ceiling 
forms  a  flattened  arch  in  its  section  ;  the  central  portion,  which  is  a 
plain  surface,  contains  a  series  of  large  and  small  pictures,  represent- 
ing the  most  important  events  recorded  in  the  book  of  Genesis — the 
Creation  and  Fall  of  Man,  with  its  immediate  consequences.  In  the 
large  triangular  compartments  at  the  springing  of  the  vault,  are  sitting 
figures  of  the  prophets  and  sibyls,  as  the  foretellers  of  the  coming  of 
the  Saviour.  In  the  soflits  of  the  recesses  between  these  compart- 
ments, and  in  the  arches  underneath,  immediately  above  the  windows, 
are  the  ancestors  of  the  Virgin,  the  series  leading  the  mind  directly  to 
the  Saviour.  The  external  connection  of  these  numeious  representa- 
tions is  formed  by  an  architectural  framework  of  peculiar  composition, 
which  incloses  the  single  subjects,  tends  to  make  the  jinncipal  masses 
conspicuous,  and  gives  to  the  whole  an  appearance  of  that  solidity  and 
support  so  necessary,  but  so  seldom  attended  to,  in  soffit  decorations, 
which  may  be  considered  as  if  suspended.  A  great  number  of  figures 
are  also  connected  with'  the  fram.ework  ;  those  in  unimportant  situa- 
tions are  executed  in  the  color  of  ■-tone  or  bronze  ;  in  the  more  impor- 
tant, m  natural  colors.  These  serve  to  support  the  architectural  forms, 
to  till  up  and  to  connect  the  whole.  They  may  be  best  described  as 
the  living  and  embodied  genii  of  architecture.  It  required  the  un- 
limited power  of  an  architect,  sculptor,  and  painter,  to  conceive  a 
structural  whole  of  so  much  grandeur,  to  design  the  decorative  figures 
with  the  significant  re]5ose  required  by  the  sculpturesque  character, 
and  yet  to  preserve  their  subordination  to  the  principal  subjects,  and 
to  keep  the  latter  in  the  proportions  and  relations  best  adapted  to  the 
space  to  be  filled." — A'ug/er,  p.  301. 

The  pictures  from  the  old  Testament,  beginning  from 
the  altar,  are  : 


CAP  PELL  A    SI  SPINA.  ^9 

1.  The  Separation  of  Light  and  Darkness. 

2.  The  Creation  of  the  Sun  and  Moon. 

3.  The  Creation  of  Trees  and  Plants. 

4.  The  Creation  of  Adam. 

5.  The  Creation  of  Eve. 

6.  The  Fall  and  the  Expulsion  from  Paradise. 

7.  The  Sacrifice  of  Noah. 

8.  The  Deluge. 

g.  The  Intoxication  of  Noah. 

"  The  scenes  from  Genesis  are  the  most  sublime  representations  of 
these  subjects  ; — the  Creating  -Spirit  is  unveiled  before  us.  The  pecul- 
iar type  which  the  painter  has  here  given  of  the  form  of  the  Almighty 
Father  has  been  frequently  imitated  by  his  followers,  and  even  by 
Raflaelle,  but  has  been  surpassed  by  none.  Michael  Angelo  has  rep- 
resented him  in  majestic  flight,  sweeping  through  the  air,  surrounded 
by  genii,  partly  supporting,  partly  borne  along  with  him,  covered  by 
his  floating  drapery  ;  they  are  the  distinct  syllables,  the  separate  vir- 
tues of  his  creatmg  word.  In  the  first  (large)  compartment  we  see  him 
with  extended  hands,  assigning  to  the  sun  and  moon  their  respective 
paths.  In  the  second,  he  awakens  the  fir.'-t  man  to  life.  Adam  lies 
stretched  on  the  verge  of  the  earth,  in  the  act  of  raising  himself ;  the 
Creator  touches  him  with  the  point  of  his  finger,  and  appears  thus  to 
endow  him  with  feeling  and  life.  This  picture  displays  a  wonderful 
depth  of  thought  in  the  composition,  and  the  utmost  elevation  and 
majesty  in  the  general  treatment  and  execution.  The  third  subject  is 
not  less  important,  representing  the  Fall  of  Man  and  his  Expulsion 
from  Paradise.  The  tree  of  knowledge  stands  in  the  midst,  the  ser- 
pent (the  upper  part  of  the  body  being  that  of  a  woman)  is  twined 
around  the  stem  ;  she  bends  down  towards  the  guilty  pair,  who  are  in 
the  act  of  plucking  the  forbidden  fruit.  The  figures  are  nobly  grace- 
ful, particularly  that  of  Eve.  Close  to  the  serpent  hovers  the  angel 
with  the  sword,  ready  to  drive  the  fallen  beings  out  of  Paradise.  In 
this  double  action,  this  union  of  two  separate  mom.ents,  there  is  some- 
thing peculiarly  poetic  and  significant  ;  it  is  guilt  and  punishment  in 
one  picture.  The  sudden  and  lightning-like  appearance  of  tlie  aveng- 
ing angel  behind  the  demon  of  darkness  has  a  most  impressive  efiect." 
— Kiigler,  p.  304. 

"It  was  the  seed  of  Eve  that  was  to  bruise  the  serpent's  head. 
Hence  it  is  that  Michael  Angelo  made  the  Creation  of  Eve  the  central 
subject  on  the  ceiling  of  the  Sistine  Chapel.  He  had  the  good  taste 
to  suggest,  and  yet  to  avoid,  that  literal  rendering  of  the  biblical  story 
which  in  the  ruder  representations  borders  on  the  grotesque,  and 
which  Milton,  with  all  his  pomp' of  words,  could  scarcely  idealize." — 
Mrs.  Jameson,  History  of  Our  Lord. 

The  lower  portion  of  the  ceiling  is  divided  into  triangles 
occupied  by  the  Prophets  and  Sibyls  in  solemn  contempla- 
tion, accompanied  by  angels  and  genii.     Beginning  from 
the  left  of  the  entrance,  their  order  is, — 
26* 


j5io  WALKS  IN  ROME. 


1.  Joel. 

2.  Sibylla  Erythraea. 

3.  Ezekiel. 

4.  Sibylla  Persica. 

5.  Jonah. 


6.  Sibylla  Libyca. 

7.  Daniel. 

8.  Sibylla  Cumaea. 

9.  Isaiah. 

10.  Sibylla  Delphica. 


"The  prophets  and  sibyls  in  the  triangular  compartments  of  the 
curved  portion  of  the  ceiling  are  the  largest  figures  in  the  whole  work  ; 
these,  too,  are  among  the  most  wonderful  forms  that  modern  art  has 
called  into  life.  They  are  all  represented  sealed,  employed  with  books 
or  rolled  manuscripts  :  genii  stand  near  or  behind  them.  These 
mighty  beings  sit  before  us  pensive,  meditative,  inquiring,  or  looking 
upwards  with  mspired  countenances.  Their  forms  and  movements, 
indicated  by  the  grand  lines  and  masses  of  the  drapery,  are  majestic 
and  dignified.  We  see  in  them  beings  Vv-ho,  while  they  feel  and  bear 
the  sorrows  of  a  corrupt  and  sinful  world,  have  power  to  look  for  con- 
solation into  the  secrets  of  the  future.  Yet  the  greatest  variety  pre- 
vails in  the  attitudes  and  expression — each  figure  is  full  of  individual- 
ity. Zacharias  is  an  aged  man,  busied  in  calm  and  circumspect  in- 
vestigation :  Jeremiah  is  bowed  down  a]:)sorbed  in  thought — the 
thought  of  deep  and  bitter  grief  ;  Ezekiel  turns  M'ith  hasty  move- 
ment to  the  genius  next  to  him,  who  points  upward  with  joyful  ex- 
pectation, &c.  The  sibyls  are  equally  characteristic  :  the  Persian — a 
lofty,  majeitic  woman,  very  aged  ;  the  Erythraean — full  of  pow-er,  like 
the  warrior  goddess  of  wisdom  ;  the  Delphic— like  Cassandra,  youth- 
fully soft  and  graceful,  but  with  strength  to  bear  the  awful  seriousness 
of  revelation." — Kiigler,  p.  304. 

"  The  belief  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  in  the  testimony  of  the 
Sibyl  is  shown  by  the  well-known  hymn,  said  to  have  been  composed 
by  Pope  Innocent  III.  at  the  close  of  the  thirteenth  century,  beginning 
with  the  verse : 

"  Dies  irae,  dies  ilia, 

Solvct  saeclum  in  favilla. 
Teste  David  cum  Sibylla." 

It  may  be  inferred  that  this  hymn,  admitted  into  the  liturgy  of  the 
Roman  Church,  gave  sanction  to  the  adoption  of  the  sibyls  into  Chris- 
tian art.  They  are  seen  from  this  time  accompanying  the  prophets 
and  apostles  in  the  cyclical  decorations  of  the  church.  .  .  .  But 
the  highest  honor  that  art  has  rendered  to  the  sibyls  has  been  by  the 
hand  of  Michael  Angelo,  on  the  ceiling  of  the  Sistine  Chapel.  Here, 
in  the  conception  of  a  mysterious  order  of  women,  placed  above  and 
without  all  considerations  of  the  graceful  or  tlie  individual,  the  great 
master  was  peculiarly  in  his  element.  They  exactly  fitted  his  standard 
of  art,  not  always  sympathetic,  nor  comprehensible  to  the  average 
human  mind,  of  which  the  grand  in  form  and  the  abstract  in  expres- 
sion were  the  first  and  last  conditions.  In  this  respect,  the  sibyls  on 
the  Sistine  Chapel  ceiling  are  more  Michael  Angelesque  than  their 
companions  the  prophets.  For  these,  while  ty])es  of  the  highest 
monumental  treatment,  are  yet  men,  while  the  sibyls  belong  to  a  dis- 
tinct class  of  beings,  who  convey  the  impression  of  the  very  obscurity 
in  which  their  history  is  wrapt — creatures  who  have  lived  far  from  the 


CAP  P ELLA    SI  SPINA.  6ll 

abodes  of  men,  who  are  alike  devoid  of  the  expression  of  feminine 
sweetness,  liuman  sympathy,  or  sacramental  beauty  ;  who  are  neither 
Christians  nor  Jewesses,  Witches  nor  Graces,  yet  living,  grand,  beau- 
tiful, and  true,  according  to  laws  revealed  to  the  great  Florentine 
genius  only.  Thus  their  figures  may  be  said  to  be  unique,  as  the 
offspring  of  a  peculiar  sympathy  between  the  master's  mmd  and  his 
subject.  To  this  sympathy  may  be  ascribed  the  prominence  and  size 
given  them — both  prophets  and  sibyls — as  compared  to  their  usual 
relation  to  the  subjects  they  environ.  They  sit  here  in  twelve  throne- 
like  niches,  more  like  presiding  deities,  each  wrapt  in  self-contempla- 
tion, than  as  tributary  witnesses  to  the  truth  and  omnipotence  of  Him 
they  are  intended  to  announce.  Thus  they  form  a  gigantic  frame- 
woik  round  the  subjects  of  the  Creation,  of  which  the  birth  of  Eve, 
as  the  type  of  the  Nativity,  is  the  intentional  center.  For  some 
reason,  the  twelve  figures  are  not  prophets  and  sibyls  alternately — • 
there  being  only  five  sibyls  to  seven  prophets — so  that  the  prophets 
come  together  at  one  angle.  Books  and  scrolls  are  given  indiscrimi- 
nately to  them. 

"  The  Sibylla  Persica,  supposed  to  be  the  oldest  of  the  sisterhood, 
holds  the  book  close  to  her  eyes,  as  if  from  dimness  of  sight,  which 
fact,  contradicted  as  it  is  by  a  frame  of  obviously  Herculean  strength, 
gives  a  mysterious  intentness  to  the  action. 

"  The  Sibylla  Libyca,  of  equally  powerful  proportions,  but  less 
closely  draped,  is  grandly  wringing  herself  to  lift  a  massive  volume 
from  a  height  above  her  head  on  to  her  knees. 

"The  Sibylla  Cumaea,  also  aged,  and  with  her  head  covered,  is 
reading  with  her  volume  at  a  distance  from  her  eyes. 

"  The  Sibylla  Delphica,  with  waving  hair  escaping  from  her  turban, 
is  a  beautiful  young  being — the  most  human  of  all — gazing  into  vacancy 
or  futurity.     vShe  holds  a  scroll. 

"  The  Sibylla  Erythraea,  grand  bare-headed  creature,  sits  reading 
intently  with  crossed  legs,  about  to  turn  over  her  book. 

"  The  prophets  are  equally  grand  in  structure,  and  though,  as  we 
have  said,  not  mare  than  men,  yet  they  are  the  only  men  that  could 
well  bear  the  juxtaposition  with  their  stupendous  female  colleagues. 
Ezekiel,  between  Erythraea  and  Persica,  has  a  scroll  in  his  hand  that 
hangs  by  his  side,  just  cast  down,  as  he  turns  eagerly  to  listen  to  some 
voice. 

"Jeremiah,  a  magnificent  figure,  sits  with  elbow  on  knee,  and 
head  on  hand,  wrapt  in  the  meditation  appropriate  to  one  called  to 
utter  lamentation  and  woe.      He  has  neither  book  nor  scroll. 

"Jonah  is  also  without  either.  His  position  is  strained  and  un- 
graceful—looking upward,  and  apparently  remonstrating  with  the 
Almighty  upon  the  destruction  of  the  gourd,  a  few  leaves  of  which  are 
seen  above  him.  His  hands  are  placed  together  v/ith  a  strange  and 
trivial  action,  supposed  to  denote  the  counting  on  his  fingers  the  num- 
ber of  days  he  was  in  the  fish's  belly.  A  formless  marine  monster  is 
seen  at  his  side. 

"  Daniel  has  a  book  on  his  lap,  with  one  hand  on  it.  He  is  young, 
and  a  piece  of  lion's  skin  seems  to  allude  to  his  history." — Lady  East- 
lake,  Hist,  of  our  Lord,  i.  248. 


6,2  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

"  Le  desespoir  de  Jeremie  qui  laissc  tomber  sa  tete  dans  sa  main,  et 
n'est  plus  que  le  gigantesque  soupir  do  lout  un  peuple." — MicheUt. 

In  the  recesses  between  the  prophets  and  sibyls  are  a 
series  of  lovely  family  groups  representing  the  Genealogy 
of  the  Virgin,  and  expressive  of  calm  expectation  of  the 
future.  The  four  corners  of  the  ceiling  contain  groups 
illustrative  of  the  power  of  the  Lord  displayed  in  the  espe- 
cial deliverances  of  His  chosen  people. 

Near  the  altar  are  : 

Right. — The  deliverance  of  the  Israelites  by  the  brazen  serpent. 
Left. — The  execution  of  Haman. 

Near  the  entrance  are  : 

Right. — Judith  and  Holfernes. 
Left. — David  and  Goliath. 

It  was  when  Michael  Angelo  was  already  in  his  sixtieth 
year  that  Clement  VII.  formed  the  idea  of  effacing  the 
three  pictures  of  Perugino  at  the  end  of  the  chapel,  and 
employmg  him  to  paint  the  vast  fresco  of  The  Last  Judg- 
ment in  their  place.  It  occupied  the  artist  for  seven  years, 
.ind  was  finished  in  1541  when  Paul  III.  was  on  the  throne. 
To  induce  him  to  pursue  his  work  with  application,  Paul 
III.  went  himself  to  his  house  attended  by  ten  cardinals  ; 
"  an  honor,"  says  Lanzi,  '*  unique  in  the  annals  of  art." 
The  pope  wished  that  the  picture  should  be  painted  in  oil, 
to  which  he  was  persuaded  by  Sebastian  del  Piombo,  but 
Michael  Angelo  refused  to  employ  anything  but  fresco, 
saying  that  oil-painting  was  work  for  women  and  for  idle 
and  lazy  persons. 

"  In  the  upper  half  of  the  picture  we  sec  the  Judge  of  the  world, 
surrounded  by  the  apostles  and  patriarchs  ;  beyond  these,  on  one  side, 
are  the  martyrs  ;  on  the  other,  the  saints,  and  a  numerous  host  of  the 
blessed.  Above,  under  the  two  arches  of  the  vault,  two  groups  of 
angels  bear  the  instruments  of  the  passion.  Below  the  Saviour  another 
group  of  angels  holding  the  books  of  life  sound  the  trumpets  to  awaken 
the  dead.  On  the  right  is  represented  the  resurrection  ;  and  higher, 
the  ascension  of  the  blessed.  On  the  left,  hell,  and  the  fall  of  the 
condemned,  who  audaciously  strive  to  press  to  heaven. 

"  The  day  of  wrath  ('  dies  irae  ')  is  before  us — the  day,  of  which  the 
old  hymn  says, — 

"  Quanlus  tremor  est  futurus, 
Quando  judex  est  venturus, 
Cuncta  strictc  discussurus." 


CAP  P  ELLA    SISTLNA.  613 

The  judge  turns  in  wrath  toward  the  condemned  and  raises  his  right 
hand,  with  an  expression  of  rejection  and  condemnation  ;  beside  him 
the  Virgin  veils  herself  with  her  drapery,  and  turns,  with  a  countenance 
full  of  anguish,  toward  the  blessed.  The  martyrs,  on  the  left,  hold  up 
the  instruments  and  proofs  of  their  martyrdom,  in  accusation  cf  tl.crc 
who  had  occasioned  their  temporal  death  :  these  the  avenging  angels 
drive  from  the  gates  of  heaven,  and  fulfill  the  sentence  pronounced 
against  them.  Trembling  and  an.xious,  the  dead  rise  slowly,  as  if  still 
fettered  by  the  weight  of  an  earthly  nature  :  the  pardoned  ascend  lo 
the  blessed  ;  a  mysterious  horror  pervades  even  their  hosts — no  joy, 
nor  peace,  nor  blessedness  are  to  be  found  here. 

"  It  must  be  admitted  that  the  artist  has  laid  a  stress  on  this  view 
of  his  subject,  and  this  has  produced  an  unfavorable  effect  upon  the 
upper  half  of  his  picture.  We  look  in  vain  for  the  glory  of  heaven,  for 
boings  who  bear  the  stamp  of  divine  holiness,  and  renunciation  of 
human  weakness  ;  everywhere  we  meet  with  the  expression  of  human 
passion,  of  human  efforts.  We  see  no  choir  of  solemn,  tranquil  forms, 
no  harmonious  unity  of  clear,  giand  lines,  produced  by  ideal  draperies  ; 
instead  of  these,  we  find  a  confused  ciowd  of  the  most  varied  move- 
ments, naked  bodies  in  violent  altitudes,  unaccompanied  by  any  of  the 
characteristics  made  sacred  by  holy  tradition.  Christ,  the  principal 
figure  of  the  whole,  wants  every  attribute  but  that  of  the  Judge  ;  no  ex- 
pression cf  divine  majesty  reminds  us  that  it  is  the  Saviour  wlio  exer- 
cises this  office.  The  upper  part  of  the  composition  is,  in  many  parts, 
heavy,  notwithstanding  the  masterly  boldne:-s  of  the  drawing  ;  con- 
fused, in  spite  of  the  separation  of  the  principal  and  accessory  groups  ; 
capricious,  notwithstanding  a  grand  arrangement  of  the  whole.  Eut, 
granting  for  a  moment  that  these  defects  exist,  still  this  upper  portion, 
as  a  whole,  has  a  very  impressive  effect,  and,  at  the  great  distance 
from  which  it  is  seen,  some  of  the  defects  alluded  to  are  less  offensive 
to  the  eye.  The  lower  half  deserves  the  highest  \  raise.  In  these 
groups,  from  the  languid  resuscitation  and  upraising  of  the  pardoned, 
to  the  despair  of  the  condemned,  every  variety  of  expression,  anxiety, 
anguish,  rage,  and  despair,  is  powerfully  delineated.  In  the  convul- 
sive struggles  of  the  condemned  with  the  evil  demons,  the  most  pas- 
sionate energy  displays  ilself,  and  the  extraordinary  skill  of  the  artist 
here  finds  its  most  appropriate  exercise.  A  peculiar  tragic  grandeur 
pervades  alike  the  beings  who  are  given  up  to  despair  and  their  hellish 
tormentors.  The  representation  of  all  that  is  fearful,  far  from  being 
repulsive,  is  thus  invested  with  that  true  moral  dignity  which  is  so 
essential  a  condition  in  the  higher  aims  of  art." — Kttgler,  p.  308. 

"The  Last  Judgment  is  now  more  valuable  as  a  school  of  design 
than  as  a  fine  painting,  and  it  will  be  sought  more  for  the  study  of  the 
artist  than  the  delight  of  the  amateur.  Beautiful  it  is  not — but  it  is 
sublime  ; — sublime  in  conception,  and  astonishing  in  execution.  Still, 
I  believe,  there  are  few  who  do  not  feel  that  it  is  a  labor  rather  than  a 
pleasure  to  look  at  it.  Its  blackened  surface — its  dark  and  dingy  same- 
ness of  coloring — the  obscurity  which  hangs  over  it — the  confusion 
and  multitude  of  naked  figures  which  compose  it — their  unnatural  po- 
iition,  suspended  in  the  air,  and  the  sameness  of  form  and  attitude, 
confound  and  bewilder  the  senses.     These  were,  perhaps,  defects  io- 


6 14  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

separable  from  the  subject,  although  it  was  one  admirably  calculated 
to  call  forth  the  powers  of  Michael  Angelo.  To  merit  in  coloring  it 
has  confessedly  no  pretensions,  and  I  think  it  is  also  deficient  in  ex- 
pression— that  in  the  conflicting  passions,  hopes,  fears,  remorse,  de- 
spair, and  transport,  that  must  agitate  the  breasis  of  so  many  thousands 
in  that  awful  moment,  there  was  room  for  powerful  expression  which 
we  do  not  see  here.  But  it  is  faded  and  defaced  ;  the  touches  of  im- 
mortal genius  are  lost  forever  ;  and  from  what  it  is,  we  can  form  but  a 
faint  idea  of  what  it  was.  Its  defects  daily  become  more  glaring — its 
beauties  vanish  ;  and,  could  the  spirit  of  its  great  author  behold  the 
mighty  work  upon  which  he  spent  the  unremitting  labor  of  seven  years, 
with  what  grief  and  mortification  would  he  gaze  upon  it  now. 

"  It  may  be  fanciful,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  in  this,  and  in  eveiy 
other  of  Michael  Angelo's  works,  you  may  see  that  the  ideas,  beauties, 
and  peculiar  excellences  of  statuary  v/ere  ever  present  to  his  mind  ; 
that  they  are  the  conceptions  of  a  sculptor  embodied  in  painting. 

"  •  .  .  S.  Catharine,  in  a  green  gown,  and  somebody  else  in  a  blue 
one,  are  supremely  hideous.  Paul  IV.,  in  an  unfortunate  fit  of  prudery, 
was  seized  with  the  resolution  of  whitewashing  over  the  whole  of  the 
Last  Judgment,  in  order  to  cover  the  scandal  of  a  few  naked  female 
figures.  With  difficulty  was  he  prevented  from  utterly  destroying  the 
grandest  painting  in  the  world,  but  he  could  not  be  dissuaded  from 
ordering  these  poor  women  to  be  clothed  in  this  unbecoming  drapery. 
Daniele  da  Volterra,  whom  he  employed  in  this  office  (in  the  lifetime 
of  Michael  Angelo),  received,  in  consequence,  the  name  of  II  Braghet- 
one  (the  breeches-maker)." — Eaton's  Rome. 

jMichael  Angelo  avenged  himself  upon  Messer  Biagio  da 
Cesena,  master  of  the  ceremonies,  who  first  suggested  the 
indelicacy  of  the  naked  figures  to  the  pope,  by  introducing 
him  in  hell,  as  Midas,  with  ass's  ears.  When  Cesena  begged 
Paul  IV.  to  cause  this  figure  to  be  obliterated,  the  pope 
sarcastically  replied,  "  I  might  have  released  you  from  pur- 
gatory, but  over  hell  I  have  no  power." 

"  Michel-Ange  est  extraordinaire,  tandis  qu'Orcagna  '  est  re"gieux. 
Leurs  compositions  se  resument  dans  le  deux  Christs  qui  'ugent. 
L'un  est  un  bourreau  qui  foudroie,  I'autre  est  un  monarque  q  li  con- 
damme  en  montrant  la  plaie  sacree  dc  son  cote  pour  justitier  ia  sen- 
tence."— Cartier,  Vie  du  Fere  Angelico. 

"  The  Apostles  in  Michael  Angelo's  Last  Judgment  stand  f  n  each 
side  of  the  Saviour,  who  is  not,  here.  Saviour  and  Redeemer,  hut  in- 
exorable Judge.  They  are  grandly  and  artificially  grouped,  a'.  1  with- 
out any  drapery  whatever,  w-ith  forms  and  attitudes  which  recall  an  as- 
semblage of  Titans  holding  a  council  of  war,  rather  than  the  g'orified 
companions  of  C]m:-,l."— Jameson's  Sacred  and  Legendary  Art,  i.  179. 

The  Sistine  Chapel  is  associated  in  the  minds  of  all  Ro- 

'  In  the  Campo-Santo  of  Pisa. 


THE  MISERERE.  615 

man  sojourners  with  the  great  ceremonies  of  the  church, 
but  especially  v/ith  the  Miserere  of  Passion  week. 

"  On  Wednesday  afternoon  began  the  Miserere  in  the  Sixtinc 
Chapel.  .  .  .  The  old  cardinals  entered  in  their  magnificent  violet- 
colored  velvet  cloaks,  with  their  white  ermine  capes  ;  and  seated 
themselves  side  by  side,  in  a  great  half-circle,  within  the  barrier 
whilst  the  priests  who  had  carried  their  trains  seated  themselves  at 
their  feet.  By  the  little  side  door  of  the  altar  the  holy  father  now 
entered  in  his  purple  mantle  and  silver  tiara.  He  ascended  his  throne. 
Bishops  swung  the  vessels  of  incense  around  him,  whilst  young  priests, 
in  scarlet  vestments,  knelt,  with  lighted  torches  in  their  hands,  before 
him  and  the  high  altar. 

"  The  reading  of  the  lessons  began.'  But  it  was  impossible  to 
keep  the  eyes  fixed  on  the  lifeless  letters  of  the  missal — they  raised 
themselves,  with  the  thoughts,  to  the  vast  universe  which  Michael 
Angelo  had  breathed  forth  in  colors  upon  the  ceiling  and  the  w^alls. 
I  contemplated  his  mighty  sibyls  and  wondrously  glorious  prophets, 
every  one  of  them  a  subject  for  a  painting.  My  eyes  drank  in  the 
magnificent  processions,  the  beautiful  groups  of  angels  ;  they  were 
not  to  me  painted  pictures,  all  stood  living  before  me.  The  rich  tree 
of  knowledge,  from  which  Eve  gave  the  fruit  to  Adam  :  the  Almighty 
God.  who  floated  over  the  waters,  not  borne  up  by  angels,  as  the 
older  masters  had  represented  him — no,  the  company  of  angels  rested 
upon  Him  and  His  fluttering  garments.  It  is  true  I  had  seen  these 
pictures  before,  but  never  as  now  had  they  seized  upon  me.  My  ex- 
cited state  of  mind,  the  crowd  of  people,  perhaps  even  the  lyric  of 
my  thoughts,  made  me  wonderfully  alive  to  poetical  impressions  ;  and 
many  a  poet's  heart  has  felt  as  mine  did  ! 

"  The  bold  foreshorieiings.  the  determinate  force  with  which  every 
figure  steps  forward,  is  amazing,  and  carries  one  quite  away  !  It  is 
a  spiritual  Sermon  on  the  Mount  in  color  and  form.  Like  Raffaelle, 
we  stand  in  astonishment  before  tiie  power  of  Michael  Angelo.  Every 
prophet  is  a  Moses  like  that  which  he  formed  in  marble.  What  giant 
forms  are  those  which  seize  upon  our  eye  and  our  thoughts  as  we 
enter  !  But,  when  intoxicated  with  this  view,  let  us  turn  our  eyes  to 
the  background  of  the  chapel,  whose  whole  wall  is  a  high  altar  of  art 
and  thought.  The  great  chaotic  picture,  from  the  floor  to  the  roof, 
shows  itself  there  like  a  jewel,  of  which  all  the  rest  is  only  the  setting. 
We  see  there  the  Last  Judgment. 

"  Christ  stands  in  judgment  upon  the  clouds,  and  the  apostles  and 
his  mother  stretch  forth  their  hands  beseeching  for  the  poor  human 
race.  The  dead  raise  the  gravestones  under  v;hich  they  have  lain  ; 
blessed  spirits  float  upwards,  adoring,  to  God,  whilst  the  abyss  seizes 
its  victims.  Here  one  of  the  ascending  spirits  seeks  to  save  his  con- 
demned brother,  whom  the  abyss  alre"dy  embraces  in  its  snaky  folds. 
The  children  of  despair  strike  their  clenched  .fists  upon  their  brows 
and  sink  into  the  depths  !  ■  In  bold  foreshortening,  float  and  tumble 
whole   legions  between   heaven   and   earth.     The  sympathy  of  the 

'  Fifteen  Psrilms  are  sung  before  the  Misenre  begins,  and  one  light  is  iK 
t-ng^uished  for  each--the  Psalms  being  represented  by  fifteen  candles. 


6l6  WALh-S  IN  ROME. 

angels  the  expression  of  lovers  who  meet  ;  the  child  tliat,  at  the 
sound  of  the  trumpet,  clings  to  the  mother's  breast,  is  so  natural  and 
beautiful,  that  one  believes  oneself  to  be  among  those  who  are  wait- 
ing for  judgment.  Michael  Angelo  has  expressed  in  colors  what 
Dante  saw  and  has  sung  to  the  generations  of  the  earth 

"  The  descending  sun,  at  that  moment,  threw  his  last  beams  in 
through  the  uppermost  windows.  Christ,  and  the  blessed  around 
htm,  were  strongly  lighted  up  ;  whUst  the  lower  part,  where  the 
dead  arose,  and  the  demons  thrust  their  boat,  laden  with  damned, 
from  shore,  were  almost  in  darkness. 

"  Just  as  the  sun  went  down  the  last  Psalm  was  ended,  and  the 
last  light  which  now  remained  was  extinguished,  and  the  whole 
picture-world  vanished  in  the  gloom  from  before  me  ;  but,  in  that 
same  moment,  burst  forth  music  and  singing.  That  which  coloi  had 
bodily  revealed  arose  now  in  sound  ;  the  day  of  judgment,  with  its 
despair  and  its  exultation,  resounded  above  us. 

"  The  father  of  the  church,  stripped  of  his  papal  pomp,  stood  be- 
fore the  altar,  and  prayed  to  the  holy  cross  ;  and  upon  the  wings  of 
the  trumpet  resounded  the  trembling  choir,  "  Populus  mens,  quid 
feci  tibi  ? "  Soft  angel  notes  rose  above  the  deep  song,  tones  which 
ascended  not  from  a  human  breast  :  it  was  not  a  man's  nor  a  woman's  : 
it  belonged  to  the  world  of  spirits  :  it  was  like  the  weeping  of  angels 
dissolved  in  melody." — Andersen's  ''''  Improviiatorc." 

"  Le  Alist'ivre,  c'est-a-dire,  ayez  pilie  de  nous,  est  \in  psaume  com- 
pose de  versets  qui  se  chantent  alternativement  d'une  manicre  tres- 
differente.  Tour-a-tour  une  musique  celeste  se  fait  entendre,  et  le 
verset  suivant,  dit  en  recitatif,  et  murmure  d'un  ton  sourd  et  presque 
rauque,  on  dirait  que  c'est  la  reponse  des  caracteres  durs  aux  coeurs 
sensibles,  que  c'est  le  reel  de  la  vie  qui  vient  ile'trir  et  repousser  les 
voeux  des  ames  genereuses  ;  et  quand  le  chceur  si  doux  reprend,  on 
renait  a  I'esperance  ;  mais  lorsque  le  verset  recite  recommence,  une 
sensation  de  froid  saisit  de  nouveau  ;  ce  n'est  pas  la  terreur  qui  la 
cause,  mais  le  decouragement  de  I'enthousiasme.  Enfin  le  dernier 
morceau,  plus  noble  et  plus  touchant  encore  que  tous  les  autres, 
laisse  au  fond  de  I'ame  une  impression  douce  et  pure  :  Dieu  nous 
accorde  cette  meme  impression  avant  de  mourir. 

"On  e'teint  les  flambeaux;  la  nuit  s'avance  ;  les  figures  des  pro- 
phetes  et  des  sibylles  apparaissent  comme  des  fantomes  enveloppes 
du  crepuscule.  Le  silence  est  profond,  la  parole  ferait  un  mal  insup- 
portable dans  cet  etat  de  I'ame,  ou  tout  est  intime  et  enterieur  ;  et 
quand  le  dernier  son  s'eteint,  chacun  s'en  va  lentement  et  sans  bruite  ; 
chacun  semble  craindre  de  rentrer  dans  les  inte'rets  vulgaires  de  C£  ; 
monde." — Mad.  de  Siacl. 

Opposite  the  entrance  of  the  Sistine  Chapel  in  the  Sala 
Regia",  is  that  of  the  Sala  Diicale,  in  which  the  popes  for- 
merly gave  audience  to  foreign  princes,  and  which  is  now 
used  for  the  consistories  for  the  admission  of  cardinals  to 
the  sacred  college.  Its  decorations  were  chiefly  executed 
by  Bernini  for  Alexander  VI I,     The  landscapes   arc  by 


RESIDENCE    OF    THE   POPES.  617 

Brill.  This  hall  is  used  as  a  passage  to  the  Loggie  of 
Bramante. 

The  small  portion  of  the  Vatican  inhabited  by  the  pope 
is  never  seen  except  by  those  who  are  admitted  to  a  special 
audience.  The  rooms  of  the  pontiff  are  furnished  with  a 
simplicity  which  would  be  inconceivable  in  the  abode  of 
any  other  sovereign  prince.  It  is  a  lonely  life,  as  the  dread 
of  an  accusation  of  nepotism  has  prevented  any  of  the  later 
popes  from  having  any  of  their  family  with  them,  and  eti- 
quette always  obliges  them  to  dine,  &c.,  alone.  No  one, 
whatever  the  difference  of  creed,  can  look  upon  this  build- 
ing inhabited  by  the  venerable  men  who  have  borne  so  im- 
portant a  part  in  the  history  of  Christianity  and  of  Europe, 
without  the  deepest  interest. 

"  Je  la  vois,  cette  Rome,  ou  d'augustes  vieillards, 
Heritiers  d'un  apotie  et  vainqueurs  des  Cesars, 
Souverains  sans  armee  et  conquerants  sans  guerre, 
A  leur  triple  couronne  ont  asservi  la  terre." — Racine. 

'i'wo  hundred  and  fifty-six  popes  are  reckoned  from  S- 
Peter  to  Leo  XIII.  inclusive.  A  famous  prophecy  of  S. 
Malachi,  first  printed  in  1595,  ^^  contained  in  a  series  of 
mottoes,  one  for  each  of  the  whole  line  of  pontiffs  until  the 
end  of  time.  Following  this  it  will  be  seen  that  only  nine 
more  popes  are  needed  to  exhaust  the  mottoes,  and  to  close 
the  destinies  of  Rome,  and  of  the  world.  The  later  ones 
run  thus  : 

"  Pius  VII.  Aquilla  Rapax.  .  ,  .  Fides  intrepida. 

Leo  XII.  Canis  et  coluber.  .  .  .  Pastor  Angelicus. 

Pius  VI ri.  Vir  religiosus.  .  .  .  Pastor  et  nauta. 

Gregory  XVI.de  Balneis  Etruriae       .  .  .  Flos  florum. 

Pius  IX.  Crux  dc  cruce.  .  .  .  De  medietate  lunae. 

Leo  XIII.  Lumen  in  coelo.  .  .  .  De  labore  solis. 

Ignis  ardens.  .  .  .  Gloria  olivae. 
.     .     Religio  depopulata. 

In  persecutione  extrema  sacrae  Romanae  Ecclesiae  sedebit  PETRUS 
Romanus,  qui  pascet  oves  in  multis  tribulationibus  :  quibustransactis, 
civitas  septicoUis  diruetur,  et  JUDEX  tremendus  judicabit  populum." 

The  Cardinal  Secretary  of  State  has  rooms  above  the 
pontifical  apartments.  In  the  latte"  years  of  Pius  IX.  no 
less  than  2,348  persons  resided  in  the  Vatican. 


To  reach  the  Stxnze  (according  to  late  reflations)  v/e  must  arcencf 


f)lS  IVALA'S  IX  ROME. 

the  Scala  Rcgia  to  the  first  Innding,  and  then  turn  to  the  left  through 
an  open  door,  and  ascend  a  long  staircase  (on  the  right  of  which  a  door 
gives  admission  to  the  Sistine  Chapel). 

The  Stanze  are  entered  through  two  rooms  hung  with 
modern  pictures  presented  to  Pius  IX.:  those  in  the  sec- 
ond room  represent  the  miracles  or  martyrdoms  of  those 
who  were  canonized  in  his  reign. 

Hence  we  reach  a  magnificent  Chamber  decorated  under 
Pius  IX.  Avith  frescoes  by  Fracassini,  in  honor  of  the  re- 
cent dogma  of  the  Immaculate  Conception.  The  Procla- 
mation of  the  Dogma  ;  the  Adoration  of  the  Image  of  the 
Virgin  ;  and  the  Reception  of  the  News  by  the  Virgin  in 
heaven,  from  an  angelic  messenger,  are  duly  represented  ! 
These  pictures,  which  are  really  fine  works  as  to  composi- 
tion and  color,  are  interesting  as  a  portrait  gallery  of  eccle- 
siastics living  at  the  time  they  were  painted.  Hence  we 
enter  the  Stanze.,  three  rooms  decorated  under  Julius  II. 
and  Leo  X.  with  frescoes  by  Raffaelle,  for  each  of  which 
he  received  1,200  ducats. 

The  Stanza  of  the  Incendio  del  Borgo  is  decorated  with 
frescos,  illustrative  of  the  triumphs  of  the  Church,  from 
events  in  the  reigns  of  Leo  HI.  and  Leo  IV.  The  roof 
has  four  frescoes  by  Perugino  illustrative  of  the  Saviour  in 
glory. 

Entrance  Wall. — The  Coronation  of  Charlemagne  in  the  old  S. 
Peter's.  Leo  X.  is  again  represented  as  Leo  IIL,  and  Francis  L  as 
Charlemagne.  This  fresco  is  partly  by  RajfaclL',  partly  by  Picrino 
del  Vaga.    On  the  socle  is  Charlemagne,  hy  Polidoro  da  Caravaggio. 

Right  IVall. — The  "  Incendio  del  Borgo,"  a  fire  in  the  Leonine 
City  in  847.  In  the  background  Leo  IV.  is  seen  in  the  portico  of  the 
old  S.  Peter's  arresting  with  a  cross  the  progress  of  the  flames,  on  their 
approach  to  the  basilica.  In  the  foreground  is  a  group  of  fugitives, 
by  Giiilio  Romano,  resembling  Aeneas  escaping  from  Troy  with  An- 
chises,  followed  by  Ascanius  and  Creusa.  Beneath  are  Godfrey  de 
Bouillon  and  Astulf  (Ethelwolf),  the  latter  with  the  inscription,  "  As- 
tulphus  Rex  sub  Leone  IV.  Pont.  Britanniam  Ceato  Petro  vectigalcm 
fecit." 

Left  Wall.  —  The  justification  of  Leo  III.  before  Charlemagne,  by 
Pierino  del  Vaga.  The  pope  is  a  portrait  of  Leo  .X.,  the  emperor  of 
Francis  I. 

Wall  of  Egress. — The  Victory  of  Leo  IV.  over  the  .Sarac-ms  at 
Ostia,  by  Giovanni  da  Udine,  from  designs  of  Ralfaclle.  'l"he  pope  is 
represented  with  the  features  of  Leo  X  ;  behind  him  are  Cardmal 
Giulio  de'  Medici  (Clement  VII.),  Cardinal  Bibbiena,  and  others.  The 
castle  of  Ostia  is  seen  in  the  background.  Beneath  are  Ferdinand  the 
Catholic  and  the  Emperor  Lbthaire,  by  Polidoro  da  Caravaggio. 


THE    STANZE.  6ig 

The  Stanza  della  Segnatura  is  so  called  from  a  judicial 
assembly  once  held  here.  The  frescoes  in  this  chamber 
are  illustrative  of  Theology,  Philosophy,  Poetry  and  Juris- 
prudence, represented  on  the  ceiling  by  Raffaelle,  in  the 
midst  of  arabesques  by  Sodotna.  The  square  pictures  b\ 
Raffalle  refer  : — The  Fall  of  Man  to  Theology  ;  the  Study 
of  the  Globe  to  Philosophy  ;  the  Flaying  of  Marsyas  to 
Poetry  ;   and  the  Judgm.ent  of  Solom.on  to  Jurisprudence. 

Entrance  Wall. — "  The  Disputa,"  so  called  from  an  impression  that 
it  represents  a  dispute  upon  the  Sacrament.  In  the  upper  part  of  the 
composition  the  heavenly  host  are  present  ; — Christ  between  the  Vir- 
gin and  S.  John  Baptist  ; — Oa  the  left,  S.  Peter,  Adam.  S.  John,  David, 
S.  Stephen,  and  another; — On  the  right,  S.  Paul,  Abraham,  S.  James, 
Moses,  S.  Laurence,  and  S.  George.  Below  is  an  altar  surrounded  by 
the  Latin  fathers,  Gregory,  Jerome,  Ambrose,  and  Augu.stine.  Near 
S.  Augustine  stand  S.  Thomas  Aquinas,  .S.  Anacletus,  with  the  palm  of 
a  martyr,  and  Cardinal  Bonaventura  reading.  Those  in  front  are  In- 
nocent III.,  and  in  the  background  Dante,  near  whom  a  monk  in  a 
black  hood  is  pointed  out  as  Savonarola.  The  Dominican  on  the  ex- 
treme left  is  supposed  to  be  Fra  Angelico.  The  other  figures  are 
uncertain. 

"  Raphael  abien  juge  Dante  en  placant  parmi  les  Theologiens,  dans 
la  Dispute  da  Saint  Sacremenl,  celui  pour  la  tombe  du  quel  aete  ecrit 
ce  vers,  aussi  vrai  qu'il  est  plat  : 

'  Theologus  Dantes,  nullius  dogmatis  expers.'  " 

Ampere,   Voyage  Dantesque. 

The  chiaro-scuros  on  the  socle  beneath  this  fresco  are  by  Pie7-ino 
del  Vaga  (added under  Paul  III.),  and  represent  :  I.  A  heathen  sacri- 
fice ;  2.  S.  Augustine  finding  a  child  attempting  to  drain  the  sea  ; 
3.   The  Cumaean  Sibyl  and  Augustus. 

Right  Wall. — Above  the  window  are  Prudence,  Fortitude,  and  Tem- 
perance. On  the  left,  Justinian  delivers  the  Pandects  to  Tribonian. 
On  the  right,  Gregory  IX.  (with  the  features  of  Julius  II.)  delivers  the 
Decretals  to  a  jurist  ;  Cardinal  de'  Medici,  afterward  Leo  X.,  Car- 
dinal Farnese,  afterward  Paul  III.,  and  Cardinal  del  Monte,  are  rep- 
resented near  the  pope.  In  the  socle  beneath  is  Solon  addressing  the 
people  of  Athens. 

Left  Wall. — "Parnassus,"  Apollo  surrounded  by  the  Muses  ;  on  his 
right  Homer,  Virgil,  and  Dante.  Below,  on  the  right,  Sappho,  sup- 
posed to  be  addressing  Corinna,  Petrarch,  Propertius,  and  Anacreon  ; 
on  the  left,  Pindar  and  Horace,  Sannazzaro,  Boccaccio,  and  others. 
Beneath  this,  in  grisaille,  are, — Alexander  placing  the  poems  of  Homer 
in  the  tomb  of  Achilles, — and  Augustus  preventing  the  burning  of 
Virgil's  Aeneid. 

Wall  of  Egress.— ''Tnz  School  of  Athens."  Raftaelle  consulted 
Ariosto  as  to  the  arrangement  of  its  fifty-two  figures.  In  the  center, 
on  the  steps  of  a  portico,  are  seen  Plato  and  Aristotle,  Plato  pointmg 
to  heaven,  and  Aristotle  to  earth.  On  the  left  i:.  Socrates  conversing 
with  his  pupils,  amongst  whom  is  a  young  warrior,  probably  Alcibiades. 


620  WALK'S  IiV  ROME. 

Lying  upon  the  steps  in  front  is  Diogenes.  To  his  left  Pythagoras 
is  writing  on  his  l^nee,  and  near  him,  with  ink  and  pen,  is  Empedo- 
cles.  The  youth  in  the  white  mantle  is  Francesco  Maria  della  Rovere, 
nephew  of  Juhus  II.  On  the  right  is  Archimedes,  drawing  a  geometrical 
problem  upon  the  floor.  The  young  man  near  him  with  uphf  ted  h.ands 
is  Federigo  II.,  Duke  of  Mantua.  Behind  these  are  Zoroaster  and 
Ptolemy,  one  with  a  terrestrial,  the  other  with  a  celestial  globe,  ad- 
dressing two  figures  which  represent  Raffaelle  and  his  master  Perugino. 
The  drawing  in  brown  upon  the  socle  beneath  this  fresco  is  hy  Ficiino 
d:l  Va^ra^  and  represents  the  death  of  Archimedes. 

"Raffaelle  commenced  his  work  in  the  Vatican  by  painting  the 
ceiling  and  the  four  walls  of  the  room  called  della  Segiratura,  on  the 
surface  of  which  he  had  to  represent  four  great  comi)ositions,  which 
embraced  the  principal  divisions  of  the  encyclopaedia  of  that  period  : 
namely.  Theology,  Philosophy,  Poetry,  and  Jurisprudence. 

"  It  will  be  conceived,  that  to  an  artist  imbued  with  the  traditions 
of  the  Urnxbrian  school,  the  first  of  these  subjects  was  an  unparalleled 
piece  of  good  fortune  ;  and  Raffaelle,  long  familiar  with  the  allegorical 
treatment  of  religious  compositions,  turned  it  here  to  the  most  admi- 
rable account;  and  not  content  with  the  suggestions  of  his  own  genius, 
he  availed  himself  of  ail  the  instruction  he  could  derive  from  the  in- 
telligence of  others.  From  these  combined  inspirations  resulted,  to 
the  eternal  glory  of  the  Catholic  faith  and  of  Christian  art,  a  composi- 
tion without  a  rival  in  the  history  of  painting,  and  we  may  also  add 
without  a  name  ;  for  to  call  it  lyric  or  epic  is  not  enough,  unless,  in- 
deed, we  mean,  by  using  these  expressions,  to  compare  it  with  the 
allegorical  epic  of  Dante,  alone  worthy  to  be  ranked  with  this  mar- 
\elous  production  of  the  pencil  of  Raffaelle. 

"And  let  no  one  consider  this  praise  as  idle  and  groundless,  for  it 
is  Raffaelle  himself  who  forces  the  comparison  upon  us,  by  ]ilacing  the 
figure  of  Dante  among  the  favorite  sons  of  the  Muses  ;  and,  what  is 
still  more  striking,  by  draping  the  allegorical  figure  of  Theology  in  the 
very  colors  in  which  Dante  has  represented  Beatrice  :  namely,  the 
white  veil,  the  red  tunic,  and  the  green  mantle,  while  on  her  head  he 
has  placed  the  olive  crown. 

"Of  the  four  allegorical  figures  which  occupv  the  compartments  of 
the  ceihng,  and  which  were  all  painted  immediately  after  Raffaelle's 
arrival  in  Rome,  Theology  and  Poetry  are  incontestably  the  most  re- 
markable The  latter  would  be  easily  distinguished  by  the  calm  inspi- 
ration of  her  glance,  even  were  she  without  her  wings  ;  her  starry  crown, 
and  her  azure  robe,  all  having  allusion  to  the  elevated  region  toward 
which  it  is  her  privilege  to  soar.  The  figure  of  Theology  is  quite  as 
admirably  suited  to  the  subject  she  personifies  ;  she  jjolnts  to  the 
upper  part  of  the  grand  composition,  which  takes  its  name  from  her, 
and  in  which  the  artist  has  provided  inexhaustible  food  for  the  sagacity 
and  enthusiasm  of  the  spectator. 

"  This  work  consists  of  two  grand  di\isions, — Heaven  and  Earth, — 
wliich  are  united  to  one  another  by  that  mystical  bond,  the  Sacrament 
of  the  Eucharist.  The  personages  whom  the  Church  has  most  honored 
fjr  learning  and  holiness  are  ranged  in  picturesque  and  animated 
groups  an  either  side  of  the  altar,  on  which  the  consecrated  wafer  is 


THE   STANZE.  621 

exposed.  S.  Augustine  dictates  his  thoughts  to  one  of  his  disciples  ; 
S.  Gregory,  in  his  pontifical  robes,  seems  absorbed  in  the  contempla- 
tio"  of  celestial  glory  ;  S.  Ambrose,  in  a  slightly  different  attitude, 
appears  to  be  chanting  the  Te  Deum  ;  while  S.  Jerome,  seated,  rests 
his  hands  on  a  large  book,  which  he  holds  on  his  knees.  Pietro  Lom- 
bardo,  Duns  Scotus,  vS.  Thomas  Aquinas,  Pope  Anacletus,  S.  Buona- 
vcntura,  and  Innocent  III.  are  no  less  happily  characterized  ;  while, 
behind  all  these  illustrious  men,  whom  the  Church  and  succeeding 
generations  have  agreed  to  honor,  Raffaelle  has  ventured  to  introduce 
Dante  with  his  laurel  crown,  and,  with  still  greater  boldness,  the 
monk  Savonarola,  publicly  burnt  ten  years  before  as  a  heretic. 

"  In  the  glory,  which  forms  the  upper  part  of  the  picture,  the  Three 
Persons  of  the  Trinity  are  represented,  surrounded  by  patriarchs, 
apostles  and  saints  :  it  may,  in  fact,  be  considered  in  some  sort  as  a 
rcsHiJic  of  all  the  favorite  compositions  produced  during  the  last  hun- 
dred years  by  the  Umbrian  school.  A  great  number  of  the  types,  and 
particularly  those  of  Christ  and  the  Virgin,  are  to  be  found  in  the 
earlier  works  of  Raffaelle  himself.  The  Umbrian  artists,  from  having 
so  long  exclusively  employed  themselves  on  myst'cal  subjects,  had 
certainly  attained  to  a  marvelous  perfection  in  the  representation  of 
celestial  beatitude,  and  of  those  ineffable  things  of  which  it  has  been 
said  that  the  heart  of  man  cannot  conceive  them,  far  less,  therefore, 
the  pencil  of  man  portray  ;  and  Raffaelle,  surpassing  them  in  all, 
and  even  in  this  instance  while  surpassing  himself,  appears  to  have 
fixed  the  limits,  beyond  which  Christian  art,  properly  so  called,  has 
never  since  been  able  to  advance." — Rio.  Poetry  of  Chris/iaii  Art. 

The  Stanza  d'Eliodoro,  painted  in  1511-1514,  shows  the 
Church  triumphant  over  her  enemies,  and  the  miracles  by 
which  its  power  has  been  attested.  On  the  roof  are  four 
subjects  from  the  Old  Testament, — the  Covenant  with 
Abraham  ;  the  Sacrifice  of  Isaac  ;  Jacob's  Dream  ;  Moses 
at  the  Burning  Bush. 

Entrance  Wall. — The  Flight  of  Attila.  Leo  I.  (with  the  features 
of  Leo  X.)  is  represented  on  his  Vvhite  mule,  with  his  cardinals,  calling 
upon  SS.  Peter  and  Paul,  who  appear  in  the  clouds,  for  aid  against 
Attila.     The  Coliseum  is  seen  in  the  background. 

Right  Wall. — The  Miracle  of  Bolsena.  A  priest  at  Bolsena,  who 
refused  to  believe  in  the  doctrine  of  transubstanliation,  is  convinced  by 
the  bleeding  of  the  host.  On  the  right  kneels  Julius  II.,  vvith  Cardinal 
Riario,  founder  of  the  Cancelleria.  This  was  the  last  fresco  executed 
by  Raffaele  under  Julius  II. 

Left  Wall. — Peter  Delivered  from  Prison.  A  fresco  by  Pietro  della 
P'rancesca  was  destroyed  to  make  room  for  this  picture,  which  is  said 
to  have  allusion  to  the  liberation  of  Leo  X.,  while  Legate  in  Spain, 
after  his  capture  at  the  battle  of  Ravenna.  This  fresco  is  considered 
especially  remarkable  for  its  four  lights,  those  from  the  double  repre- 
sentation of  the  angel,  from  the  torch  of  the  soldier,  and  from  the 
moon. 

Wall  of  Egress. — Heliodorus  driven  out  of  the  Temple  (Macca- 


62  2  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

bees  iii.).  In  the  background  Oaias  the  priest  is  represented  praying 
for  divine  interposition  ; — in  the  foreground  Heliodorus,  pursued  by 
two  avenging  angels,  is  endeavoring  to  bear  away  the  treasures  of  the 
Temple.  1  he  heavenly  horseman  is  believed  to  have  been  a  reminis- 
cence of  the  chieftain  Astorre  Baglioni,  whom  Raffaelle  had  seen  in  his 
youth,  in  the  street  conflicts  of  his  native  Perugia,  mounted  on  horse- 
back, in  gilt  armor,  with  a  falcon  on  his  helmet — "  like  Wars  in  bearing 
and  in  deeds."  Amid  the  group  on  the  left  is  seen  Julius  II.  in  his 
chair  of  state,  attended  by  his  secretaries.  One  of  the  bearers  in  front 
is  Iviarc-Antonio  Raimondi,  the  engra\er  of  RalTaelle's  designs.  The 
man  with  the  inscription,  "Jo.  Petro  de  Folicariis  Cremonen.,"  v^^as 
secretary  of  briefs  to  Pope  Julias. 

"  Here  you  may  almost  fancy  you  hear  the  thundering  approach  of 
the  heavenly  warrior  and  the  neighing  of  his  steed  ;  while  in  the  differ- 
ent groups  who  are  plundering  the  treasures  of  the  Temple,  and  in 
those  who  gaie  iritently  on  the  sudden  consternation  of  Heliodorus, 
without  being  r;ble  to  divine  its  cause,  we  see  the  expression  of  terror, 
amazement,  joy,  humility,  and  every  passion  to  which  human  nature 
is  exposed." — Lanzi. 

The  next  chamber  is  the  Sala  di  Costantino,  decorated 
under  Clement  VII.  (Giuiio  de'  Medici)  in  1523-34,  after 
the  death  of  Raffaelle,  who,  however,  had  prepared  draw- 
ings for  the  frescoes,  and  had  already  executed  in  oil  the 
two  figures  of  Justice  and  Urbanity.  The  rest  of  the  com- 
positions, completed  by  his  pupils,  are  in  fresco. 

Eni7-ance  Wall. — The  suppositious  Baptism  of  Constantine,  inter- 
esting as  portraying  the  interior  of  the  Lateran  baptistery  in  the  15th 
century,  by  Francesco  Pciini,  who  has  introduced  his  own  portrait  in 
a  black  dress  and  velvet  cap.  On  left  is  Damasus  I.  (a.d.  366-384), 
between  Prudence  and  Peace  ;  on  right,  Leo  I.  a.d.  .\i\o  ^62),  between 
Innocence  and  Truth.  The  paintings  on  the  socles  represent  scenes 
in  the  life  of  Constantine,  by  Giuiio  Romano. 

Right  IFall.—The  Battle  of  the  Pcnte  Molle  and  the  Defeat  of 
Maxentius  by  Constantine,  designed  by  Raffaelle,  and  "executed  by 
Giuiio  Romano.  On  the  left  is  Sylvester  I.  between  Faith  and  Reli- 
gion, on  the  right  Urban  I  (the  friend  of  Cecilia)  between  Justice  and 
Charity. 

Left  Wall. — The  Donation  of  Rome  by  Constantine  to  Sylvester  I. 
(a.d.  325),  Rajfaello  da  Colle.  (The  head  of  Sylvester  was  a  portrait 
of  Clement  VII.,  the  reigning  pope  ;  Count  Castiglicne,  the  friend  of 
Raffaelle,  and  Giuiio  Romano,  are  introduced  among  the  attendants.) 
On  the  left  is  Sylvester  I.  wuh  Fortitude  ;  on  the  right,  Gregory  VII. 
with  Strength. 

Wall  of  Egress. — The  Address  of  Constantine  to  his  troops  and  the 
Vision  of  the  Fiery  Cross  :  Giuiio  Romano.  On  the  left  is  S.  Peter 
between  the  Church  and  Eternity, — on  the  right,  Clement  I.  (the 
martyr)  between  Moderation  and  Gentleness. 

"  Raphael  se  multiplie,  il  se  prodigue,  avec  une  fecondite  de  toutes 
Ics  heures.     De  jeunes  disciples,  admiraleurs    de  son  beau  genie,  le 


CAPPELLA    DI  S.    LORENZO.  623 

fervent  avec  amour,  et  sont  deja  admis  a  I'lionneur  d'attacher  leiirs 
noms  a  quelques  parties  de  ses  magninques  travaux.  Le  maitre  leur 
distribue  leur  tache  :  a  Jules  Romain,  le  brillant  coloris  des  vetements 
et  peut-etre  meme  le  dessin  de  quelques  figures  ;  au  Fattore,  a  Jean 
d'Udine,  les  arabesques  ;  a  frere  Jean  de  Verone  les  clairs-obscurs  des 
portes  et  des  lambris  qui  doivent  completer  la  decoration  de  ces  splen- 
dides  appartements.  Et  lui,  que  se  reserve-t-il  ? — la  pensee  qui 
anime  tout,  le  genie  qui  enfante  et  qui  dirige.' — Gourneiie,  Rome 
Ckn'tienne. 

From  the  corner  of  this  hall,  a  custode,  if  requested, 
will  give  access,  through  an  ante-chamber,  to  the 

CappcUa  di  San  Lorenzo,  a  tiny  chapel  covered  v.'ith  fres- 
coes executed  by  Fra  Angelico  for  Nicholas  V.  in  1447. 
The  upper  series  represents  events  in  the  life  of  S.  Stephen. 

1.  His  Ordination  by  S.  Peter. 

2.  His  Almsgiving. 

3.  His  Preaching. 

4.  He  is  brought  before  the  Council  at  Jerusalem  (his  accuser  has 

the  dress  and  shaven  crown  of  a  monk). 

5.  He  is  dragged  to  Execution. 

6.  He  is  Stoned.     Saul  is  among  the  spectators. 

"  Angelico  has  represented  S.  Stephen  as  a  young  man,  beardless, 
and  with  a  most  mild  and  candid  expression.  His  dress  is  the  deacon's 
habit,  of  a  vivid  blue.' — Mrs.  Jameson. 

The  lower  series  represents  the  life  of  S.  Laurence. 

1.  He  is  Ordained  by  Sixtus  II.  (with  the  features  of  Nicholas  V.). 

2.  Sixtus  II.  delivers  the  treasures  of  the  Church  to  him  for  dis- 

tribution among  the  poor. 

3.  He  Distributes  them  in  Alms. 

4.  He  is  carried  before  Decius  the  Prefect. 

5.  He  suffers  Martyrdom  A.D.  253. 

Introduced  in  the  side  arches  are  the  figures  of  S.  Je- 
rome, S.  Ambrose,  S.  Augustine,  S.  Gregory,  S.  John  Chry- 
sostom,  S.  Athanasius,  S.  Leo — as  the  protector  of  Rome, 
and  S.  Thomas  Aquinas — as  painted  by  the  Dominican  An- 
gelico, and  for  a  Dominican  pope,  Nicholas  V. 

"The  Consecration  of  S.  Stephen,  the  Distribution  of  Alms,  and, 
above  all,  his  Preaching,  are  three  pictures  as  perfect  of  their  kind  as 
any  that  have  been  produced  by  the  greatest  masters,  and  it  would  be 
difficult  to  imagine  a  group  more  happily  conceived  as  to  arrangement, 
or  more  graceful  in  form  and  attitude,  than  that  of  the  seated  females 
listening  to  the  holy  preacher  ;  and  if  the  furious  fanaticism  of  the  exe- 
cutioners who  stone  him  to  death  is  not  expressed  with  all  the  energy 
we  could  desire,  this  may  be  attributed  to  a  glorious  incapacity  in  this 
angelic  imagination,  too  exclusively  occupied  with  love  and  ecstasy  to 
be  ever  able  to  familiarize  itself  with  those  dram.atic  scenes  in  which 


624  WALKS  IX  ROME. 

hateful  and  violent  passions  were  to  be  represented." — Rio.  Poetry  oj 
Christ ia>i  Art. 

"  The  soul  of  Angelico  lives  in  perpetual  peace.  Not  seclusion  from 
the  world.  No  shutting  out  of  the  world  is  needful  for  him.  There  is 
nothing  to  shut  out.  Envy,  lust,  contention,  discourtesy,  are  to  him 
as  though  they  were  not  ;  and  ihe  cloister  walls  of  Fiesole  no  peniten- 
tial solitude,  barred  from  the  stir  and  joy  of  life,  but  a  possessed  land 
of  tender  blessing,  guarded  from  the  entrance  of  all  but  holiest  sorrow. 
The  little  cell  was  as  one  of  the  houses  of  heaven  prepared  for  him  by 
his  Master.  What  need  had  it  to  be  elsewhere  ?  Was  not  the  Val 
d'Arno,  with  its  olive  woods  in  white  blossom,  paradise  enough  for  a 
poor  monk  ?  Or  could  Christ  he  indeed  in  heaven  more  than  here  ? 
Was  He  not  always  with  him  ?  Could  he  breathe  or  see,  but  that 
Christ  breathed  beside  him,  or  looked  into  his  eyes?  Under  every 
cypress  avenue  the  angels  walked  ;  he  had  seen  their  white  robes, — 
whiter  than  the  dawn, — at  his  bedside,  as  he  awoke  in  early  summer. 
They  had  sung  with  him,  one  on  each  side,  when  his  voice  failed  for 
joy  at  sweet  vesper  and  matin  time  ;  his  eyes  were  blinded  by  their 
wings  in  the  sunset,  when  it  sank  behind  the  hills  of  Luni." — Raskins 
Modern  Painters. 

Two  sides  of  the  Loggie,  or  corridors  on  the-  second 
floor  (formerly  open)  are  decorated  in  stucco  by  Marco  da 
Faoiza  and  Paid  Schnorr  and  painted  by  Sicciolante  da 
Sermoneta,  Tonpesta,  Sabbaiiin,  and  others.  The  third 
corridor,  entered  on  the  right,  contains  the  celebrated 
frescoes,  executed  by  Raffaelle,  or  from  the  designs  of 
Raffaelle,  by  Giulio  Romano,  Pierino  del  Vaga,  Pellegrino 
da  Modena,  Francesco  Penni,  and  Raffaello  da  Colle.  Of 
the  fifty-two  subjects  represented,  forty-eight  are  from  the 
Old  Testament,  only  the  four  last  being  from  the  Gospel 
History,  as  an  appropriate  introduction  to  the  pictures  which 
celebrate  the  foundation  and  triumphs  of  the  Church,  in  the 
adjoining  stanze.  The  stucco  decorations  of  the  gallery  are 
of  exquisite  beauty  ;  especially  remarkable,  perhaps,  are 
those  of  the  windows  in  the  first  arcade,  where  Raffaelle  is 
represented  drawing, — his  pupils  working  by  his  designs, — 
and  Fame  celebrating  his  work.  The  frescoes  are  arranged 
in  the  following  order  : 

\st  Arcade. 

1.  Creation  of  Light.'  "1 

2.  Creation  of  Dry  Land.  \.  R  ff   II 

3.  Creation  of  the  Sun  and  Moon.  (       ^ 

4.  Creation  of  Animals.  J 

'  "  This  is  perhaps  the  grandest  of  the  whole  series.  Here  the  Almighty  is 
seen  rending  like  a  thunderbolt  the  tiiick  sliroud  of  fiery  clouds,  lettmg  in  that 
light  under  which  his  works  were  to  spring  into  \\iz."  —Lady  Eastlake. 


THE  LOGGIE. 

2d  Arcade. 

1.  Creation  of  Eve.     Raffaelle. 

2.  The  Fall. 

3.  The  Exile  from  Eden. 

4.  The  Consequence  of  the  Fall. 

2,d  A  rcade. 

1.  Noah  builds  the  Ark. 

2.  The  Deluge. 

3.  The  Coming  forth  from  the  Ark. 

4.  The  Sacrifice  of  Noah. 
^th  Arcade. 

1.  Abraham  and  Melchizedek. 

2.  The  Covenant  of  God  with  Abraham. 

3.  Abraham  and  the  three  Angels. 

4.  Lot's  Flight  from  Sodom. 

^th  Arcade. 

1.  God  appears  to  Isaac. 

2.  Abimelech  sees  Isaac  with  Rebecca. 

3.  Isaac  gives  Jacob  the  Blessing. 

4.  Isaac  blesses  Esau  also. 
bth  Arcade. 

1.  Jacob's  Ladder. 

2.  Jacob  meets  Rachel. 

3.  Jacob  upbraids  Laban. 

4.  The  Journey  of  Jacob. 

"jth  Arcade. 

1.  Joseph  tells  his  Dream. 

2.  Joseph  sold  into  Egypt. 

3.  Joseph  and  Potiphar's  wife. 

4.  Joseph  mterprets  Pharaoh's  dream. 
ith  Arcade. 

1.  The  Finding  of  Mo.ses. 

2.  Moses  and  the  Burning  Bush. 

3.  The  Destruction  of  Pharaoh. 

4.  Moses  strikmg  the  Rock. 
()th  Arcade. 

1.  Moses  receives  the  Tables  of  the  Law. 

2.  The  Worship  of  the  Golden  Calf. 

3.  Moses  breaks  the  Tables. 

4.  Moses  kneels  before  the  Pillar  of  Cloud. 
loth  Arcade. 

1.  The  Israelites  cross  the  Jordan. 

2.  The  Fall  of  Jericho. 

3.  Joshua  stays  the  course  of  the  Sun. 

4.  Joshua  and  Eleazer  divide  the  Promised 

Land. 

27 


635 


Giulio  Romano. 


Giulio  Romano. 


Francesco  Penni. 


Francesco  Pcnni, 


Pellegrino  da 
Modena. 


Giulio  Romano, 


Giulio  Romano. 


Raffaello  da  Colle. 


^Pierino  del  Vaga, 


■Pierino  del  Vai^a, 


626  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

\Xth  Arcade. 

1.  Samuel  anoints  David. 

2.  David  and  Goliath. 

3.  The  Triumph  of  David. 

4.  David  sees  Bathsheba.  J 

\2th  Arcad,-. 

1.  Zadok  anoints  Solomon.  ^ 

2.  The  Judgment  of  Solomon.  \Pellegrino  da  Mo-. 

3.  The  Coming  of  the  Queen  of  Sheba.  |       der.a. 

4.  The  Building  of  the  Temple.  J 

\'ith  Arcade. 

1.  The  Adoration  of  the  Shepherds.  "1 

2.  The  CominfT  of  the  Magi.  \  n-    r     o 

T-i_     1)     .-•  f /-u  •  I  ■  Y  Giuuo  Komano. 

3    The  Baptism  of  Christ. 

4.  The  Last  Supper.  J 

"  From  the  Sistine  Chapel  we  went  to  Raffaelle's  Loggie,  and  I 
hardly  venture  to  say  that  we  could  scarcely  bear  to  look  at  them. 
The  eye  was  so  educated  and  so  enlarged  by  those  grand  forms  and 
the  glorious  completeness  of  all  their  parts,  that  it  could  take  no 
pleasure  in  the  imaginative  play  of  arabesques,  and  the  scenes  from 
Scripture,  beautiful  as  they  are,  had  lost  their  charm.  To  see  these 
works  often  alternately,  and  to  compare  them  at  leisure  and  without 
prejudice,  must  be  a  great  pleasure;  but  all  sympathy  is  at  first  one- 
sided." — Goethe,  Romische  Brief e. 

Entering  a  door  on  the  left  of  the  central  Loggie,  on  the 
left  as  we  approach  from  the  Stanze,  and  ascending  a  stair- 
case, we  reach  the  Loggie  on  the  third  floor,  which  are 
decorated  with  maps.  Here,  on  the  left,  is  the  entrance 
to  the  Finacoteca,  or  Gallery  of  Pictures,  founded  by  Pius 
VII.,  who  acted  on  the  advice  of  Cardinal  Consalvi  and  of 
Canova,  and  formed  the  present  collection  from  the  pict- 
ures which  had  been  carried  off  by  the  French  from  the 
Roman  churches,  upon  their  restoration.  The  pictures 
are  not  all  numbered.  Almost  every  picture  is  worthy  of 
separate  examination.  They  are  contained  in  four  rooms, 
and  according  to  their  present  position  are  : 

\St  R 00711.^ 

Left  Wall. 

Leonardo  da  Vinci  :  S.  Jerome.  The  foundation  of  a  picture 
painted  in  bistre. 

Giierciiio  •  S.  John  Baptist. 

*  Rafftu'Hc  :  The  Annunciation,  Adoration  of  the  Magi,  and  Pres- 
entation in  the  'J'emple.  Formerly  a  predella  to  the  Corona- 
tion of  the  Virgin  in  the  third  room. 


THE    COMMUNION  OF  S.  JEROME.  627 

Fra  Angelico  da  Fiepole  :  The  Story  of  S.  Nicolo  of  Bari.  Two 
out  of  three  predella  pictures  once  in  the  sacristy  of  S.  Do- 
menico  at  Florence,  whence  they  were  carried  off  to  Paris, 
where  the  third  remains. 

Andrea  ManUgiia  :  The  Dead  Christ  and  Mary  Magdalen.  From 
the  Aldrovandi  gallery  at  Bologna. 

Er.  Francia  :  Madonna  with  the  Child  and  S.  John. 

Guercino  :  The  Incredulity  of  S.  Thomas. 

Aliirillo  :  The  Martyrdom  of  S.  Pietro  d'Arbues. 

Eiitrance  IVall  : 

Benozzo  Gozzoli  :  The  Story  of  S.  Hyacinth. 

*  Murillo  :  The  Marriage  of  S.  Catherine. 

*  Pericgino  :   "  I  Tre  Sanii." 

Part  of  a  large  predella  in  the  church  of  S.  Pietro  del  Cashiensi  at 
Perugia.  Several  saints  from  this  predella  still  remain  in  the  sacristy 
of  S.  Pietro  ;  two  are  at  L\oas. 

"In  the  center  is  S.  Benedict,  with  his  black  cowl  over  his  head 
and  long  parted  beard,  the  book  in  one  hand  and  the  asperge  in  the 
other.  On  one  side,  S.  Placidus,  young,  and  with  a  mild,  candid  ex- 
pression, black  habit  and  shaven  crown.  On  the  other  side  is  S.  Flavia 
(or  S.  Catherine  ?),  crowned  as  a  martyr,  holding  her  palm,  and  gazing 
upward  with  a  divine  expression." — Mrs.  Janieson. 
Fra  Angelico  :  The  Virgin  surrounded  by  Angels. 
Bov.ifazio  :  The  Holy  Family  and  Saints. 

Wiridow    Wall. — Carlo    Crivelll  :    The    Dead   Christ,    with    the 
Virgin,  S.  John,  and  the  Magdalen  lamenting. 
Garofalo  :  Holy  Family. 

Wall  of  Egress. — ^Raffaelle  :  Faith,  Hope,  and  Charity.  Cir- 
cular medallions  in  bistre,  which  once  formed  a  predella  for  "the 
Entombment  "  in  the  Borghese  gallery. 

2d  Room. — 

Entrance  Wall. — '^Domenichino  :  The  Communion  of  S.  Jerome. 
This  is  the  master-piece  of  the  master,  and  perhaps  second  only  to 
the  Transfiguration.  It  was  painted  for  the  monks  of  Ara  Coeli, 
who  quarreled  with  the  artist,  and  shut  up  the  picture.  Afterward 
they  commissioned  Poussin  to  paint  an  altar-piece  for  their  church, 
and  instead  of  supplying  him  with  fresh  canvas,  produced  the  picture 
of  Domenichino,  and  desired  him  to  paint  over  it.  Poussin  indig- 
nantly threw  up  his  engagement,  and  made  known  the  existence  of 
the  picture,  which  was  afterward  preserved  in  the  church  of  S. 
Girolamo  della  Carita,  whence  it  was  carried  off  by  the  French.  S. 
Jerome,  in  his  last  moments  at  Bethlehem,  is  represented  receiving 
the  Last  Sacraments  from  S.  Ephraim  of  Syria,  while  S.  Paula  kneels 
by  his  side. 

"  The  Last  Communion  of  S.  Jerome  is  the  subject  of  one  of  the 
most  celebrated  pictures  in  the  world — the  S.  Jerome  of  Domenichino, 
which  has  been  thought  worthy  of  being  placed  opposite  to  the  Trans- 
figuration of  Raffaelle,  in  the  Vatican.  The  aged  saint — feeble,  ema- 
ciated, dying — is  borne  in  the  arms  of  his  disciples  to  the  chapel  of 


628  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

his  monastery,  and  placed  within  the  porch.'  A  young  priest  SUS" 
tains  him  ;  S.  Paula,  kneeling,  Idsses  one  of  his  thin,  bony  hands  ; 
tlie  saint  hxes  his  eager  eyes  on  the  countenance  of  the  priest,  who 
is  about  to  administer  the  Sacrament — a  noble,  dignified  hgure  in  a 
rich  ecclesiastical  dress  ;  a  deacon  holds  the  cup,  and  an  Pltcndant 
priest  the  book  ;  the  lion  droops  his  head  wuh  an  e.xpression  of 
grief ;  3  the  eyes  and  attention  of  all  are  on  the  dying  saint,  while 
four  angels,  hovering  above,  look  down  upon  the  scene." — Jameson's 
Sacred  Art. 

"  And  Jerome's  death  (a.d.  420)  drawing  near,  he  commanded 
that  he  should  be  laid  on  the  bare  ground  and  covered  with  sack- 
cloth, and  calling  the  brethren  around  him,  he  spake  sweetly  to  them, 
and  exhorted  them  in  many  holy  words,  and  appointed  Eusebius  to 
be  their  abbot  in  his  room.  And  then,  with  tears,  he  received  ihe 
blessed  Eucharist,  and  sinking  backwards  again  on  the  earth,  his 
hands  crossed  on  his  heart,  he  sang  the  '  Nunc  Dimittis,'  which  being 
finished,  it  being  the  hour  of  compline,  suddenly  a  great  light,  as  of 
the  noonday  sun,  shone  round  about  him,  within  \\hich  light  angels 
innumerable  were  seen  by  the  bystanders,  in  shifting  motion,  like 
sparks  among  the  dry  reeds.  And  the  voice  of  the  Saviour  was 
heard,  inviting  him  to  heaven,  and  the  holy  Doctor  answered  that  he 
v/as  ready.  And  after  an  hour  that  light  departed,  and  Jerome's 
spirit  with  it." — Lord  Lhidsay,  from  Piter  de  Aatalibiis. 

Right  Wall. — *  Raffaelle  :  "  The  Madonna  di  Foligno. "  Ordered 
in  15 II  by  Sigismondo  Conti  for  the  church  of  Ar?  Coeli  (where  he  is 
buried),  and  removed  in  1565  to  Foligno,  when  his  great-niece,  Anna 
Conti,  took  the  veil  there  at  tlie  convent  of  S.  Anna.  The  angel  in 
the  foreground  bears  a  tablet,  with  the  names  of  the  painter  and 
donor,  and  the  date  1512.  The  city  of  Foligno  is  seen  in  the  back- 
ground, with  a  falling  bomb,  from  v.hich  one  may  believe  that  the 
picture  was  a  votive  offering  from  Sigismondo  for  an  escape  during 
a  siege.  The  picture  was  originally  on  panel,  and  was  transferred  to 
canvas  at  Paris. 

"  The  Madonna  di  Foligno,  however  beautiful  in  the  whole  arrange- 
ment, however  excellent  in  the  execution  of  separate  parts,  appears  to 
belong  to  a  transition  state  of  development.  This  is  something  of  the 
ecstatic  enthusiasm  which  has  produced  such  peculiar  conceptions  and 
treatment  of  religious  subjects  in  other  artists — Corrcggio,  for  example 
— and  which,  so  far  from  harmonizing  with  the  unaffected  serene  grace 
of  Raffaelle,  has  in  this  instance  led  to  some  serious  defects.  This 
remarlc  is  particularly  applicable  to  the  figures  of  S.  John  and  S. 
Francis  :  the  former  looks  out  of  the  picture  with  a  fantastic  action, 
and  the  drawing  of  his  arm  is  even  considerably  mannered.  S.  Francis 
has  an  expression  of  fanatical  ecstasy,  and  his  countenance  is  strikingly 
weak  in  the  painting  (composed  of  reddish,  yellowish,  and  gray  tones, 
which  cannot  be  wholly  ascribed  to  their  restorer).  Again,  S.  Jerome 
looks  up  witii  a  sort  of  fretful  expression,  in  which  it  is  difficult  to 

'  The  candle  is  inf^eniously  made  crooked  in  the  socket,  not  to  interfere  with 
the  lines  of  the  architecture,  wtiilc  tlic  flame  is  straight. 

■?Accordinfj  to  the  Spiritual  Meadow  of  John  Moschus,  who  died  a.d.  620, 
the  hon  is  saidto  have  pined  away  after  Jerome's  deat'i,  and  to  have  died  at 
last  on  his  grave. 


THE    TRANSFIGURATION.  629 

recognize,  as  some  do,  a  mournful  resignation  ;  there  is  also  an  ex- 
aggerated style  of  drawing  in  the  eyes,  which  sometimes  gives  a  sharp- 
ness to  the  expression  of  RafTaelle's  figures,  and  appears  very  marked 
in  some  of  his  other  pictures.  Lastly,  the  Madonna  and  the  Child, 
who  turn  to  the  donor,  are  in  attitudes  which,  however  graceful,  are 
not  perhaps  sufficiently  tranquil  for  the  majesty  of  the  queen  of  heaven. 
The  expression  of  the  Madonna's  countenance  is  extremely  sweet,  but 
with  more  of  the  character  of  a  mere  woman  than  of  a  glorified  being. 
The  figure  of  the  donor,  on  the  other  hand,  is  excellent,  with  an  ex- 
pression of  sincerity  and  truth  ;  the  angel  with  the  tablet  is  of  unspeak- 
able intensity  and  exquisite  beauty — one  of  the  most  marvelous  figures 
that  Raffaelle  has  created." — Kttgler. 

"  In  the  upper  part  of  the  composition  sits  the  Virgin  in  heavenly 
glory  ;  by  her  side  is  the  Infant  Christ,  partly  sustained  by  his  mother's 
veil,  which  is  drawn  round  his  body  :  both  look  down  benignly  on  the 
votary,  Sigi-mund  Conti,  who,  kneeling  below,  gazes  up  with  an  ex- 
pression of  the  most  intense  gratitude  and  devotion.  It  is  a  portrait 
from  the  life,  and  certainly  one  of  the  finest  and  most  life-like  that 
exist  in  painting.  Behind  him  stands  S.  Jerome,  who,  placing  his 
hand  upon  the  head  of  the  votary,  seems  to  present  him  to  his  celestial 
protectress.  On  the  other  side,  John  the  Baptist,  the  meager  wild- 
looking  prophet  of  the  desert,  points  upward  to  the  Redeemer.  More 
in  front  kneels  S.  Francis,  who,  while  he  looks  up  to  heaven  with 
trusting  and  imploring  love,  extends  his  right  hand  toward  the  wor- 
shipers supposed  to  be  assembled  in  the  church,  recommending  them 
also  to  the  protecting  grace  of  the  Virgin.  In  the  center  of  the  pict- 
ure, dividing  these  two  groups,  stands  a  lovely  angel-boy,  holding  in 
his  hand  a  tablet,  one  of  the  most  charming  figures  of  this  kind 
RaiTaelle  ever  painted  ;  the  head,  looking  up,  has  that  sublime,  yet 
perfectly  childish,  grace  which  strikes  one  in  those  awful  angel-boys 
in  the  "  Madonna  di  San  Sisto."  The  background  is  a  landscape,  in 
which  appears  the  city  of  Foligno  at  a  distance  ;  it  is  overshadowed 
by  a  storm-cloud,  and  a  meteor  is  seen  falling  ;  but  above  these  bends 
a  rainbow,  pledge  of  peace  and  safety.  The  whole  picture  glows 
throughout  with  life  and  beauty,  hallowed  by  that  profound  religious 
sentiment  which  suggested  the  offering,  and  which  the  sympathetic 
artist  seems  to  have  caught  from  the  grateful  donor.  It  vas  dedi- 
cated in  the  Church  of  the  Ara  Coeli  at  Rome,  which  belongs  to  the 
Franciscans;  hence  S.  Francis  is  one  of  the  principal  figures.  When 
I  was  asked,  at  Rome,  why  S.  Jerome  had  been  introduced  into  the 
picture,  I  thought  it  might  be  thus  accounted  for : — The  patron  saint 
of  the  donor,  S.  Sigismund,  was  a  king  and  warrior,  and  Conti  might 
possibly  think  it  did  not  accord  with  his  profession,  as  a  humble  eccle- 
siastic, to  introduce  him  here.  The  most  celebrated  convent  of  the 
Hieronymites  in  Italy  is  that  of  S.  Sigismund,  near  Cremona,  placed 
under  the  special  protection  of  S.  Jerome,  who  is  also  in  a  general 
sense  the  patron  of  all  ecclesiastics  ;  hence,  perhaps,  he  figures  here 
as  the  protector  of  Sigismund  Qqxv'Cx.'"  —J anieson  s  Legends  of  the  Ma- 
donna, p.  103. 

Wall  of  Egress. — "Raffaelle  :  "  The  Transfiguration."    The  grand- 
est  picture   in    the  world.      It    was   originally   painted   by  order  of 


630  IVAL/vS  IiV  ROME. 

Cardinal  Giulio  de'  Medici  (afterward  Clement  VII.),  Arcbishop  of 
Narbonne,  for  that  provincial  cathedral.  But  it  was  scarcely  finished 
when  Raffaelle  died,  and  it  hung  over  his  death-bed  as  he  lay  in  state, 
and  was  carried  in  his  funeral  procession. 

"  And  when  all  beheld 
Him  where  he  lay,  hov/  changed  from  yesterday — 
Him  in  that  hour  cut  off,  and  at  his  head 
His  last  great  woik  ;  when,  entering  in,  they  look'd. 
Now  on  the  dead,  then  on  that  master-piece — 
Now  on  his  face,  lifeless  and  colorless, 
Then  on  those  forms  divine  that  lived  and  breathed, 
And  would  live  on  for  ages — all  were  moved, 
And  sighs  burst  forth  and  loudest  lamentations." 

Rogers. 

The  three  following  quotations  may  perhaps  represent  the  practical, 
aesthetical,  and  spiritual  aspects  of  the  picture: 

"  It  is  somewhat  strange  to  see  the  whole  picture  of  the  Transfigura- 
tion— including  tlie  three  apostles,  prostrate  on  the  mount,  shading 
their  dazzled  senses  from  the  insufferable  brightness — occupying  only 
a  small  part  of  the  top  of  the  canvas,  and  the  principal  field  filled  v.  ith 
a  totally  distinct  and  certainly  unequaled  picture — that  of  the  demo- 
niac boy  whom  our  Saviour  cured  on  coming  down  from  the  mount, 
after  his  transfiguration.  Tliis  was  done  in  compliance  with  "Cixz  orders 
of  the  monks  of  S.  Pietro  in  iMontorio,  for  which  church  it  was  painted. 
It  was  the  universal  custom  of  the  age — the  yet  unbanished  taste  of 
Gothic  days — to  have  two  pictures,  a  celestial  and  a  terrestrial  one, 
wholly  unconnected  with  each  other  ;  accordingly,  we  see  few,  even 
of  the  finest  paintings,  in  v/hich  there  is  not  a  heavenly  subject  above 
and  an  earthly  below — for  the  great  masters  of  that  day,  like  our  own 
Shakespeare,  were  compelled  to  suit  their  works  to  the  taste  of  their 
employers. " — Eaton's  Rome. 

"  It  must  ever  be  a  matter  of  wonder  that  any  one  can  have  doubted 
of  the  grand  unity  of  such  a  conception  as  this.  In  the  absence  of 
the  Lord,  the  disconsolate  parents  bring  a  possessed  boy  to  the  disci- 
ples of  the  Holy  One.  They  seem  to  have  been  making  attempts  to 
cast  out  the  Evil  Spirit  ;  one  has  opened  a  book,  to  see  whether  by 
chance  any  spell  were  contained  in  it  which  might  be  successful 
against  this  plague,  Ijut  in  vain.  At  this  moment  appears  He  who  alone 
has  the  power,  and  appears  transfigured  in  glory.  They  remem- 
ber His  former  mighty  deeds  ;  they  instantly  point  aloft  to  the  vision 
as  the  only  source  of  healing.  How  can  the  upper  and  lower  parts 
be  separated  ?  Both  are  one  ;  beneath  is  Suffering  craving  for  Aid  ; 
above  is  active  Power  and  helpful  Grace.  Both  refer  to  one  another  ; 
both  work  in  one  another.  Those  who,  in  our  dispute  over  the  pict- 
ure, tliought  with  me,  confirmed  their  view  by  this  consideration  : 
Raffaelle,  they  said,  was  over  distinguished  by  the  exquisite  propriety 
of  his  conceptions.  And  is  it  likely  that  this  painter,  tluis  gifted 
by  God,  and  evcryv/hcre  recognizable  \>y  the  excellence  of  this  His 
gift,  would,  in  the  full  ripeness  of  his  powers,  have  thought  and 
painted  wrongly  ?     Not  so  ;  he  is,  as  nature  is,  ever  right,  and  then 


THE    TRANSFIGURATIOA'.  631 

most  deeply  and  truly  right  when  we  least  suspect  it." — Goethe's 
"  Werke"  iii.  p.  33. 

"  In  looking  at  the  Transfiguration  we  must  bear  in  mind  tlir.t  it  is 
not  an  historical  but  a  devotional  picture, — that  the  intention  of  the 
painter  was  not  to  represent  a  scene,  but  to  excite  religious  feelings 
by  expressing,  so  far  as  painting  might  do  it,  a  very  sublime  ide?. 

"  If  we  remove  to  a  certain  distance  from  the  picture,  so  that  the 
forms  shall  become  vague,  indistinct,  and  only  the  masses  of  color 
and  the  light  and  shade  perfectly  distinguishable,  we  shall  see  that 
the  picture  is  indeed  divided  as  if  horizontally,  the  upper  half  being 
all  light,  and  the  lower  half  comparatively  all  dark.  As  we  approach 
nearer,  step  by  step,  we  behold  above,  the  radiant  figure  of  the  Saviour 
floating  in  mid-air,  with  arms  outspread,  garments  of  transparent  light, 
gloriiied  visage  upturned  as  if  in  rapture,  and  the  hair  lifted  and  scat- 
tered as  I  have  seen  it  in  persons  under  the  influence  of  electricity. 
On  the  right,  Aloses  ;  on  the  left,  Elijah  ;  representing  respectively 
the  old  Law  and  the  old  Prophecies,  which  both  testified  of  Him. 
The  three  disciples  lie  on  the  ground,  terror-struck,  da.!zled.  There 
is  a  sort  of  eminence  or  platform,  but  no  perspective,  no  attempt  at 
real  locality,  for  the  scene  is  revealed  as  in  a  vision,  and  the  same  soft 
transparent  light  envelops  the  whole.  This  is  the  spiritual  life,  raised 
far  above  the  earth,  but  not  yet  in  heaven.  Below  is  seen  the  earthly 
light,  poor  humanity  struggling  helplessly  v>ith  pain,  infirmity,  and 
death.  The  father  brings  his  son,  the  possessed,  or,  as  we  should 
now  say.  the  epileptic  boy,  who  oftentimes  falls  into  the  water,  or  into 
the  fire,  or  lies  groveling  on  the  earth,  foaming  and  gnashing  his 
teeth  ;  the  boy  struggles  in  his  arms, — the  rolling  eyes,  the  distorted 
features,  the  spasmodic  limbs,  are  at  once  terrible  and  pitiful  to  look 
on. 

"  Such  is  the  profound,  the  heart-m.oving  significance  of  this  won- 
derful picture.  It  is,  in  truth,  a  fearful  approximation  of  the  most 
opposite  things  ;  the  mournful  helplessness,  suffering,  and  degrada- 
tion of  human  nature,  the  unavailing  pity,  are  placed  in  immediate 
contrast  with  spiritual  light,  life,  hope— nay,  the  very  fruition  of 
heavenly  rapture. 

"  It  has  been  asked,  who  are  the  two  figures,  the  two  saintly  dea- 
cons, who  stand  on  each  side  of  the  upper  group,  and  what  have  they 
to  do  with  the  mystery  above,  cr  the  sorrow  below  ?  Their  presence 
shows  that  the  whole  was  conceived  as  a  vision,  or  a  poem.  The  two 
saints  are  S.  Laurence  and  S.  Julian,  placed  there  at  the  request  of 
the  Cardinal  de'  Medici,  for  whom  the  picture  was  painted,  to  be 
offered  by  him  as  an  act  of  devotion  as  well  as  munificence  to  his  new 
bishopric  ;  and  these  two  figures  commemorate,  in  a  poetical  way 
not  unusual  at  the  time,  his  father,  Lorenzo,  and  his  uncle,  Giuliano 
de'  Medici.  They  would  be  better  away  ;  but  Raffaelle,  in  consent- 
ing to  the  wish  of  his  patron  that  they  should  be  introduced,  left 
no  doubt  of  the  significance  of  the  whole  composition,  that  it  is 
placed  before  worshipers  as  a  revelation  of  the  double  life  of  earthly 
suffering  and  spiritual  faith,  as  an  excitement  to  religious  contempla- 
tion and  religious  hope. 

"  In  the  Gospel,  the  Transfiguration  of  Our  Lord  is  first  described. 


f,3  2  U\4/.A'S  I.V  ROME. 

then  the  gathering  of  the  people  and  the  appeal  of  the  father  in  behalf 
of  his  atflicted  son.  They  appear  to  have  been  simultaneous  ;  but 
painting  only  could  have  placed  them  before  our  eyes,  at  the  sam© 
moment,  in  all  their  suggestive  contrast.  It  will  be  said  that  in 
the  brief  record  of  the  Evangelist  this  contrast  is  novvhere  indicated, 
but  the  painter  found  it  there  and  was  right  to  use  it, — just  the 
same  as  if  a  man  should  choose  a  text  from  which  to  preach  a 
sermon,  and,  in  doing  so,  should  evolve  from  the  inspired  words 
many  teachings,  many  deep  reasonings,  beside  those  most  obvious 
and  apparent. 

"  But,  after  we  have  prepared  ourselves  to  understand  and  to  lake 
into  our  heads  all  that  this  wonderful  picture  can  suggest,  considered 
as  an  emanation  of  the  mind,  we  find  that  it  has  other  interests  for 
us,  considered  merely  as  a  work  of  art.  It  was  the  last  picture  which 
came  from  Raffaelle's  hand  ;  he  was  painting  on  it  when  he  was  seized 
with  his  last  illness.  He  had  completed  all  the  upper  part  of  the 
composition,  all  the  ethereal  vision,  but  the  lower  part  of  it  was  still 
unfinished,  and  in  this  state  the  picture  was  hung  over  his  bier  ; 
when,  after  his  death,  he  was  laid  out  in  his  painting-room,  and  all 
his  pupils  and  friends,  and  the  people  of  Rome,  came  to  look  upon 
him  for  the  last  time  ;  and  when  those  who  stood  round  raised  their 
eyes  to  the  Transfiguration,  and  then  bent  them  on  the  lifeless  form 
extended  beneath  it,  '  every  heart  was  like  to  burst  with  gvi^i' {faceva 
scoppiare  Vanima  di  dolore  a  ognuno  die  quiin  guardava),  as,  indeed, 
well  it  might. 

"  Two  thirds  of  the  price  of  the  picture,  655  '  ducati  di  camera,' 
had  already  been  paid  by  the  Cardinal  de'  Medici,  and,  in  the  following 
year,  that  part  of  the  picture  which  Raffaelle  had  left  unfinislied  was 
completed  by  his  pupil,  Giulio  Romano,  a  powerful  and  gifted,  but 
not  a  refined  or  elevated,  genius.  He  supplied  what  was  wanting  in 
the  colors  and  chiaroscuro  according  to  Raffaelle's  design,  but  not 
certainly  as  Raffaelle  himself  would  have  done  it.  The  sum  which 
Giulio  received  he  bestowed  as  a  dowry  on  his  sister  when  he  gave 
her  in  marriage  to  Lorenzetto  the  sculptor,  who  had  been  a  friend 
and  pupil  of  Raffaelle.  The  cardinal  did  not  send  the  picture  to 
Narbonne,  but,  unwillmg  to  deprive  Rome  of  such  a  master-piece,  he 
presented  it  to  the  church  of  San  Pietro  in  Montorio,  and  sent  in  its 
stead  the  Raising  of  Lazarus,  by  Sebastian  del  Piombo,  now  in  our 
National  Gallery.  The  French  carried  off  the  Transfiguration  to 
Paris  in  1797,  and  when  restored,  it  was  placed  in  the  Vatican,  where 
it  now  is." — Mrs.  Jameson  s  History  of  Oitr  Lord,  vol.  i. 

3^  Room  (closed  on  Mondays,  because  the  papal  audi- 
ences t^ke  place  in  the  apartment  beneath). — 

Entrance  Wall. — *Titia}i  :  Madonna  and  Saints. 

"  Titian's  altar-piece  is  a  specimen  of  his  pictures  of  this  class.  S. 
Nicholas,  in  full  episcopal  costume,  is  gazing  upward  with  an  air  of 
inspiiation.  S.  Peter  is  looking  over  his  shoulder  at  a  book,  and  a 
beautiful  S.  Catherine  is  on  the  other  side.  Farther  behind  are  S. 
Francis  and  S.  Anthony  of  Padua  ;  on  the  left  S.  Sebastian,  whose 
figure  recurs  in  almost  ail  these  pictures.     Above,  in  the  clouds,  with 


THE  PINACOTECA.  633 

angels,  is  the  Madonna,  who  looks  cheerfully  on,  while  the  lovely 
Child  holds  a  wreath,  as  if  ready  to  crown  a  votary." — Kuglcr. 

**  In  this  picture  there  are  three  stages  or  whatever  they  are  called, 
the  same  as  in  the  Transfiguration.  Below,  saints  and  martyrs  are 
represented  in  suffering  and  abasement  ;  on  every  face  is  depicted  sad- 
ness, nay,  almost  impatience  ;  one  figure,  in  rich  episcopal  robes,  looks 
upward,  with  the  most  eager  and  agonized  longing,  as  if  weepuig,  but 
he  cannot  see  all  that  is  floating  above  his  head,  but  which  we  see 
standing  in  front  of  the  picture.  Above,  Mary  and  her  Child  are  in  a 
cloud,  radiant  with  joy,  and  surrounded  by  angels,  who  have  woven 
many  garlands  ;  the  Holy  Child  holds  one  of  these,  and  seems  as  if 
about  to  crown  the  saints  beneath,  but  his  Mother  withholds  his  hand 
for  the  moment  (?).  The  contrast  between  the  pain  and  suffering 
below,  whence  S.  Sebastian  looks  forth  out  of  the  picture  with  gloom 
and  almost  apathy,  and  the  lofty  unalloyed  exultation  in  the  clouds 
above,  where  crowns  and  palms  are  already  awaiting  him,  is  truly  ad- 
mirable. High  above  the  group  of  Mary  hovers  the  Holy  Spirit,  from 
whom  emanates  a  bright  streaming  light,  thus  forming  the  apex  of  the 
whole  composition.  I  have  just  remembered  that  Goethe,  at  the  be- 
ginning of  his  first  visit  to  Rome,  describes  and  admires  this  picture  ; 
and  he  speaks  of  it  in  considerable  detail.  It  was  at  that  time  in  the 
Quirinal. " — Mendelssohn's  Letters. 

Guerciiio  :  S.  Margherita  da  Cortona.  She  is  represented  kneeling, 
— angels  hovering  above, — in  the  background  is  the  Convent  of  Coi- 
tona. 

/^io-ht  Wall: 

Spagnoletto  :  Martyrdom  of  S.  Laurence. 

Guercino  :  The  Magdalen,  with  angels  bearing  the  instruments  of 
the  Passion. 

*  Pintiiricchio  :  The  Coronation  of  the  Virgin. 

*  Perugino  :  The  Resurrection.  The  figures  are  sharply  relieved 
against  a  bright  green  landscape  and  a  perfectly  green  sky. 
The  figure  of  the  risen  Saviour  is  in  a  raised  gold  nimbus  sur- 
rounded by  cherub's  heads,  as  in  the  fresco  of  Pinturicchio  at 
the  Ara  Coeli.  The  escaping  soldier  is  said  to  be  a  portrait  of 
Perugino,  introduced  by  Raffaelle, — the  sleeping  soldier  that 
of  Raffaelle,  by  Perugino. 

*  "  La  Madonna  di  Monte  Luco,"  designed  by  Raffaelle  ;  the 
upper  part  painted  by  Giulio  Pomatio,  the  lower  by  Francesco 
Pejini  (11  Fattore).  The  apostles  looking  into  the  tomb  of  the 
Virgin,  find  it  blooming  with  heart's-ease  and  ixias.  Above,  the 
Virgin  is  crowned  amid  the  angels.  There  is  a  lovely  landscape 
seen  through  a  dark  cave,  which  ends  awkwardly  in  the  black 
clouds.  This  picture  was  painted  for  the  convent  of  Monte 
Luco  near  Spoleto. 

Gio'.anni  Spagua  :  The  Nativity. 

*  Raffaelle  :  The  Coronation  of  the  Virgin.     The  predella  in  the 

first  room  belonged  to  this  picture,  which  was  painted  for  the 
Benedictines  of  Perugia. 

*  Perugino  :  The  Virgin  and  Child  enthroned  under  an  arcade— 

27* 


534  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

with  S.  Lorenzo,  S.  Louis,  S.  Ercolano,  and  S.  Costanzo,  stand- 
ing. On  the  step  of  tlic  throne  is  inscribed,  "Hoc  Petrus  de 
Chastro  Plebis  Pinxit." 
Sassoferrato  :  Virgin  and  Child.  A  fat  mundane  Infant  and  a 
coarse  Virgin  seated  on  a  crescent  moon.  The  Child  holds  a 
rosary. 
£nd  IVall: 

Caravaggio  :  The  Entombment. 

'■  Caravaggio's  entombment  of  Christ  is  a  picture  wanting  in  all 
the  characteristics  of  holy  sublimity  ;  but  is  nevertheless  full  of  so- 
lemnity, only  perhaps  too  like  the  funeral  solemnity  of  a  Gypsy  chief. 
A  figure  of  such  natural  sorrow  as  the  Virgin,  who  is  represented  as 
exhausted  with  weeping,  with  her  trembling  outstretched  hands,  has 
seldom  been  painted.  Even  as  mother  of  a  Cypsy  chief,  she  is  digni- 
fied and  touching." — Kugler. 
Left  Wall  {returtting)  : 

Niccolo  Alunno  :  Doge  A.  Gritti,  half-length,  in  a  yellow  robe. 
Titian  :  Two  very  large  pictures  in  many  compartments,  of  the 
Crujifixion  and  Saints.     (Between  them) 

Melozzo  da  Forli  :  Sixtus  IV.  and  his  Court.  A  fresco,  removed 
from  the  Vatican  library  by  Leo  XII.,  which  is  a  most  interesting 
memorial  of  an  important  historical  family.  Near  the  hgure  of  the 
pope,  Sixtus  IV.,  who  is  known  to  Roman  travelers  from  his  magnifi- 
cent bronze  tomb  in  the  Chapel  of  the  Sacrament  of  S.  Peter's,  stand 
two  of  his  nephews,  of  whom  one  is  Giuliano  della  Kovere,  afterward 
Julius  II.,  and  the  other  Pietro  Riario,  who,  from  the  position  of  a 
humble  Franciscan  monk,  was  raised,  in  a  few  months,  by  his  uncle, 
to  be  Bishop  of  Treviso,  Cardinal-Archbishop  of  Seville,  Patriarch  of 
Constantinople,  Archbishop  of  Valentia,  and  Archbishop  of  Florence, 
when  his  life  changed,  and  he  lived  with  such  extravagance,  and  gave 
banquets  so  magnificent  that  "  never  had  pagan  antiquity  seen  anything 
like  it  ; "  '  but  within  two  years  "he  died  (not  without  suspicion  of 
poison),  to  the  great  grief  of  Pope  Sixtus,  and  to  the  infinite  joy  of  the 
whole  college  of  cardinals."  '^  The  kneeling  figure  represents  Platina, 
the  historian  of  the  popes  and  prefect  of  the  Vatican  library.  In  the 
background  stand  two  other  nephews  of  the  pope,  Cardinal  Giovanni 
della  Rovere,  and  Girolamo  Riario,  who  was  married  by  his  uncle  (or 
father?),  the  pope,  to  the  famous  Caterina  Sforza, — was  suspected  of 
being  the  originator  of  the  conspiracy  of  the  Pazzi, — was  created  Count 
of  Forli,  and  to  whose  aggrandizement  Sixtus  IV.  sacrificed  every 
principle  of  morality  and  justice  :  he  was  murdered  at  Forli,  April  14, 
14SS.     Beneath  is  inscribed  : 

"Templa  domum  expositis  vicos  fora  moenia  pontes  : 
Virgineam  Trivii  quod  repararis  aquam, 

Prisca  licet  nautis  statuas  dare  commoda  portus  : 
Et  Vaticanum  cingere  Sixte  jugum  : 

Plus  tamen  urbs  debet :  nam  quae  squalore  latebat, 
Cernitur  in  celebri  bibliotheca  loco." 

'  See  Stefano  Infessura,  Rer,  Ital.  Script,  torn.  ill. 
'^  Corio,  ist  mil.  p.  876. 


THE  PINACOTECA.  635 

4///  Room. — 

Entrajice  Wall: 

Valentin  :  The  Martyrdom  of  S.  Processus  and  Martinianus,  the 
jailers  of  S.  Peter.     This  is  stigmatized  by  Kugler  as  "an  un- 
important and  bad  picture, "  but,  perhaps  from  the  connection 
of  the    subject  with  the  story  of   S.   Peter,   has  been  thought 
worthy  of  being  copied  in  mosaic  in  the  basilica,  whence  this 
picture  was  brought. 
"  This  picture  is  terrible  for  dark  and  effective  expression  ;  it  is  just 
one  of  those  subjects  in  whicli  the  Caravaggio  school  delighted." — 
Jatneson's  Sacred  Art. 

Guido  Reiii  :  Martyrdom  of  S.  Peter. 
"  This  has  the  heavy  powerful  forms  of  Caravaggio,  but  wants  the 
passionate  feeling  which  sustains  such  subjects, — it  is  a  martyrdom  and 
nothing  more, — it  might  pass  for  an  enormous  and  horrible  genre  pict- 
ure." — Ktigler. 

N.  Pozissin  :  Martyrdom  of  S.  Erasmus.  A  most  horrible  picture 
of  the  disembowelment  of  the  saint  upon  a  wheel.  It  was 
copied  in  mosaic  in  S.  Peter's  when  the  picture  was  removed 
from  thence. 

Left  IVall  : 

Baroccio  :  The  Annunciation.      From  S.   Maria  at   Loreto,   de- 
tained in  the  Vatican  in  exchange  for  a  mosaic,  after  it  v/as 
sent  back  by  the  French. 
Andrea  Sacchi  :  S.   Gregory  the  Great — the  miracle  of  the  Bran- 
deum. 
"The  Empress  Constantia  sent  to  S.  Gregory  requesting  some  of 
the  relics  of  S.  Peter  and  S.  Paul.      He  excused  himself,  saying  that 
he  dared  not  disturb  their  sacred  remains  for  such  a  purpose, — but  he 
sent  her  part  of   a  consecrated  cloth  (Brandeum)  wliich  had  enfolded 
the  body  of  S.  John  the  Evangelist.     The  Empress  rejected  this  gift 
with  contempt  ;  vv'hereupon  Gregory,  to  sliowthat  such  things  are  hal- 
lowed not  so  much  in  themselves  as  by  the  faith  of  believers,  laid  the 
Brandeum  on  the  altar,  and  after  praying  he   took  up   a  knife  and 
pierced  it,  and  blood  flowed  as  from  a  living  body." — Jameson's  Sacred 
Art,  p.  321. 

Baroccio :  The  Ecstasy  of  S.  Michelina.  This  picture  is  men- 
tioned by  Lanzi  as  "  S.  Michelina  estatica  sul  Calvario."  The 
story  appears  to  be  lost. 

Bei'tueen  the  IVindows  : 

Moretto  da  Brescia  {Buonvicino) :  The  Madonna  and  Child  with 

S.  Jerome  and  S.  Bartholomew. 
Paolo  J'eronese:  The  Dream  of  S.  Helena  (of  the  finding  of  the 

true  Cross).     Once  in  the  Capitol  collection. 

Right  Wall  {returning)  : 

Guido  :  Madonna  with  S.  Thomas  and  S.  Jerome.  The  S.  Tho- 
mas is  very  grand. 


636 


WALKS  J  A'  ROME. 


Cesare  da  Festo :  Madonna  della  Cintola  with  S.  John  and  S.  Au' 
gustine.     Signed  1521. 

Correg^io  ?  :  Salvator  Mundi.     Christ  seated  on  the  rainbow. 

*Aitdrea  Saccki  :  S.  Romualdo.  The  samt  sees  the  vision  of  a 
ladder  by  which  tlie  friars  of  his  order  ascend  to  heaven.  The 
Monks  in  white  drapery  are  grand  and  noble  figures. 

"It  is  recorded  in  the  legend  of  S.  Romualdo,  that,  a  short  time 
before  his  death,  he  fell  asleep  beside  a  fountain  near  his  cell  ;  and  he 
dreamed,  and  in  his  dream  he  saw  a  ladder  like  that  which  the  patriarch 
Jacob  beheld  in  his  vision,  resting  on  the  earth,  and  the  top  of  it  reach- 
ing to  heaven  ;  and  he  saw  the  brethren  of  his  Order  ascending  by 
twos  and  by  threes,  all  clothed  in  white.  When  Romualdo  awoke  from 
Siis  dream,  he  changed  the  habit  of  his  monks  from  black  to  white, 
which  they  have  ever  since  worn  in  remembrance  of  this  vision." — ■ 
Jameson's  Monastic  Orders,  p.  117. 


A  door  on  the  ground-floor  of  the  Cortile  di  S.  Damaso 
will  admit  visitors  (with  an  order)  to  visit  the  Papal  Man- 
ufactory of  Mosaics,  whence  so  many  beautiful  works  have 
issued,  and  where  others  are  always  in  progress. 

"  Ghirlandajo,  who  felt  the  utmor.t  enthusiasm  for  the  august  re- 
mains of  Roman  grandeur,  was  still  more  deeply  impressed  by  the  sight 
of  the  ancient  mosaics  of  the  Christian  basilicas,  the  image  of  which 
was  still  present  to  his  mind  when  he  said,  at  a  more  advanced  age, 
that  '  mosaic  was  the  true  painting  for  eternity.'  " — Jito. 


Admission  to  the  Sculpture  Galleries  it  now  only  ob- 
tained by  the  Cancello  del  Giardino,  reached  by  the  Via 
dei  Fondaraenti,  at  the  back  of  S.  Peter's.  Hence  we  enter 
the 

Museo  Pio  Cle-meutino,  founded  under  Clement  XIV., 
but  chiefly  due  to  the  liberality  and  taste  of  Pius  VI.,  in 
whose  reign  however  most  of  the  best  statues  were  carried 
off  to  Paris,  though  they  were  restored  to  Pius  VII. 

A  few  steps  lead  us  to  the  beautiful  Sala  a  Croce  Greca, 
containing — 

On  the  left. — The  porphyry  Sarcophagus  of  S.  Constantia,  daughter 
of  Constantine  the  Great,  adorned  with  sculptures  of  a  vintage,  which 
are  repeated  in  the  mosaics  of  her  church  near  S.  Agnese,  whence  it 
was  most  inappropriately  brought  here. 

On  the  )  if/it. — The  porphyry  Sarcophagus  of  S.  Helena,  mother  of 
Constantine  the  Great,  carried  off  from  her  tomb  (now  called  Torre 
Pignattara)  by  Anastasius  IV.,  and  placed  in  the  Lateran,  whence  it 
was  brought  hither  by  Pius  VI.  The  restoration  of  its  reliefs,  repre- 
senting battle  scenes  of  the  time  of  Constantine.  cost  ;{|"20,ooo. 


GALLERIA   DEI  CANDELABRI.  637 

At  the  entrance  of  the  hall  on  the  left  is  a  recumbent 
river-god,  said  to  have  been  restored  by  Michael  Angelo.^ 
The  stairs,  adorned  with  twenty  ancient  columns  from  Pal- 
estrina,  lead  on  the  right  to  : 

The  Sala  dclla  Biga,  so  called  from  a  white  marble 
chariot  drawn  by  two  horses.  Only  the  body  of  the  chariot 
(which  long  served  as  an  episcopal  throne  in  the  church  of 
S.  Marco)  and  part  of  the  horse  on  the  right,  are  ancient  ; 
the  remainder  is  restoration.  Among  the  sculptures  here, 
are  : 

608.  Bearded  Bacchus. 

609.  An  interesting  sarcophagus  representing  a  chariot-race.     The 

chariots  are  driven  by  Amorini,  who  are  not  attending  to  what 
they  are  about  and  drive  over  one  another.  The  eggs  and 
dolphins  on  the  winning-posts  indicated  the  number  of  times 
they  had  gone  round  ;  each  time  they  passed,  another  egg 
and  dolphin  were  put  up. 

610.  Bacchus. 

611.  Alcibiades? 

612.  Vailed  priest,  from  the  Giustiniani  collection. 

614.  Apollo  Citharaedus. 

615.  Discobolus,  copy  of  a  bronze  statue  by  Naubides. 

616.  *Phocion,  very  remarkable    and  beautiful   from  the  e.xtreme 

simplicity  of  the  drapery. 

618.  Discobolus,  copy  of  the  bronze  statue  of  Myron — inferior  to 

that  at  the  Palazzo  Massimo. 

"  II  n'y  a  pas  une  statue  dont  Toriginal  soit  connu  avec  plus  de  cer 
titude  que  le  Discobole.  Get  original  fut  I'athlete  lan^ant  le  disque  de 
Myron. 

"  G'est  bien  la  statue  se  contoumant  avec  eflfort  dont  parle  Quinti- 
lien  ;  en  effet,  la  statue,  penchee  en  avant  et  dans  I'attitude  du  jet, 
porte  le  corps  sur  une  jambe,  tandis  que  I'autre  est  trainante  derriere 
lui.  Ge  n'est  pas  la  main,  c'est  la  personne  tout  entiere  qui  va  lancer 
le  disque." — Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  iii.  270. 

619.  Charioteer. 

Proceeding  in  a  straight  line  from  the  top  of  the  stairs,  we 
enter : 

The  Galleria  dei  Candelabri,  300  feet  long,  filled  with 
small  pieces  of  sculpture.  Among  these  we  may  notice  in 
the  center,  on  the  left,  Bacchus  and  Silenus,  found  near 
the  Sancta  Sanctorum  ;  also  : 

Right.   194.   Boy  with  a  goose. 

Left.  224.  (Last  division  but  one)  Nemesis. 

'  If  the  visitor  has  reached  the  Vatican  on  a  Thursday,  he  will  find  the  rest  of 
the  sculpture  galleries  closed,  and  must  now  visit  the  Etruscan  and  Egyptian 
museums,  or  the  Galleria  degli  Arazzi. 


esS 


WALKS  //V  ROME. 


"  Une  petite  statue  du  Vatican  rappelle  une  curieuse  anecdote  dont 
le  heros  est  Agoracrite.  Alcamene  et  lui  avaient  fait  chacun  une 
statue  de  Venus.  Celle  d'Alcamene  fut  jugee  la  meilleure  par  les 
Atheniens.  Agoracrite,  indigne  de  ce  qui  lui  semblait  une  injustice, 
transforma  la  sienne  en  Nemesis,  deesse  vengresse  de  I'cquite  violee, 
et  la  rendit  aux  habitants  da  bourg  de  Rhamenus,  a  condition  qu'elle 
ne  serait  jamais  exposee  a  Atlienes.  Ceci  montre  conibien  sa  Venus 
avait  garde  la  severite  du  type  primitif.  Ce  n'est  pas  de  la  Venus  du 
Capitole  ou  de  la  Venus  de  Medicis  qu'on  aurait  pu  faire  une  Ne- 
mesis. Nemesis  avait  pour  embleme  la  coudee,  signe  de  la  mcsure 
que  Nemesis  ne  permet  point  de  depasser,  et  I'avant-bras  etait  la  figure 
de  la  coudee,  par  suite,  de  la  mesure.  C'est  pourquoi  quand  on  repre- 
sentait  Nemesis  on  pla(;ait  toujours  I'avant-bras  de  manicre  d'attirer 
sur  lui  I'attention.  Dans  la  Nemesis  du  Vatican  la  donnee  severe  est 
devenue  un  motif  aimable.  Cet  avant-bras,  qu'il  fallait  montrer  pour 
rappeler  une  loi  terrible,  Nemesis  le  montre  en  effet,  mais  elle  s'en 
sert  avec  grace  pour  rattacher  son  vetement." — Ampere,  Hist.  Rom. 
iii.  260. 

Hence  (on  Thursdays  only)  we  can  enter  : 
The  Galleria  degli  Arazzi,  htmg  with  tapestries  from  the 
New  Testament  History,  executed  for  the  lower  v/alls  of 
the  Sistine  Chape!,  in  15 15-16,  for  Leo  X.,  of  which  ten 
are  from  the  cartoons  of  Raff  a  elle ;  seven  of  these  were 
purchased  in  Flanders  by  Charles  I.,  and  are  now  at  South 
Kensington.  The  tapestries  are  ill  arranged.  According 
to  their  present  order,  beginning  on  the  right  wall,  they 
are  : 

*  I.   The  Conversion  of  S.  Paul. 

*  2.   Peter  and  John  healing  the  Lame  Man. 

*  3.   The  Miraculous  Draught  of  Fishes. 

4.  (Smaller  than  the  others)  Christ  falling  under  the  Cross. 

5,  6.  The  Presentation  in  the  Temple,  with  the  Annunciation  and 

Crucifixion  above. 
7,    8,  g.   The  Massacre  of  the  Innocents. 

*  10.   The  Appearance  of  the  .Saviour  to  the  Apostles  on  the  shore 

of  Galilee. 

*  II.  The  Stoning  of  Stephen.     (On  the  border,  the  return  of  Car- 

dinal de'  Medici  to  Florence  as  Legate.) 
12.  An  Allegorical  Composition  representing  the  Triumph  of  Reli- 
gion (by  Van  Orley  and  other  pupils  of  Raffaelle). 

Returning,  on  the  left  wall,  are  : 

1.  The  Day  of  Pentecost. 

2.  The  Resurrection. 

3.  The  Adoration  of  the  Magi. 

4.  The  Ascension. 

5.  The  Adoration  of  the  Shepherds. 

6.  The  Presentation  in  the  Temple. 


SALA   ROTONDA.  639 

7.  The  Supper  at  Emmaus. 

8.  The  Appearance  to  Mary  Magdalene. 

g.   The  ISiarriage  of  S.  Catherine.     Above  it,  Christ  falling  undet 
the  Cross. 

*  ID.   The  Death  of  Ananias. 

*  II,  S.  Peter  receiving  the  Keys.    (On  the  border,  the  flight  of  Car- 

dinal de'  Medici  from  Florence  in  1494,  disguised  as  a  Fran- 
ciscan Monk.) 

*  12.    Paul  preaching  at  Athens. 

*  13.   The  Sacrifice  at  Lystra. ' 

The  Arazzi  were  long  used  as  church  decorations  on  high 
festivals. 

"  On  Corpus-Christi  Day  I  learned  the  true  destination  of  the  Tapes- 
tries, when  they  transformed  colonnades  and  open  spaces  into  handsome 
halls  and  corridors  :  and  while  they  placed  before  us  the  power  of  the 
most  gifted  of  men,  they  gave  us,  at  the  same  time,  the  happiest  example 
of  art  and  handicraft,  each  in  its  highest  perfection,  meeting  for  mutual 
completion. " — Goethe. 

From  the  end  of  the  Sala  a  Croce  Greca  we  enter  the 
Sala  Rotonda,  built  by  Pius  VI.,  paved  with  a  mosaic  founa 
in  1878  in  the  baths  of  Otricoli,  and  containing  in  its  cen- 
ter a  grand  porphyry  vase  from  the  baths  of  Diocletian. 

On  either  side  of  the  door  of  exit  are  colossal  heads  of  Tragedy  and 
Comedy,  from  Hadrian's  Villa. 

Beginning  from  the  right,  beyond  the  second  door,  are  : 

530.   *  Bust  of  Jupiter,  fitly  represented  as  the  father  and  the  king 
of  the  gods,  from  Otricoli — the  finest  extant. 

"  The  main  point  of  characterization  lies  unmistakably  in  the 
abundant  hair  falling  on  both  sides  in  thick  masses,  and  in  the  bold, 
elevated  brows,  beneath  which  the  eyes  seem  to  gaze  over  the  vast 
universe.  The  compact  brow  and  prominent  nose  complete  the  ex- 
pression of  wisdom  and  power,  while  the  full,  slightly-parted  lips  imply 
mild  benevolence,  and  the  luxuriant  beard  and  firm,  well-formed  cheeks 
betray  sensual  vigor  and  imperishable  manly  beauty." — Liibke. 

540.  Colossal  Statue  of  Antinous,  as  Bacchus,  from  Hadrian's  Villa. 
All  the  drapery  (probably  once  of  bronze)  is  a  restoration. 

"Antinous  was  drowned  in  the  Nile,  a.d.  131.  Some  accounts 
assert  that  he  drowned  himself  in  obedience  to  an  oracle,  which  de- 
manded for  the  life  of  the  emperor  Hadrian  the  sacrifice  of  the  object 
dearest  to  him.  However  this  may  be,  Hadrian  lamented  his  death 
with  extravagant  weakness,  proclaimed  his  divinity  to  the  jeering 
Egyptians,  and  consecrated  a  temple  in  his  honor.    He  gave  the  name 

•  The  compositions  of  Raffaelle  are  marked  with  an  asterisk. 


640  V/ALKS  IN  ROME. 

of  Besantinopolis  to  a  city  in  which  he  was  worshiped  in  conjunction 
with  an  obscure  divinity  named  Besa." — Merivale.  Ixvi. 

341.   Faustina  the  elder,  wife  of  Antoninus  Pius,  from  the  villa  ot 
tiadrian. 

542.  Ceres. 

543.  *  Bust  of  Hadrian  found  in  his  mausoleum. 

544.  *  Colossal    Hercules,    in  gilt  bronze,    found  (1864)  near  the 

Theater  of  Pompey.  The  feet  and  ankles  are  restorations 
by  Tenerani. 

545.  *  Bust  of  Antinous,    crowned   with   lotus,    from  the  villa  of 

Hadrian. 

546.  The  Barberini  Juno — much  restored. 

547.  Sea-god  from  Pozzuoli. 

548.  *Nerva. 

"  Among  the  treasures  of  antiquity  preserved  in  modern  Rome,  none 
surpasses, — none  perlvaps  equals, — in  force  and  dignity,  the  sitting 
statue  of  Nerva,  which  draws  all  eyes  in  the  rotonda  of  the  Vatican, 
embodying  the  highest  idea  of  the  Roman  magnate,  the  finished  war- 
rior, statesman,  and  gentleman  of  an  age  of  varied  training  and  wide 
practical  experience." — Aleriva/e,  ch.  xliii. 

549.  Jupiter  Serapis,  a  colossal  bust,  from  Bovillae. 

550.  Claudius,  as  Jupiter. 

551.  Bust  of  Claudius. 

552.  Juno  Sospita,  from  Lanuvium.     This  is  the  only  statue  in  the 

Vatican  of  which  we  can  be  certain  that  it  was  a  worshiped 
idol  ;  the  sandals  of  the  Tyrrhenian  Juno  turr  up  at  the 
end, — no  other  Juno  wears  these  sandals. 

553.  Plotina,  wife  of  Trajan. 

554.  Julia  Domna,  wife  of  Septimius  Severus. 

555.  Colossal  statue  of  Ceres. 
55b.   Pertinax. 

Close  to  the  famous  bust  of  Jupiter  we  enter  the  Sala 
delle  Muse,  adorned  with  sixteen  Corinthian  columns  from 
Hadrian's  villa.  It  is  chiefly  filled  with  statues  and  busts 
from  the  villa  of  Cassius  at  Tivoli.  On  the  left,  just  within 
the  entrance,  are  : 

525.  *  Bust  of  Perikles,  very  probably  the  work  of  Kresilas. 
523.   Bust  of  Aspasia,  the  only  known  representation  of  the  world- 
renowned  friend  of  Perikles  :  found  in  the  Castrum  Novum. 

The  statues  of  the  Muses  and  that  called  Apollo  Mu- 
sagetes  (No.  516)  are  generally  attributed  to  the  time  of 
the  Antonines. 

"Nous  Savons  que  I'Apollon  Citharcde  de  Scopas  etait  dans  le 
temple  d'ApoUon  Palatin,  eleve  par  Auguste  ;  Ics  medailles,  Properce 
et  Tibulle,  nous  apprennent  que  le  dieu  s'y  voyait  revetu  d'une  longue 
robe. 


GALLERIA    BELLE    STATUE.  64 1 

"  Ima  videbatur  talis  illudere  palla." 

Tib.  hi.  4,  35. 

"  Pythius  in  longa  carmina  veste  sonat." 

Erop.  ii.  31,  16. 

"  Nous  ne  pouvons  done  hesiter  a  admettre  que  I'Apolion  de  la 
salle  des  Muses  au  Vatican  a  eu  pour  premier  original  I'Apolion  de 
Scopas. 

"  Nous  Savons  aussi  qu'un  Apollon  de  Philiscus  et  un  Apollon  de 
Timarchide  (celui-ci  tenant  la  lyre),  sculpteurs  grecs  moins  anciens 
que  Scopas,  etaient  dans  un  autre  temple  dApollon,  pres  du  portique 
d'Octavie,  en  compagnie  des  Muses,  comme  I'Apolion  Citharede  du 
Vatican  a  ete  trouve  avec  celles  qui  I'entourent  aujourd'hui  dans 
la  salle  des  Muses.  II  est  done  vraisemblable  que  cet  Apollon  est 
d'apres  Philiscus  ou  Timarchide,  qui  eux-memes  avaient  sans  doute 
copie  I'Apolion  a  la  lyre  de  Scopas  et  I'avaient  place  au  milieu  des 
Muses. 

"Apollon  est  la,  ainsi  que  plus  anciennement  il  avait  ete  represente 
sur  le  coffre  de  Cypselus,  avec  cette  inscription  qui  conviendrait  a  la 
statue  du  Vatican  :  '  Alentour  est  le  choeur  gracieux  des  Muses,  auquel 
il  preside  ; '  et  comme  dit  Pindare,  '  au  milieu  du  beau  chceur  des 
Muses,  Apollon  frappe  du  plectrum  d'or  la  lyre  aux  sept  voix.'  "  — 
Ampere,  Hist.  Roui.  iii.  292. 

Hence  we  reach  the  Sala  degli  Animali,  containing  a 
number  of  representations  of  animals  in  marble  and  ala- 
baster. Perhaps  the  best  is  No.  116— two  greyhounds 
playing.  The  statue  of  Commodus  on  horseback  (No.  139) 
served  as  a  model  to  Bernini  for  his  figure  of  Constantine 
in  the  portico  of  S.  Peter's. 

"  La  Salle  des  Animaux  au  Vatican  est  comme  un  musee  de  I'ecole 
de  Myron  ;  le  naturel  parfait  qu'il  donna  a  ses  representations  d'ani- 
maux  y  eclate  partout.  C'est  une  sorte  de  menagerie  de  I'art.  et  elle 
merite  de  s'appeler,  comme  celle  du  Jardin  des  Plantes,  une  menagerie 
d'animanx  vivants. 

"  Ces  animaux  sont  pourtant  d'un  me'rite  inegal  :  parmi  les  meil- 
leurs  morceaux  on  compte  des  chiens  qui  jouent  ensemble  avec  beau- 
coup  de  verite,  un  cygne  dont  le  duvet,  un  mouton  tue  dont  la  toison 
sont  tres-bien  rendus,  une  tete  d'ane  tres-vraie  et  portant  une  couronne 
de  lierre,  allusion  au  role  de  Pane  de  Silene  dans  les  mysteres  bac- 
chiques." — Ampere  Hist.  Rom.  iii.  276. 

On  the  left  we  enter  : 

The  Galleria  delle  Statue,  once  a  summer-house  of  Inno- 
cent VIII.,  but  arranged  as  a  statue-gallery  under  Pius  VI. 
In  its  lunettes  are  remains  of  frescoes  by  Pinturicchio.  Be- 
ginning on  the  right  are : 

248.   An   armed    statue   of  Clodius   Albinus  standing  on  a  cippus 


642  WALKS  IN  HOME. 

which  marked  the  rpot  where  the  body  of  Cains  Caesar  was 
burnt,  inscribed  C.  Caesar  Germanici  Caesaris  hic  cre- 

MATUS  ESI". 

250.  The  *  Statue  called  "  The  Genius  of  the  Vatican,"  supposed  to 

be  a  copy  from  a  Cupid  of  Fraxileles  which  existed  in  the 
Portico  of  Octavia  in  the  time  of  Pliny.  On  the  back  are  the 
holes  for  the  metal  pins  which  supported  the  wings. 

251.  Athlete. 

253.   Triton,  from  Tivoli — a  noble  head. 

255.  Paris,  from  the  Palazzo  Altemps. 

"  Le  Vatican  possede  une  statue  de  Paris  jugeant  les  deesses. 
Cette  statue  est-elle,  comme  on  le  pense  generalement,  une  copie  du 
Paris  d'Euphranor  ? 

"  Euphranor  avait-il  choisi  le  moment  ou  Paris  juge  les  deesses? 
Les  expressions  de  Pline  pourraient  en  faire  douter  :  il  ne  I'aiHirme 
point  ;  il  dit  que  dans  la  statue  d'Euphranor  on  eut  pu  reconnaitre 
le  juge  des  trois  deesses,  I'amant  d'Helcne  et  le  vainqueur  d'Achille. 

"  La  statue  du  Vatican  est  de  beaucoup  la  plus  remarquable  des 
statues  de  Paris.  On  y  sent,  malgre  ses  imperfections,  la  presence 
d'un  original  fameux  ;  de  plus,  son  attitude  est  celle  de  Paris  sur 
plusieurs  vases  peints  et  sur  plusieurs  bas-reliefs,  et  nous  verrons  que 
les  bas-reliefs  reproduisaient  tres-souvent  une  statue  celebre.  II 
m'est  impossible,  il  est  vrai,  de  voir  dans  le  Paris  du  Vatican  tout  ce 
que  Pline  dit  du  Paris  d'Euphranor.  Je  ne  puis  y  voir  que  le  juge 
des  deesses.  L'expression  de  son  visage  montre  qu'il  a  contemple  la 
beaute  de  Venus,  et  que  le  prix  va  etre  donne.  Ricn  n'annonce 
I'amant  d'Helene,  ni  surtout  le  vainqueur  d'Achille  ;  mais  ce  qui  etait 
dans  I'original  aurait  pu  disparaitre  de  la  copie." — Ampere,  Hist.  Rom. 
iii.  300. 

256.  Young  Hercules. 

259-   Figure  probably  intended  for  Apollo,  restored  as  Minerva. 

260.  A  Greek  relief,  from  a  tomb. 

261.  Penelope,  on  a  pedestal,  with  a  relief  of  Bacchus  and  Ariadne. 

"  L'attente  de  Penelope  nous  est  presente,  et  pour  ainsi  dire,  dure 
encore  pour  nous  dan  cette  expressive  Penelope,  dont  le  torse  nous  a 
montre  un  specimen  de  I'art  grec  sous  la  forme  la  plus  ancienne." — 
Ampere,  Hist.  Rome,  iii.  p.  452. 

264.  *  Apollo  Sauroctonos  (watching  a  lizard),  found  on  the  Palatine 
in  1777 — a  copy  of  a  work  of  Praxiteles.  .Several  other 
other  copies  are  in  existence,  one,  the  celebrated  figure  in 
bronze,  in  the  Villa  Albani.  The  right  arm  and  the  legs 
above  the  knees  are  restorations,  well  executed. 

"  Apollon  presque  enfant  epie  un  lezard  qui  se  glisse  le  long  d'un 
arbre.  On  sait,  a  n'en  pouvoir  douter,  d'apres  la  description  de  Pline 
et  de  Martial,  que  cct  Apollon,  souvent  repete,  est  une  imitation  de 
celui  de  Praxitele,  et  quand  on  ne  le  saurait  pas,  on  I'eut  devine."— 
Ampere,  iii.  313. 


GALLERIA    DELLE   STATUE.  643 

265.  Amazon,  found  in  the  Villa  Mattel,  the  finest  of  the  three 
Amazons  in  the  Vatican,  which  are  all  supposed  to  be  copies 
from  the  fifty  statues  of  Amazons  which  decorated  the 
temple  of  Diana  at  Ephesus. 

267.   Drunken  Satyr,  from  the  Villa  Mattel.    - 

26S.  Juno,  from  Otricoli. 

271,  390.  *  Posidippus  and  Menander,  very  fine  statues,  perfectly 
preserved,  owing  to  their  having  been  kept  through  the 
middle  ages  in  the  church  of  S.  Lorenzo  Pane  e  Perna, 
where  they  were  worshiped  under  the  belief  that  they  were 
statues  of  saints,  a  belief  which  arose  from  their  having 
metal  disks  over  their  heads,  a  practice  which  prevailed  with 
many  Greek  statues  intended  for  the  open  air.  The  marks 
of  the  metal  pins  for  these  disks  may  still  be  seen,  as  well  as 
those  for  a  bronze  protection  for  the  feet,  to  prevent  their 
being  worn  away  by  the  kisses  of  the  faithful, — as  on  the 
statue  of  S  Peter  at  S.  Peter's. 

Between  these  statues  we  enter  : 

The  Hall  of  Busts.      Perhaps  the  best  are  : 

278.  Augustus,  wilh  a  wreath,  as  an  Arvai. 

299.  Jupiter-Serapis,  in  basalt. 

311.    Menelaus? 

326.   Throned  statue  of  Jupiter. 

357.  Antinous. 

358.  *Roman  Senator  and  his  wife,  from  a  tomb.     (These  busts, 

having  been  much  admired  by  the  great  historian,  were  imi- 
tated on  the  monument  of  Niebuhr  at  Bonn,  erected  by  his 
former  pupil  the  King  of  Prussia,  to  his  memory — with  that 
of  his  loving  wife  Gretchen,  who  only  survived  him  nine 
days.) 

"  Les  tetes  de  deux  epoux,  representes  au  devant  de  leur  tombeau 
d'ou  ils  semblent  sortir  a  mi-corps  et  se  tenant  par  la  main,  sont  sur- 
tout  d'une  simplicite  et  d'une  verite  inexprimable.  La  femme  est 
assez  jeune  et  assez  belle,  I'epoux  est  vieux  et  tres-laid  ;  mais  ce  groupe 
a  un  air  honnete  et  digne  qui  repond  pour  tous  deux  d'une  vie  de 
serc'nite  et  de  vertu.  Nul  recit  ne  pourrait  aussi  bien  que  ces  deux 
figures  transporter  au  sein  des  mceurs  domestiques  de  Rome  ;  en  leur 
pre'sence  on  se  sent  penetre  soi-meme  d'honnetete,  de  pudeur  et  de 
respect,  comme  si  on  etait  assis  au  chaste  foyer  de  Lucrece. — Ampere, 
Hist.  Rom.  iv.  103. 

Re-entering  the  Gallery  of  Statues,  and  following  the 
left  wall,  are  : 

392.  Septimius  Severus. 

393.  Girl  at  a  spring  ? 

394.  Neptune,  from  the  Palazzo  Verospi. 

395.  Apollo  Citharoedus. 

396.  "  Wounded  Adonis,"  or  Narcissus,  from  the  Palazzo  Barberini. 


644  WALKS  LV  ROME. 

397.  Bacchus  from  Hadrian's  Villa. 

398.  Macrinus  (Imp.  217),  murderer  and  successor  of  Caracalla. 

399.  Aesculapius  and  Hygeia,  from  Palestrina. 
4C0.  Euterpe. 

401.   Mutilated  group  from   the  Niobides,   found   near  Porta  San 
Paolo. 

405.  Danaide,  from  Palestrina. 

406.  Copy  of  the  Faun  of  Praxiteles,  very  beautiful,  but  inferior  to 

that  at  the  Capitol. 
422.   *  Head  of  a  fountain,  with  a  Bacchanalian  Procession  of  great 
beauty. 

Here  is  the  entrance  of  the  Gabitietto  delle  Maschere, 
named  from  the  mosaic  upon  the  floor,  of  masks  from  Ha- 
drian's Villa.  It  is  seldom  shown,  probably  because  it  con- 
tains a  chair  of  rosso-antico,  called  "  Sedia  forata,"  found 
near  the  Lateran,  and  supposed  to  be  the  famous  "  Sella 
Stercoraria,"  used  at  the  installation  of  the  mediaeval  popes, 
and  associated  with  the  legend  of  Pope  Joan. 

"  Le  Pape  elu  (Celestine  III.  1191)  se  prosterne  devant  I'autel  pen- 
dant que  Ton  chante  le  Te  Deum  :  puis  les  Cardinaux  Eveques  lecon- 
duisent  a  son  siege  derrierc  I'autel  :  la  ils  viennent  a  ses  pieds,  et  il 
leur  donne  le  baiser  de  paix.  On  le  mene  ensuite  a  une  chaise  posee 
devant  le  portique  de  la  Basilique  du  Sauveur  de  Lateran.  Cette 
chaise  etait  nommee  des  lors  '  Stercoraria,'  parce  qu'clle  est  percce  au 
fond  :  mais  I'ouverture  est  petite,  et  les  antiquaires  jugent  que  c'etait 
pour  egouter  I'eau,  et  que  cette  chaise  servait  a  quelque  bain." — 
Ficiiiy,  Histoire  Ecclcsiastique,  xv.  p.  525. 

Here  also  the  severe  morality  of  Pope  Leo  XHI.  has 
imprisoned  the  beautiful  Venus  Anadyomene,  formerly  in 
the  Braccio-Nuovo. 

"  La  gracieuse  Venus  Anadyomene,  que  chacun  connait,  a  le  merile 
de  nous  rendre  une  peinture  perdue  d'Apelles  ;  elle  en  a  un  autre  en- 
core, c'est  de  nous  conserver  dans  cc  portrait,  qui  n'est  point  en  buste, 
quelques  traits  de  la  beaute  de  Campaspe,  d'apres  laquelle  Apelles, 
dit-on,  peignit  sa  Venus  Anadyomene." — Amplre,  iii.  324. 

Returning  to  the  Galleria  delle  Statue,  we  find — 

462.  Cinerary  Urn  of  Alabaster. 

414.   *  Sleeping  Ariadne,  found  r.   1503 — formerly  supposed  to  rep- 
resent Cleopatra. 

"  This  grand  form  is  executed  with  masterly  power,  and  contrasts 
effectively  with  the  drapery,  and  it  presents,  especially  in  the  gentle 
inclination  of  the  head  and  in  the  turn  of  the  beautiful  arms,  the  un- 
surpassable picture  of  llu-  deep  slumber,  Ijearing  even  in  its  repose  (he 
traces  of  preceding  passionate  excitement." — Liihkc. 


THE  LAOCOOiV.  645 

"  La  figure  est  certainement  idt'ale  et  n'est  point  un  portrait  ;  mais 
ce  qui  ne  laisse  aucun  doute  sur  le  nom  a  lui  donner,  c'est  un  bas-relief, 
un  peu  refait,  il  est  vrai,  qu'on  a  eu  la  trt-s-heureuse  idee  de  placer 
aupres  d'elle. 

"  On  y  voit  une  femme  endormie  dont  1 'attitude  est  tout  a  fait  pa- 
reille  a  celle  de  la  statue.  Thesee  qui  va  s'enibarquer  pendant  le  som- 
meil  d'Ariane,  et  Bacchus  qui  arrive  pour  la  consoler.  C'est  exacte- 
ment  ce  que  Ton  voyait  peint  dans  le  temple  de  Bacchus  a  Athenes. 

"  Cette  statue,  belle  sans  doute,  mais  peut-etre  trop  vantee,  doit 
etre  postcrieure  a  Tepoque  d'Alexandre.  Sa  pose  gracieuse  est  presque 
manieree  ;  on  dirait  qu  elle  se  regarde  dormir.  La  disposition  de  la 
draperie  est  compliquee  et  un  peu  embrouillee,  a  tel  point  que  les  uns 
prennent  pour  une  couverture  ce  que  d'autres  regardent  comme  un 
manteau." — Avipl're,  Hist.  Rom.  iii.  534. 

Beneath  this  figure  is  a  fine  sarcophagus,  representing  the  Battle  of 
the  Giants. 

412,  413.    "  The  Barberlni  Candelabra  "  from  Hadrian's  Villa. 

416.  Ariadne,  on  a  cinerarium. 

417.  Mercury. 

420.   Lucius  Verus — on  a  pedestal  which  supported  the  ashes  of 

Drusus  in  the  Mausoleum  of  Augustus. 
422.  Cinerary  urn  with  the  names  of  the  three  children  of  German- 

icus. 

We  now  approach  the  inner  sanctuary  of  the  Vatican. 
Through  a  door  in  the  center  of  the  Sala  degli  AnimaH, 
opposite  that  by  which  we  entered,  we  reach  the  Cortile  del 
Belvidere.,  designed  by  Bramante  under  JuHus  II.,  having  a 
fountain  in  the  center,  and  decorated  with  fine  sarcophagi 
and  vases,  &c.  From  this  opens,  beginning  from  the  right, 
the— 

First  Cabinet,  of  *  the  Laocoon.  This  wonderful  group 
was  discovered  near  the  Sette  Sale  on  the  Esquiline  in 
1506,  while  Michael  Angelo  was  at  Rome,  under  Julius  II., 
but  narrowly  escaped  destruction  under  Adrian  VI.,  who 
turned  away  from  it  shuddering,  and  exclaiming,  "  Idol  of 
the  Pagans."  The  right  arm  of  the  father  is  a  terra-cotta 
restoration,  and  is  said  by  Winckelmann  to  be  the  work  of 
Bernini  ;  the  arms  of  the  sons  are  additions  by  Agostino 
Cornacchini  of  Pistoia.  There  is  now  no  doubt  that  the 
Laocoon  is  the  group  described  by  Pliny. 

"  The  fame  of  many  sculptors  is  less  diffused,  because  the  number 
employed  upon  great  works  prevented  their  celebrity  ;  for  there  is  no 
one  artist  to  receive  the  honor  of  the  work,  and  where  there  are  more 
than  one  they  cannot  all  obtain  an  equal  fame.  Of  this  the  Laocoon  is 
an  example,  which  stands  in  the  palace  of  the  emperor  Titus, — a  work 


646  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

which  may  be  considered  superior  to  all  others  both  in  painting  and 
statuary.  The  whole  group, — the  father,  the  boys,  and  the  awful  folds 
of  the  serpents, — were  formed  out  of  a  single  block,  in  accordance  with 
a  vote  of  the  senate,  by  Agesander,  Poiydorus,  and  Athenodorus, 
Rhodian  sculptors  of  the  highest  merit." — Pliny,  lib.  xxxvi.  c.  4. 

"  Les  trois  sculpteurs  rhodiens  qui  travaillerent  ensemble  au  Laocoon 
etaient  probablement  un  pere  et  ses  deux  fds,  qui  executtrent  I'un  la 
statue  du  pere,  et  les  aulres  celles  des  deux  his,  touchante  analogie 
entre  les  auieurs  et  I'ouvrage. 

''  Les  auteurs  du  Laocoon  etaient  Rhodiens,  ce  peuple  auquel,  dit 
Pindare,  Minerve  a  donne  de  I'emporter  sur  tous  les  mortels  par  le  tra- 
vail habile  de  leurs  mains,  et  dont  les  rues  etaient  garnies  de  figures 
vivantes  que  semblaient  marcher.  Or,  le  grand  eclat,  la  grand  puissance 
de  Rhodes,  appartiennent  surtout  a  I'epoque  que  suivit  la  mort  d'Alex- 
andre.  Apres  qu'elle  se  fiit  delivree  du  joug  macedonien,  presque 
toujours  alliee  de  Rome,  Rhodes  fut  florissante  par  !e  commerce,  les 
armes  et  la  liberte,  jusqu'au  jour  ou  elle  eut  embrasse  le  parti  de 
Cesar  ;  Cassius  prit  d'assaut  la  capitale  de  I'ile  et  depouilla  ses  temples 
de  tous  leurs  ornements.  Le  coup  fut  mortel  a  la  republique  de  Rhodes, 
qui  depuis  ne  s'en  releva  plus. 

"  C'est  avant  cette  fatale  epoque,  dans  I'epoque  de  la  prosperite 
rhodienne,  entre  Alexandre  et  Cesar,  que  se  place  le  grand  developpe- 
ment  de  I'art  comme  de  la  puissance  des  Rhodiens,  et  qu'on  est  conduit 
naturellement  a  placer  la  creation  d'un  chef-d'oeuvre  tel  que  le  Lao- 
coon. 

"  Pline  dit  que  les  trois  statues  dont  se  com.pose  le  groupe  etaient 
d'un  seul  morceau,  et  se  groupe  est  forme  de  plusieurs,  on  en  acompte 
jusqu'a  six.  Ceci  semblerait  faire  croire  que  nous  n'avons  qu'une 
copie,  mais  j'avoue  ne  pas  attacher  une  grande  importance  a  cette  in- 
dication de  Pline,  compilateur  plus  erudit  qu'observateur  attentif. 
Michel-Ange,  dit-on,  remarqua  le  premier  que  le  Laocoon  n'etait  pas 
d'un  seul  morceau  ;  Pline  a  trts-bien  pu  ne  pas  s'en  apercevoir  plus 
que  nous  et  repeter  de  confiance  une  assertion  inexacte." — Ampere, 
Hist.  Rom.  iii.  382,  385,  387. 

..."  Turning  to  the  Vatican,  go  see 
Laocoon's  torture  dignifying  pain — 
A  father's  love  and  mortal's  agony 
"With  an  immortal's  patience  blending,  vain 
The  struggle  ;  vain  against  the  coiling  strain 
And  gripe,  and  deepening  of  the  dragon's  grasp, 
The  old  man's  clench  ;  the  long  envenomed  chain 
Rivets  the  living  links, — the  enormous  asp 
Enforces  pang  on  pang,  and  stifles  gasp  on  gasp." 

Childe  Harold. 

"  The  subject  of  the  Laocoon  is  a  disagreeable  one,  but  whether  we 
consider  the  grouping,  or  the  execution,  nothing  that  remains  to  us  of 
antiquity  can  surpass  it.  It  consists  of  a  father  and  his  two  sons. 
Byron  thinks  that  Laocoon's  anguish  is  absorbed  in  that  of  his  chil- 
dren ;  that  a  mortal's  agony  is  blending  with  an  immortal's  patience. 
Not  so.     Intense  physical  suffering,  against  which  he  pleads  with  an 


THE   LAOCOON.  647 

upraised  countenance  of  despair,  and  appeals  with  a  sense  of  its  injus- 
tice, seems  the  predominant  and  overwhelmuig  emotion,  and  yet  there 
is  a  nobleness  in  the  expression,  and  a  majesty  that  dignifies  torture. 

"  We  now  come  to  his  children.  Their  features  and  attitudes  indi- 
cate the  excess  of  filial  love  and  devotion  that  animates  them,  and 
swallows  up  all  other  feelings.  In  the  elder  of  the  two  this  is  particu- 
larly observable.  His  eyes  are  fixedly  bent  on  the  Laocoon — his  whole 
soul  is  with — is  a  part  of  that  of  his  father.  His  arm  extended  toward 
him,  not  for  protection,  but  a  wish  as  if  instinctively  to  afford  it, 
absolutely  speaks.  Nothing  can  be  more  exquisite  than  the  contour  of 
his  form  and  face,  and  the  molding  of  his  lips,  that  are  half  open,  as 
if  in  the  act  of — not  uttering  any  unbecoming  complaint,  or  prayer,  or 
lamentation,  which  he  is  conscious  are  alike  useless — but  addressing 
words  of  consolatory  tenderness  to  his  unfortunate  parent.  The  in- 
tensity of  his  bodily  torments  is  only  expressed  by  the  uplifting  of  his 
right  foot,  which  he  is  vainly  and  impotently  attempting  to  extricate 
from  the  grasp  of  the  mighty  folds  in  which  it  is  entangled. 

"In  the  younger  child,  surprise,  pain,  and  grief  seem  to  contend 
for  the  mastery.  He  is  not  yet  arrived  at  an  age  when  his  mind  has 
sufficient  self-possession,  or  fixedness  of  reason,  to  analyze  the  calamity 
that  is  overwhelming  himself  and  all  that  is  dear  to  him.  He  is  sick 
with  pain  and  horror.  We  almost  seem  to  hear  his  shrieks.  His  left 
hand  is  on  the  head  of  the  snake,  that  is  burying  its  fangs  in  his  side, 
and  the  vain  and  fruitless  attempt  he  is  making  to  disengage  it  increases 
the  effect.  Every  limb,  every  muscle,  every  vein  of  Laocoon  expresses, 
with  the  fidelity  of  life,  the  working  of  the  poison,  and  the  strained 
girding  round  of  the  inextricable  folds,  whose  tangling  sinuosities  are 
too  numerous  and  complicated  to  be  followed.  No  chisel  has  ever  dis- 
played with  such  anatomical  fidelity  and  force  the  projecting  muscles 
of  the  arm,  whose  hand  clinches  the  neck  of  the  reptile,  almost  to 
strangulation,  and  the  mouth  of  the  enormous  asp,  and  his  terrible 
fangs  widely  displayed,  in  a  moment  to  penetrate  and  meet  within  its 
victim's  heart,  make  the  spectator  of  this  miracle  of  sculpture  turn  away 
with  shuddering  and  awe,  and  doubt  the  reality  of  what  he  sees." — 
Shelley. 

"  The  circumstance  of  the  two  sons  being  so  much  smaller  than  the 
father  has  been  criticised  by  some,  but  this  seems  to  have  been  neces- 
sary to  the  harmony  of  the  composition.  The  same  apparent  dispro- 
portion exists  between  Niobe  and  her  children,  in  the  celebrated  group 
at  Florence,  supposed  to  be  by  Scopas  The  raised  arms  of  the  three 
figures  are  all  restorations,  as  are  some  portion  of  the  serpents.  Origi- 
nally, the  raised  hands  of  the  old  man  rested  on  his  head,  and  the 
traces  of  the  junction  are  clearly  discernible.  For  this  we  have  also 
the  evidence  of  an  antique  gem,  on  which  it  is  thus  engraved.  This 
work  was  found  in  the  baths  (?)  of  Titus,  in  the  reign  of  Julius  11, ,  by 
a  certain  Felix  de  Fredis  who  received  half  the  revenue  of  the  gabella 
of  the  Porta  San  Giovanni  as  a  reward,  and  whose  epitaph,  in  the 
church  of  Ara  Coeli,  records  the  fact." — Shnkspere  Wood. 

"  II  y  avait  dans  la  vie,  au  seizieme  siecle,  je  ne  sais  quelle  excitation 
febrile,  quelle  aspiration  vers  le  beau,  vers  I'inconnu,  que  disposait  les 
esprits  a  I'enthousiasme.   .   .  .   Felix  de  Fredis  fut  gratifie  d'une  part 


648  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

dans  les  revenus  de  la  porte  de  Saint  Jean  de  Lateran,  pour  avoir  trouve 
le  groupe  du  Laocoon,  et,  lorsque  I'ordre  fut  donne  de  transporter  au 
Belvedere  le  Laocoon,  rAppolloii.  la  \'eii'as,  Rome  entiere  s'emut,  on 
jetait  des  fleures  au  marbre,  on  battait  des  mains  ;  depuis  les  thcrmes 
de  Titus  jusqu'au  Vatican,  la  l.aocoon  fut  porte  en  triomphe  ;  ct  Sad- 
olet  chantait  sur  le  mode  virgilien  que  durent  reconnaitre  les  cchosde 
I'Esquilin  et  du  palais  d'Auguste." — Goiiriicrie,  Rome  Ch/i'tieniie. 

The  Second  Cabitiet  contains  *the  Apollo  Belvedere, 
found  in  the  sixteenth  century  at  Porto  d'Anzio  (Antium), 
and  purchased  by  Julius  II.  for  the  Belvedere  Palace, 
which  was  at  that  time  a  garden  pavilion  separated  from 
the  rest  of  the  Vatican,  and  used  as  a  museum  of  sculpture. 
It  is  now  decided  that  this  statue,  beautiful  as  it  is,  is  not 
the  original  work  of  a  Greek  sculptor,  but  a  copy,  probably 
from  the  bronze  of  Calamides,  which  represented  Apollo 
as  the  defender  of  the  city,  and  which  was  erected  at 
Athens  after  the  cessation  of  a  great  plague. '  Four  fa- 
mous statues  of  Apollo  are  mentioned  by  Pliny  as  existing 
in  Rome  in  his  time,  but  this  is  not  one  of  them.  Mrs. 
Siddons  said  of  the  Apollo  Belvedere — "  What  a  great 
idea  it  gives  one  of  God  to  think  that  he  has  created  a  hu- 
man being  capable  of  fashioning  so  divine  a  form."  * 

"  Or  view  the  Lord  of  the  unerring  bow, 
The  God  of  life,  and  poesy,  and  light — 
The  Sun  in  human  limbs  array 'd,  and  brow 
All  radiant  from  his  triumph  in  the  fight  ; 
The  shaft  hath  just  been  shot — the  arrow  bright 
With  an  immortal's  vengeance  ;  in  his  eye 
And  nostril  beautiful  disdain,  and  might, 
And  majesty  flash  their  full  lightnings  by, 
Developing  in  that  one  glance  the  Deity." 

Childe  Harold. 

"  Bright  kindling  with  a  conqueror's  stern  delight, 
His  keen  eye  tracks  the  arrow's  fateful  flight  : 
Burns  his  indignant  cheek  with  vengeful  fire, 
And  his  lip  quivers  with  insulting  ire  : 
Firm  fix'd  his  tread,  yet  liglit,  as  when  on  high 
He  walks  th'  impalpable  and  pathless  sky  : 

'  The  impression  of  Canova,  that  this  statue  is  a  copy  of  a  work  in  bronze,  has 
been  since  confirmed  by  the  discovcrv  of  a  bronze  statuette,  resembling  the  statue 
except  where  a  work  in  bronze  would  materially  differ  from  one  in  marble— /<? 
>n  the  statuette  the  leg  is  not  suppyorted  by  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  and  the  drapery 
falls  from  the  shoulder  instead  of  bemg  brought  forward  to  support  the  left 
arm.  The  left  hand  of  the  statuette  holds  an  aegis,  which  tends  to  prove  that 
in  the  original  statue  the  god  was  represented  as  holding  an  aegis,  and  not  as  an 
archer  who  had  just  discharged  an  arrow. 

■^  Campbell's  I,i/e  0/  Mrs.  Siddons. 


THE  ANTING  US.  649 

The  rich  luxuriance  of  his  hair,  confined 
In  graceful  ringlets,  wantons  on  the  wind 
That  lifts  in  sport  his  mantle's  drooping  fold, 
Proud  to  display  that  form  of  faultless  mould. 

Mighty  Ephesian  !   with  an  eagle's  flight 
Thy  proud  soul  mounted  through  the  fields  of  light, 
View'd  the  bright  conclave  of  Heaven's  blest  abode, 
And  the  cold  marble  leapt  to  life  a  god  : 
Contagious  awe  through  breathless  myriads  ran, 
And  nations  bow'd  before  the  work  of  man. 
For  mild  he  seem'd,  as  in  Elysian  bowers. 
Wasting  in  careless  ease  the  joyous  hours  ; 
Haughty,  as  bards  have  sung,  with  princely  sway 
Curbing  the  fierce  flame- breathing  steeds  of  day  ; 
Beauteous  as  vision  seen  in  dreamy  sleep 
By  holy  maid  on  Delphi's  haunted  steep, 
Mid  the  dim  twilight  of  the  laurel  grove, 
Too  fair  to  worship,  too  divine  to  love." 

Henry  Hart  Alilman. 

The  Third  Cabinet  contains  the  Perseus,  and  the  two 
noble  Boxers — Kreugas  and  Damoxenus,  by  Canova. 

The  Fourth  Cabinet  contains  *  the  Antinous  (now  called 
Mercury),  perhaps  the  most  beautiful  statue  in  the  world. 
It  was  found  on  the  Esquiline  near  S.  Martino  al  Monte. 
It  has  never  been  injured  by  restoration,  but  was  broken 
across  the  ankles  when  found,  and  has  been  unskillfully  put 
together. 

"  Je  suis  bien  tente  de  rapporter  a  un  original  de  Polyclete,  qui 
aimait  es  formes  carrees,  le  Mercure  du  Belvedere,  qui  n'est  pas  tres- 
svelte  pour  un  Mercure.  On  a  cru  reconnaitre  que  les  proportions  de 
cette  statue  se  rapprochaient  beaucoup  des  proportions  prescrites  par 
Polyclete.  Poussin,  comme  Polyclete,  ami  des  formes  carrees,  declarait 
le  Mercure,  qu'on  appelait  alors  sans  motif  un  Antinous,  le  modele 
le  plus  parfait  des  proportions  du  corps  humain  ;  il  pourrait  a  ce 
titre  remplacer  jusqu'a  un  certain  point  la  statue  de  Polyclete,  ap- 
pelee  la  regie,  parce  qu'elle  passait  pour  offrir  ce  modele  parfait,  et 
faisait  regie  a  cet  egard.  De  plus,  on  salt  qu'un  Mercure  de 
Polyclete  avait  cte  apporte  a  Rome." — Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  iii.  267. 

In  the  third  portico,  between  Canova's  statues  and  the 
Antinous,  is  (No.  43)  a  Venus  and  Cupid, — interesting 
because  the  Venus  is  a  portrait  of  Sallustia  Barbia  Or- 
biana,  wife  of  Alexander  Severus.  It  was  discovered  in 
the  fifteenth  century,  in  the  ruin  near  S.  Groce  in  Geru- 
salemme,  to  which  it  has  given  a  name.  In  the  first  por- 
tico, between  the  Antinous  and  the  Laocoon,  are  two 
beautiful  dogs. 
28 


-^50 


M^ALKS  IN  HOME. 


From  the  door  of  the  Cortile  del  Belvedere  opposite 
that  by  which  we  entered,  we  reacli  the  Roii7id  Vestibule, 
ornamented  with  a  fine  vase  of  pavonazzetto. 
■  The  adjoining  balcony  contains  a  curious  Wind  Indi- 
cator, found  (1779)  near  the  Coliseum.  Hence  there  is  a 
lovely  view  over  the  city.  In  a  garden  beneath  is  a  foun- 
tain with  curious  bronze  ship  floating  in  its  basin  (see 
Vatican  Gardens). 

On  the  left,  in  the  2d  Vestibule,  stands  the  statue  of 
Meleager,  with  a  boar's  head  and  a  dog,  supposed  to  have 
been  begun  in  Greece  by  some  famous  sculptor,  and 
finished  in  Rome  (the  dog,  etc.)  by  an  inferior  workman. 

"  Meleager  is  represented  in  a  position  of  repose,  leaning  on  his 
spear,  the  mark  of  the  junction  of  which,  with  the  plinth,  is  still 
to  be  seen.  The  want  of  the  spear  gives  the  statue  the  appearance 
of  leaning  too  much  to  one  side,  but  if  you  can  imagine  it  replaced, 
you  will  see  that  the  pose  is  perfectly  and  truthfully  rendered.  This 
statue  was  found  at  the  commencement  of  the  sixteenth  century 
outside  the  Porta  Portesc,  in  a  vineyard  close  to  the  Tiber." — Shak- 
spere  Wood. 

"  Ce  Meleagre  du  Vatican  respire  une  grace  tranquille,  et  place 
entre  le  sublime  Torse  et  les  merveilles  du  Belvedere,  semble  ctre 
14  pour  attendre  et  pour  accueillir  de  son  air  amiable  et  un  peu 
melancolique,  ou  Ton  a  cru  voir  le  signe  d'une  destinee  qui  devait 
etre  courte,  I'enthousiame  du  voyageur. " — Ampere,  Hist-  Rom.  iii. 
515. 

In  the  center  of  3^  Vestibule  is  the  *  Torso  Behedere, 
found  in  the  Baths  of  Caracalla,  and  sculptured,  as  is  told 
by  a  Greek  inscription  on  its  base,  by  ApoUonius,  son  of 
Nestor  of  Athens.  It  was  to  this  statue  that  Michael 
Angelo  declared  that  he  owed  his  power  of  representing 
the  human  form,  and  in  his  blind  old  age  he  used  to  be 
led  up  to  it,  that  he  might  pass  his  hands  over  it,  and  still 
enjoy,  through  touch,  the  grandeur  of  its  muscles. 

"  And  dost  thou  still,  thou  mass  of  breathing  stone, 
(Thy  giant  limbs  to-night  and  chaos  hurled), 
Still  sit  as  on  the  fragment  of  a  world. 
Surviving  all,  majestic  and  alone  ? 
What  tho'  the  Spirits  of  the  North,  that  swept 
Rome  from  the  earth  when  in  her  pomp  she  slept 
Smote  thee  with  fury,  and  thy  headless  trunk 
Deep  in  the  dust  'mid  tower  and  temple  sunk  ; 
Soon  to  subdue  mankind  'twas  thine  to  rise, 
Still,  still  unqucllcd  thy  glorious  energies  ! 


TOMB    OF  L.    CORNELIUS  SCI P 10   BARBATUS.    65 1 

Aspiring  minds,  with  thee  conversing,  caught 
Bright  revelations  of  the  good  they  sought  ; 
By  thee  that  long-lost  spell  in  secret  given, 
To  draw  down  gods  and  lift  the  soul  to  Heaven." 

Rogers. 

"  Quelle  a  ete  I'original  dii  torse  d'Hercule.  ce  chef-d'oeuvre  que 
palpait  de  ses  mains  intelligentes  Michel-Ange  aveugle  et  reduit  a 
ne  plus  voir  que  par  elies  ?  Heyne  a  pense  que  ce  pouvait  etre 
une  copie  en  grand  de  I'Hercule  Epitrapezios  de  Lysippe,  mais  par 
le  style  cette  statue  me  semble  anterieure  a  Lysippe.  Cependant 
on  lit  sur  le  torse  le  nom  d'Apollonios  d'Athenes,  fils  de  Nestor, 
et  la  forme  des  lettres  ne  permet  pas  de  placer  cette  inscription 
plus  haut  que  le  dernier  siecle  de  la  Republique. 

"Comment  admettre  que  cette  statue,  aussi  admiree  par  Winckel- 
mann  que  par  Michel-Ange,  ce  debris  auquel  on  revient  apres 
I'eblouissement  de  I'Apollon  du  Belvedere  pour  retrouver,  une  sculp- 
ture plus  male  et  plus  simple,  un  style  plus  fort  et  plus  grand  ;  com- 
ment admettre  qu'une  telle  statue  soit  I'oeuvre  d'un  sculpteur  inconnu 
dont  Pline  ne  parle  point,  ni  personne  autre  dans  I'antiquite,  et  qu'elle 
date  d'un  temps  si  eloigne  de  la  grande  epoque  de  Phidias,  quand  elle 
semble  y  tenir  de  si  pres  ? 

"  .  ^  .  Poiirquoi  le  torse  du  Vatican  ne  serait-il  pas  d'AIca- 
mene,  ou,si  Ton  veut,  d'apres  Alcamene,  par  Apollonios  ?  ' — Ampere, 
Hist.  Rome,  iii.  p.  360,  363. 

Close  by,  in  a  niche,  is  the  celebrated  peperino  *  Tomb 
of  L.  Cornelius  Scipio  Barbatus,  consul  B.C.  297.  It  sup- 
ports a  bust,  supposed,  upon  slight  foundation,  to  be  that 
of  the  poet  Ennius.  Inscriptions  from  other  tombs  of  the 
Scipios  are  inserted  in  the  neighboring  wall.' 

"  L'epitaphe  de  Scipion  le  Barbu  semble  le  resume  d'une  oraison 
funebre  ;  elle  s'adresse  aux  spectateurs  :  '  Cornelius  Scipion  Barbatus, 
ne  d'un  pere  vaillant,  homme  courageux  et  prudent,  dont  la  beaute 
egalait  la  vertu.  II  a  ete  parmi  vous  consul,  censeur,  edile  ;  il  a  pris 
Taurasia,  Cisauna,  le  Samnium.  Ayant  soumis  toute  la  Lucanie,  il 
en'~a  emmene  des  otages.' 

"  Y  a-t-il  rien  de  plus  grand  ?  II  a  pris  le  Samnium  et  la  Lucanie. 
Voila  tout. 

"  Ce  sarcophage  est  un  des  plus  curieux  monuments  de  Rome.  Par 
la  matiere,  par  la  forme  des  lettres  et  le  style  de  I'inscription,  il  vous 
represente  la  rudesse  des  Remains  au  sixieme  siecle.  Le  gout  tres- 
pur  de  I'architecture  et  des  ornements  vous  montre  I'avenement  de 
Part  gre  tombant,  pour  ainsi  dire,  en  pleine  sauvagerie  romaine.  Le 
tombeau  de  Scipion  le  Barbu  est  en  pepe'rin.  ce  tuf  rugueux,  grisatre, 
seme  de  taches  noires,  Les  caracteres  sont  irreguliers,  les  lignes  sont 
loin  d'etre  droites,  le  latin  est  antique  et  barbare,  mais  la  forme  et  les 
ornements  du  tombeau  sont  grecs.  II  y  a  la  des  volutes,  des  tri- 
glyphes,  des  denticules  ;  on  ne  saurait  rien  imaginer  qui  fasse  maeux 

'  See  the  account  of  the  Tombs  nf  the  Scipios  in  Chapter  IX. 


652  WALKS  I.V  ROME. 

voir  la  culture  grecque  venant  surprendre  et  saisir  la  rudesse  latine." 
— Ampere,  Hist.  Jiom.  iii.  152. 

Here  we  descend  a  few  steps  and  enter  the  Miisco  Chi- 
aramojiti,  so  called  from  its  founder,  Pope  Pius  VII.  On 
the  right  is  an  entrance  to  the  Giardino  della  Pigna  (de- 
scribed under  the  Vatican  Gardens).  The  long  gallery  is 
lined  with  sculptures,  chiefly  of  inferior  interest.  They 
are  arranged  in  thirty  compartments.     We  may  notice  : 

/.  732.   Recumbent  Hercules,  from  Hadrian's  Villa. 

/.  606.   Bust  of  Neptune,  from  Ostia. 

/.  589.   Mercury,  found  near  the  Monte  di  Pieta. 

/.  588.   Dionysos  and  a  Satyr. 

/.  513.   Head  of  Venus,  found  in  the  Baths  of  Diocletian. 

/.  495.  Cupid  bending  his  bow,  a  copy  of  the  statue  by  Lysippus. 

/  494.   Seated  statue  of  Tiberius,  from  Piperno. 

/.  416.   *Bust  of  the  young  Augustus,  found  at  Ostia,  1808. 

/.  401.  Colossal  head  of  Augustus,  from  Veii. 

/.  400.   Seated  statue  of  Tiberius,  found  at  Veii,  181 1. 

/.  360.   The  Three  Graces  (?),  found  at  the  Lateran. 

I.  263.   Bust  called  Zenobia. 

/.  197.  Colossal  head  of  Rome,  from  Laurentum. 

/.  176.  *An  exquisitely  beautiful  mutilated  fragment,  supposed  to 

be  one  of  the  daughters  of  Xiobe. 
r.  1.  6,  13.  Autumn  and  Winter,   two  sarcophagi  from  Ostia,   the 

latter  bearing  the  name  of  Publius  Elius  Verus. 

Near  the  end  of  the  gallery,  on  the  right,  is  the  entrance 
of  the  Braccio  Nuovo,  built  under  Pius  VII.  in  181 7,  by 
Raphael  Stern,  a  fine  hall,  250  feet  long,  filled  with  gems 
of  sculpture.  Perhaps  most  worth  attention  are  {\\\q chefs 
d'ceuvre  being  marked  with  an  asterisk): 

Jiight— 

5.  *  Caryatide.  A  noble  statue  of  undoubted  Greek  origin,  which 
probably  once  formed  part  of  the  architectural  decorations  of  the 
Pantheon.  Its  perfectly  harmonious  restorations  are  due  to  Thor- 
waldsen. 

"  Quand  une  fille  des  premieres  families  n'avait  pour  vetement, 
comme  celle-ci,  qu'une  chemise  et  par-dessus  une  demi-chemise  ;  quand 
elle  avait  I'habitude  de  porter  des  vases  sur  sa  tete,  et  par  suite  de  se 
tenir  droitc  ;  quand  pour  toute  toilette  elle  retroussait  ses  cheveux  ou 
les  laissait  tomber  en  boucles  ;  quand  le  visage  n'etait  pas  plisse  paries 
mille  petites  graces  et  les  niille  petiles  preoccupations  bourgeoises,  une 
femme  pouvait  avoir  la  tranqudle  attitude  de  cette  statue.  Aujourd'hui 
il  en  reste  un  debris  dans  les  paysannes  des  environs  qui  portent  leurs 
corbeilles  sur  la  tete,  mais  elles  sont  gatees  par  le  travail  et  les  haillons. 
Le  sein  parait  sous  la  chemise  ;  la  tunique  colle  et  visiblement  n'est 
qu'un  linge  ;  on  voit  la  forme  de  la  jambe  qui  casse  I'etoffe  au  genou  ; 


MUSEO    CHIARAMONTI.  653 

les  pieds  apparaissent  nus  dans  les  sandales.  Rien  ne  peut  rendre  le 
se'rieux  naturel  du  visage.  Certainement,  si  on  pouvait  revoir  la  per- 
sonne  reelle  avec  ses  bras  blancs,  ses  cheveux  noirs,  sous  la  lumieredu 
solid,  les  genoux  plieraient,  comme  devant  une  deesse,  de  respect  ei 
de  plaisir. " — 1  aine.   Voyage  en  Italie. 

8.  Commodus. 

"  La  statue  de  Commode  est  tres  curieuse  par  le  costume.  II  tient 
4  la  main  une  lance,  il  a  des  especes  de  bottes :  tout  cela  est  du  chas- 
seur, enfin  il  porte  la  tunique  a  manches  dont  parle  Dion  Cassius,  et 
qui  etait  son  costume  d'amphitheatre." — Ampere,  Emp.  ii.  246. 

9.  Colossal  head  of  a  Dacian,  from  the  Forum  of  Trajan. 
II.  Silenus  and  the  infant  Bacchus. 

This  is  a  copy  from  the  Greek,  of  which  there  were  several  replicas. 
One,  formerly  in  the  Villa  Borghese,  is  now  at  Paris.  The  original 
group  is  described  by  Pliny,  who  says  that  the  name  of  the  sculptor 
was  lost  even  in  his  time.  The  greater  portion  of  the  child,  the  left 
arm  and  hand  of  Silenus,  and  the  ivy  leaves,  are  restorations. 

"  Je  pense  que  ce  chef-d'oeuvre  est  une  imitation  modifiee  du  ^1?;'- 
cure  nourricier  de  Bacchus,  par  Cephisodote,  fils  de  Praxitele." — 
Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  iii.  332. 

14.  *Augustus,  found  1863,  in  the  villa  of  Livia  at  Prima  Porta. 

"  This  is,  without  exception,  the  finest  portrait  statue  of  this  class 
in  the  whole  collection.  .  .  .  The  cuirass  is  covered  with  small  figures, 
in  basso-relievo,  which,  as  works  of  art,  are  even  finer  than  the  statue 
itself,  and  merit  the  most  careful  examination.  These  small  figures 
are,  in  their  way,  marvels  of  art,  for  the  wonderful  boldness  of  execu- 
tion and  minuteness  of  detail  shown  in  them.  They  are  almost  like 
cameos,  and  yet,  with  all  the  delicacy  of  finish  displayed,  there  is  no 
mere  smoothness  of  surface.  The  central  group  is  supposed  to  repre- 
sent the  restoration  to  Augustus  by  King  Phraates  of  the  eagles  taken 
from  Crassus  and  Antony.  Considerable  traces  of  color  were  found 
on  this  statue  and  are  still  discernible.  Close  examination  will  also 
show  that  the  face  and  eyes  were  colored." — Shakspere  Wood. 

17.  Aesculapius. 

20.   Nerva?     Head  modern. 

23.  *  Pudicitia.     From  the  Villa  Mattel.     Head  modern. 

This  beautiful  statue  is  unfinished,  as  may  be  seen  on  comparing 
thi  exquisite  workmanship  of  the  lower  portion  of  the  drapery  in  front 
and  the  rude  execution  behind.  It  has  been  copied  in  the  monument 
of  Horace  Walpole's  mother  in  Westminster  Abbey. 

"  Qu'on  regarde  une  statue  toute  voilee,  par  example  celle  de  la 
Pudicite  :  il  est  evident  que  le  vetement  antique  n'altere  pas  la  forme 
du  corps,  que  les  plis  collants  ou  mouvants  re9oivent  du  corps  leurs 
foiines  et  leurs  changements,  qu'on  suit  sans  peine  a  travers  les  plis, 
iV'quilibre  de  toute  la  charpente,  la  rondeur  de  I'epaule  ou  de  la  hanche 
le  creux  du  dos. " — Tainc. 


654  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

26.  Titus.       Found  1828,  near  the  Lateran  (with  his  daughter 

Julia). 

27,  40,  92.   Colossal  Busts  of  Medusa,  from  the  temple  of  Venus 

and  Rome. 
32,  33.    Fauns,  sitting,  from  the  villa  of  Quinlilius  at  Tivoii. 
39.   (In  the  center).      Vase  of  black  basalt,  found  on  the  Quirinal. 

It  stands  on  a  mosaic  from  the  Tor  Marancia. 
41.    Faun  playing  on  a  flute,  from  the  villa  of  LucuUus. 
44.    Wounded  Amazon  (both  arms  and  legs  are  restorations). 

"  I-es  trois  Amazones  blessees  de  Rome  ne  peuvent  etre  que  des 
copies  de  lacelebre  Amazone  de  Cresilas.  .  .  .  Ce  Cresilas  f ut  I'auteur 
du  guerrier  grec  mourant  qui  selon  toute  apparence  a  inspire  le  pre- 
tendu  Gladiateur  mourant  auquel  s'applique  merveilleusement  bien  ce 
que  dit  Pline  du  premier." — Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  iii.  263. 

47.  Caryatide. 

48.  Bust  of  Trajan. 

50.   *  Diana  contemplating  the  sleeping  Endymion,  found  near  the 

Porta  Cavalleggieri. 
53.   Euripides. 

"  Le  plus  remarquable  portrait  d'Euripide  est  une  belle  statue  au 
Vatican.  Cette  statue  donne  une  haute  idee  de  la  sublimite  de  I'art 
tragique  en  Grece  .  .  .  Regardez  ce  poete,  combien  toute  sa  personne 
a  de  gravite  et  de  grandeur,  rien  n'avertit  qu'on  adevant  les  yeux  celui 
qui  aux  yeux  de  juges  severes  affaiblissait  I'art  et  le  corrompait  ;  I'atti- 
tude  e.st  simple,  le  visage  serleux,  comme  il  convient  a  un  poete  philos- 
ophe.  Ce  serait  la  plus  belle  statue  du  poete  tragique  si  la  statue  de 
Sophocle  n'existait  pas." — Ampere,  iii.  572. 

62.   *  Demosthenes,  found  near  Frascati. 

In  this  noble  statue  the  hands  and  the  scroll  are  restorations.  Some 
authorities  consider  that  the  hands  were  originally  folded,  and  that 
this  was  the  statue  in  whose  clasped  hands  an  Athenian  soldier  is  said 
to  have  hidden  some  stolen  money.  The  restorer  has  represented  the 
philosopher  at  the  moment  when  (having  failed  to  arrest  the  attention 
of  the  people  by  his  warnings  about  Philip  of  Macedon,  and  yet  hav- 
ing found  them  willing  to  listen  to  an  anecdote  about  a  man  who  had 
hired  an  ass)  he  indignantly  seized  a  scroll  in  both  hands,  and  ex- 
claimed :  "  O  Athenians  !  my  countrymen  !  when  I  talk  to  you  of  po- 
litical dangers,  you  will  not  listen,  and  yet  you  crowd  about  me  to  hear 
a  silly  story  about  an  ass,"  &c. 

67.  *  Apoxyomenos.     An  athlete  scraping  his  arm  with  a  strigil ; 
found  1849  in  the  Vicolo  deile  Palure  in  the  Trastevere. 

This  exquisitely  beautiful  statue  is  a  replica  of  the  celebrated  bronze 
of  Lysippus,  and  is  described  by  Piny,  who  narrates  that  it  was  brouglit 
from  Greece  by  Agnppa  to  adorn  the  baths  whicli  he  built  for  the 
people,  and  that  Tiberius  so  admired  it  that  he  carried  it  off  to  his 
palace,  but  was  foiced  to  restore  it  by  the  outcries  of  the  populace, 
the  next  time  he  appeared  in  public. 


MUSEO   CHIARAMONTI. 


655 


"To  understand  the  sense  of  beauty  which  was  inherent  in  the 
Greeks  .  .  .  take  the  Clouds  of  Aristophanes,  and  after  reading  the 
speech  of  the  Dikaios  Logos,  stand  beneath  the  Athlete  of  Lysippus, 
in  the  Braccio  Nuovo  of  the  Vatican.  '  Fresh  and  fair  in  beauty- 
bloom  you  shall  pass  your  days  in  the  wrestling-ground,  or  run  races 
beneath  the  sacred  olive-trees,  crowned  with  white  reed,  in  company 
with  a  pure-hearted  friend,  smelling  of  bindweed  and  leisure  hours  and 
the  white  poplar  that  sheds  her  leaves,  rejoicing  in  the  prime  of  spring, 
when  the  plane-tree  whispers  to  the  lime  '  This  life  the  Dikaios  Logos 
offers  to  the  young  Athenian,  if  he  v\ill  forego  the  law-courts  and  the 
lectures  of  the  sophists,  and  the  house  of  the  hetaira.  This  life  rises 
above  us  imaged  in  the  sculptor's  marble.  The  athlete,  tall  and  stately, 
tired  with  running,  lifts  one  arm,  and  with  its  strigil  scrapes  away  the 
oil  with  which  he  has  anointed  it.  His  fingei's  hold  the  die  that  tells 
his  number  in  the  race.  Upon  his  features  there  rests  no  shade  of  care 
or  thought,  but  the  delicious  languor  of  momentaiy  fatigue,  and  the 
serenity  of  a  nature  in  harmony  with  itself." — J.  A.  Symonds,  The 
Greek  Poets. 

Left.— 

71.  Amazon.     (Arms  and  feet  restorations  by  Thorwaldsen.) 

77.  Antonia,  ^\•ife  of  Drusus,  from  Tusculum. 

81.    Bust  of  Hadrian. 

83.  Juno?  (head,  a  restoration)  from  Hadrian's  villa. 

86.   Fortune  with  a  cornucopia,  from  Ostia. 

92.  *  Ganymede,  found  at  Ostia  ;  on  the  tree  against  which  he 
leans  is  engraved  the  name  of  Phaedimus. 

96.   Bust  of  Marc  .\ntony,  from  the  Tor  Sapienza. 
109.  *  Colossal  group  of  the  Nile,  found,  temp.  Leo  X.  near  S.  Ma- 
ria sopra  Minerva,  on  the  supposed  site  of  the  Temple  of 
Isis. 

A  Greek  statue.  The  sixteen  children  clambering  over  it  are  res- 
torations, and  allude  to  the  sixteen  cubits'  depth  with  which  the  river 
annually  irrigates  the  country.  On  the  plinth,  the  accompaniments  of 
the  river, — the  ibis,  crocodile,  hippopotamus,  &c., — are  represented. 

111.  Julia,  daughter  of  Titus,  found  near  the  Lateran. 

"  Cette  princesse,  de  la  nouvelle  et  bourgeoise  race  des  Flaviens, 
n'offre  rien  du  noble  profil  et  de  la  here  beaute  des  Agrippines  :  elle  a 
un  nez  ecrase  et  Fair  commun.  La  coiffure  de  Julie  achevede  la  rendre 
disgracieuse  :  c'est  une  maniere  de  pouf  assez  semblable  a  une  eponge. 
Compare  aux  coiffures  du  siecle  d'Auguste,  le  tour  de  cheveux  ridicule 
de  Julie  montre  la  decadence  du  goiit,  plus  rapide  dans  la  toilette  que 
dans  I'art." — Ampere,  Emp.  ii.  120. 

112.  Bust  of  Juno,  called  the  Juno  Pentini. 

\  114.  *  Minerva  Medica,  found  in  the  gardens  of  the  convent  of 
S.  Maria  sopra  Minerva,  vi'here  the  Temple  of  Isis  stood  ; 
formerly  in  the  Giustiniani  collection. 

A  most  beautiful  Greek  statue,  much  injured  by  restoration. 


656  IVAL/rS  IN  ROME. 

"  In  the  Giustiniani  palace  is  a  statue  of  Minerva  which  fills  me  with 
admiration.  Winckelmann  scarcely  thinks  anything  of  it,  or  at  any 
rate  does  not  give  it  its  proper  position  :  l)ut  1  cannot  praise  it  suffi- 
ciently. While  we  were  gazing  upon  the  statue,  and  standing  a  long 
time  beside  it,  the  wife  of  the  custode  told  us  that  it  was  once  a  sacred 
image,  and  that  the  English,  vv'ho  are  of  that  religion,  still  held  it  in 
veneration,  being  in  the  habit  of  kissing  one  of  its  hands,  which  was 
certainly  quite  white,  while  the  rest  of  the  statue  was  of  a  brownish 
color.  She  added,  that  a  lady  of  this  religion  had  been  there  a  short 
time  before,  had  thrown  herself  on  her  knees,  and  worshipped  the  statue. 
Such  a  wonderful  action  she,  as  a  Christian,  could  not  behold  without 
laughter,  and  fled  from  the  room,  for  fear  of  exploding  " — Goethe. 

117.   Claudius. 

120.  *  A  beautiful  replica  of  the  Faun  of  Praxiteles,  but  inferior 

to  that  at  the  Capitol, 

"  Le  jeune  Satyre  qui  tient  une  flute  est  trop  semblable  a  celui  du 
Capitole  pour  n'etre  pas  de  meme  une  reproduction  de  I'un  des  deux 
Satyres  isoles  de  Praxitele,  son  Satyre  d'Athenes  ou  son  Satyre  de  Me- 
gare  ;  on  pourrait  croire  aussi  que  le  Satyre  a  la  fliite  a  eu  pour  original 
le  Satyre  de  Protogene  qui,  bien  que  peint  dans  Rhodes  assiegee,  ex- 
primait  le  calme  le  plus  profond  et  qu'on  appelait  cehii  qui  se  repose 
\anapaiiomenos)  ;  on  pourrait  le  croire,  car  la  statue  a  toujours  une 
jambe  croisee  sur  I'autre,  attitude  qui,  dans  le  langage  de  la  sculpture 
antique,  designe  le  repos.  II  ne  serait  pas  impossible  non  plus  que 
Protogene  se  filt  inspire  de  Praxitele  ;  mais  en  ce  cas  il  n'en  avait  pas 
reproduit  completement  le  charme,  car  Apelles,  tout  en  admirant  une 
autre  figure  de  Protogene,  lui  reprochait  de  manquer  de  grace.  Or,  le 
Satyre  a  la  fliite  est  tres-gracieux  ;  ce  qui  me  porte  a  croire  qu'il  vient 
directement  de  Praxitele  plutot  que  de  Praxitele  par  Protogene." — Am- 
pere, Hist.  Rom.  iii.  308. 

121.  Bust  of  Commodus,  from  Ostia. 
123.   L.  Verus.     Naked  statue. 

126.  Athlete  ;  copy  of  the  Doriphorus,  one  of  the  most  celebrated 

bronzes  of  Polykletes. 
129.   Domitian.  from  the  Giustiniani  collection. 
132.   Mercury  (the  head,  a  restoration  by  Canova),  from  the  Villa 

Negroni. 

Beyond  the  Museo-Chiaramonti,  shtit  off  by  an  iron  gate, 
is  the  Galleria  Lapidaria,  a  corridor  2,131  feet  in  length. 
Its  sides  are  covered  on  the  left  with  Pagan,  on  the  right 
with  early  Christian  inscriptions.  In  all  these  epitaphs 
Peace  is  the  prominent  idea,  as  Hope  is  in  ours.  Ranged 
along  the  walls  are  a  series  of  sarcophagi,  cippi,  and  fu- 
neral altars  some  of  them  very  fine.  The  first  door  on  the 
right  of  this  gallery  is  the  entrance  to  the  Library. 

1  he  Library  of  the  Vatican  is  only   shown   by  a  special 


LIBRARY  OF  THE     VATICAN.  657 

order,  and  no  time  is  given  for  an  examination  of  the  indi- 
vidual objects.  The  Papal  Library  was  founded  by  the 
early  popes  at  the  Lateran.  The  Public  Library  was  begun 
by  Nicholas  V.,  and  greatly  increased  under  Sixtus  IV. 
(1475)  and  Sixtus  V.  (1588),  who  built  the  present  halls 
for  the  collection.  In  1623  the  library  was  increased  by 
the  gift  of  the  "  Bibliotheca  Palatina  "  of  Heidelberg,  cap- 
tured by  Tilly  from  Maximilian  of  Bavaria  ;  in  1657  by  the 
"Bibliotheca  Urbina,"  founded  by  Federigo  da  Montefel- 
tro  ;  in  1690  by  the  "  Bibliotheca  Reginensis,"  or  "  Alexan- 
drina,"  which  belonged  to  Christina  of  Sweden  ;  in  1746 
by  the  Bibliotheca  Ottoboniana,  purchased  by  the  Ottobu- 
oni  pope,  Alexander  VIII.  The  number  of  Greek,  Latin, 
and  Oriental  MSB.  in  the  collection  has  been  reckoned  at 
23,580. 

The  ante-chambers  are  hung  with  portraits  of  the  Libra- 
rians ; — among  them,  in  the  first  room,  is  that  of  Cardinal 
Mezzofanti.  In  this  room  are  facsimiles  of  the  columns 
found  in  the  Triopium  of  Herodes  Atticus  (see  the  account 
of  the  Valle  Caffarelli),  of  which  the  originals  are  at  Naples. 
From  the  second  ante-chamber  we  enter  the  Great  Hall, 
220  feet  long,  decorated  with  frescoes  by  Scipioiie  Gaetani, 
Cesare  Nebbia,  and  others, — unimportant  in  themselves, 
but  producing  a  rich  general  effect  of  color.  No  books  or 
MSS.  are  visible ;  they  are  all  enclosed  in  painted  cup- 
boards, so  that  of  a  library  there  is  no  appearance  whatever, 
and  it  is  only  disappointing  to  be  told  that  in  one  cup- 
board are  the  MSS.  of  the  Greek  Testament  of  the  fifth 
century,  Virgil  of  the  fifth,  and  Terence  of  the  fourth  cen- 
turies, and  that  another  contains  a  Dante,  with  miniatures 
by  Giulio  Clovio,^  Szc.  Ranged  along  the  middle  of  the 
hall  are  some  of  the  handsome  presents  made  to  Pius  IX. 
by  different  foreign  potentates,  including  the  Sevres  font, 
in  which  the  Prince  Imperial  was  baptized,  presented  by 
Napoleon  III.;  and  some  candelabra  given  by  Napoleon  I. 
to  Pius  VII.  At  the  end  of  the  hall,  long  corridors  open 
cut  on  either  side.  Turning  to  the  left,  the  second  room 
has  two  interesting  frescoes — one  representing  S.  Peter's 
as  designed  by  Michael  Angelo,  the  other  the  erection  of 
the  obelisk  in  the  Piazza  S.  Pietro  under  Fontana.  At  the 
end  of  the  third  room  are  two  ancient  statues,  said  to  rep- 

'  Who  is  buried  by  the  altar  of  S.  Pietro  in  Vincoli. 

28* 


658  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

resent  Aristides  and  Hippolytus,  Bishop  of  Porto.  The 
fourth  room  is  a  museum  of  Christian  antiquities,  and  con- 
tains, on  the  left,  a  collection  of  lamps  and  other  small 
objects  from  the  Catacombs  ;  on  the  right,  some  fine  ivor- 
ies by  Guido  da  Spoleio,  and  a  Deposition  from  the  Cross 
attributed  to  Michael  Angela.  I'he  room  beyond  this, 
painted  by  Raphael  Mengs,  is  called  the  Stanza  dei  Papiri, 
and  is  adorned  with  papyri  of  the  fifth,  sixth,  and  seventh 
centuries.  The  next  room  has  an  interesting  collection  of 
pictures,  by  early  masters  of  the  schools  of  Giotto,  Giottino, 
Citnalme,  and  Fra  Angelico.  Here  is  a  Prie  Dieu,  of  carved 
oak  and  ivory,  presented  to  Pius  IX.  by  the  four  bishops 
of  the  province  of  Tours. 

At  the  end  of  this  room,  not  generally  shown,  is  the 
Chapel  of  S.  Pitts  V. 

(The  Appartamento  Borgia,  which  is  reached  from  hence, 
is  only  shown  by  a  special  permission,  difficult  to  obtain. 
It  consists  of  four  rooms,  which  were  built  by  Alexander 
VI.,  though  their  beautiful  decorations  were  for  the  most 
part  added  by  Leo  X.  The  First  Room  is  painted  by 
Giovanni  da  Udine  and  Pierino  del  Vaga,  and  represents 
the  course  of  the  planets, — Jupiter  drawn  by  eagles,  Venus 
by  doves,  Diana  (the  moon)  by  nymphs,  Wars  by  wolves, 
Mercury  by  cocks,  Apollo  (the  sun)  by  horses,  Saturn  by 
dragons.  These  frescoes,  executed  at  the  time  Michael 
Angelo  was  painting  the  Last  Judgment,  are  interesting  as 
the  last  revival  under  Clement  VII.  of  the  pagan  art  so 
popular  in  the  papal  palace  under  Leo  X. 

The  Second  Room,  painted  by  Pinturicchio,  has  beautiful 
lunettes  of  the  Annunciation,  Adoration  of  the  Magi, 
Resurrection,  Ascension,  Descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
Assumption  of  the  Virgin.  The  ceiling  cf  the  Third 
Room  has  paintings  by  Pinturicchio  cf  the  Martyrdom  of 
S.  Sebastian  ;  the  Visitation  of  S.  E^lizabtth  ;  the  Meet- 
ing of  S.  Anthony  with  S.  Paul,  the  first  hermit  ;  S. 
Catherine  before  Maximian  ;  the  Flight  of  S.  Barbara  ; 
S.  Julian  of  Nicomedia  ;  and,  over  the  door,  the  Virgin 
and  Child.  This  last  picture  is  of  curious  historical  in- 
terest, as  a  relic  of  the  libertinism  of  the  court  of  Alex- 
ander VI.  (Rodrigo  Borgia),  the  figure  of  the  Virgin  being 
a  faithful  representation  of  Vanozza  Catanei,  mistress  of 
the  i)Oj)e,   and  mother  of   his  children,   Caesar   and    Lu- 


APPARTAMENTO  BORGIA.  ^659 

crezia.     "  She  held  upon  her  knees  the  infant  Jesus,  and 
Alexander  knelt  at  her  feet." 

The  Fourth  Room,  also  painted  by  Pinturicchio,  is  adorned 
with  allegorical  figures  of  the  Arts  and  Sciences,  and  of 
the  Cardinal  Virtues. 

"  On  the  accession  of  the  infamous  Alexander  VI.,  Pinturicchio  was 
employed  by  him  to  paint  the  Appartamento  Borgia,  and  a  great 
number  of  rooms,  both  in  the  castle  of  S.  Angelo  and  in  the  pontifi- 
cal palace.  The  patronage  of  this  pope  was  still  more  fatal  to 
the  arts  than  that  of  the  Medici  at  Florence.  The  subjects  re- 
presented in  the  caslle  of  S.  Angelo  were  drawn  from  the  life  of 
Alexander  himself,  and  the  portraits  of  his  relations  and  friends  were 
introduced  there, — amongst  others,  those  of  his  brothers,  sisters,  and 
that  of  the  infamous  Caesar  Borgia.  To  all  acquainted  with  the 
scandalous  history  of  this  family,  this  representation  appeared  a  com- 
memoration of  their  various  crimes,  and  it  was  impossible  to  regard 
it  in  any  other  light,  when,  in  addition  to  the  publicity  they  affected 
to  give  to  these  scandalous  excesses,  they  appeared  desirous  of  mak- 
ing art  itself  their  accomplice  ;  and  by  an  excess  of  profanation 
hitherto  unexampled  in  the  Catholic  world,  Alexander  VI.  caused 
himself  to  be  represented,  in  a  room  in  the  Vatican,  in  the  costume 
of  one  of  the  Magi,  kneeling  before  the  holy  Virgin,  whose  head 
was  no  other  than  the  portrait  of  the  beautiful  Giulia  Farnese 
(' Vanozza '),  whose  adventures  are  unfortunately  too  well  known. 
We  may  indeed  say  that  the  walls  have  in  this  case  made  up  for  the 
silence  of  the  courtiers  :  for  on  them  was  traced,  for  tke  benefit  of 
contemporaries  and  posterity,  an  undeniable  proof  of  the  depravity  of 
the  age. 

'•At  the  sight  of  that  Appartamento  Borgia,  which  is  entirely 
painted  by  Pinturicchio.  we  shall  experience  a  sort  of  satisfaction 
in  discovering  the  inferiority  of  this  purely  mercenary  v.-ork,  as  com- 
pared with  the  other  productions  of  the  same  artist,  and  we  cannot 
but  rejoice  that  it  is  so  unworthy  of  him.  Such  an  ignoble  task  was 
not  adapted  to  an  artist  of  the  Umbrian  school,  and  there  is  good 
reason  to  believe  that,  after  this  act  of  servility,  Pinturicchio  be- 
came disgusted  with  Rome,  and  returned  to  the  mountains  of  Um- 
bria,  in  search  of  nobler  inspirations." — Rio.  Poetry  of  Christian  Art. 

A  door  on  the  right  of  the  room  with  the  old  pictures 
opens  into  a  room  containing  a  very  interesting  collection 
of  ancient  frescoes.  On  the  right  wall  is  the  celebrated 
"Nozze  Aldobrandini"  found  in  1606'  in  some  ruins 
belonging  to  the  baths  of  Titus  near  the  arch  of  Gal- 
lienus  on  the  Esquiline,  and  considered  to  be  the  finest 
specimen  of  ancient  pictorial  art  in  Rome.  It  was  pur- 
chased at    first    by  the  Aldobrandini    family,  whence  its 

'  Gournerie,  Rome  Ckrctitnne.  ii.62. 


66o  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

name.  It  represents  an  ancient  Greek  ceremony,  pos- 
sibly the  nuptials  of  Peleus  and  Thetis.  There  is  a  fine 
copy  by  Nicholas  Poussin  in  the  Doria  Palace. 

"  S'il  fait  allusion  a  un  sujet  mythologique,  le  reel  y  est  a  cote  de 
I'ideal,  et  la  mythologie  y  est  appliquee  a  la  representation  d'un 
mariage  ordinaire.  Tout  porte  a  y  voir  une  peinture  romaine,  mais 
I'auteur  s'etait  inspire  des  Grecs,  comme  on  s'en  inspirait  presque 
toujours  a  Rome.  La  nouvelle  mariee,  assise  sur  le  lit  nuptial  et  at- 
tendant son  epoux,  a  cette  expression  de  pudeur  virginale,  d'einbarras 
modeste,  qui  avait  rendu  celebre  un  tableau  dont  le  sujet  etait  le 
mariage  de  Roxane  et  I'auteur  Action,  peintre  giec, " — Ampere,  Hist. 
Rom.  iv.  127. 

Opposite  to  this  is  a  Race  of  the  Cupids,  from  Ostia. 
The  other  frescoes  in  this  room  were  found  in  the  ruins  on 
the  Esquiline  and  at  the  Torre  di  Marancia. 


The  Etruscan  Museum.,  open  on  Thursdays  from  9  to  12, 
is  reached  by  a  door  on  the  right  at  the  top  of  the  stairs, 
beyond  the  Galleria  dei  Candelabri. 

"  This  magnificent  collection  is  principally  the  fruit  of  the  excavat- 
ing partnership  established,  some  twelve  or  fifteen  years  since,  between 
the  Papal  government  and  the  Campanari  of  Toscanella  ;  and  will 
render  the  memory  of  Gregory  XVI.,  who  forwarded  its  formation 
with  more  zeal  than  he  ordinarily  displayed,  ever  honored  by  all  inter- 
ested in  antiquarian  science.  As  the  excavations  were  made  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Vulci,  most  of  the  articles  are  from  that  necropolis  ; 
yet  the  collection  has  been  considerably  enlarged  by  the  addition  of 
others  previously  in  the  possession  of  the  government  and  still  more 
by  recent  acquisitions  from  the  Etruscan  cemeteries  of  Cervetri,  Cor- 
neto,  Eomarzo,  Orte,  Toscanella,  and  other  sites  within  the  Papal 
dominions." — Dennis. 

The  ist  Room. — 

Contains  three  sarcophagi  of  terra-cotta  from  Toscanella,  with  three 
life-size  figures  reposing  upon  them.  Their  extreme  length  is  remark- 
able. The  figure  on  the  left  wears  a  fillet,  indicating  priesthood.  The 
head  of  the  family  was  almost  always  priest  or  priestess.  Most  of  the 
objects  in  terra-cotta,  which  have  been  discovered,  come  from  Tosca- 
nella. The  two  horses'  heads  in  this  room,  in  nenfro,  i.e.,  volcanic 
tufa,  were  found  at  the  entrance  of  a  tomb  at  Vulci. 

The  2d  Room  (right). — 

Is  a  corridor  filled  with  cinerary  urns,  chiefly  from  Volterra,  bearing 
recumbent  figures,  ludicrously  stunted.  The  large  sarcophagus  on  the 
left  supports  the  bearded  figure  of  a  man,  and  is  adorned  with  reliefs 
of  a  figure  in  a  chariot  and  musicians  painted  red.  The  urns  in  this 
room  are  of  al.ibaster,  which  is  the  characteristic  of  Volterra, 


ETRUSCAN  MUSEUM.  66 1 

The  T,d  Room  — 

Has  in  the  center  a  large  sarcophagus  of  nenfro,  found  at  Tar- 
quinii,  in  1S34,  supporting  a  reclining  figure  of  a  Lucumo,  with  a 
scroll  in  his  hand,  "recalling  the  monuments  of  the  middle  ages." 
At  the  sides  are  reliefs  representing  the  story  of  Clytemnestra  and 
Aegisthus, — the  Theban  brothers, — the  sacrifice  of  Clytemnestra, — 
and  Pyrrhus  slaying  the  infant  Astyanax.  In  this  room  is  a  slab  with 
a  bilingual  inscription,  in  Latin  and  Umbrian,  from  Todi.  In  the 
corners  are  some  curious  cinerary  urns  shaped  like  houses. 

The  Afth  Room. — 

Is  the  Chamber  of  Terra-cottas.  In  the  center  is  a  most  beautiful 
statue  of  Mercury,  found  at  Tivoli.  At  the  sides  are  fragments  of 
female  figures  from  Vulci, — and  an  interesting  terra-cotta  urn  from 
Toscanella,  with  a  youth  lying  on  a  couch.  "  From  the  gash  in  his 
thigh,  and  the  hound  at  his  bedside,  he  is  usually  called  Adonis  ;  but 
it  may  be  merely  the  effigy  of  some  young  Etruscan,  who  met  his  death 
in  the  wild-boar  chase." 

The  ^th  Room. — 

This  and  the  three  following  rooms  are  occupied  by  vases.  The 
vases  in  the  5th  room  are  mostly  small  amphorae,  in  the  second  or 
Archaic  style,  with  black  figures  on  the  ground  of  the  clay.  On  a 
column  is  a  Crate?-,  or  mixing-vase,  from  Vulci,  with  parti-colored 
figures  on  a  very  pale  ground,  and  in  the  most  beautiful  style  of  Greek 
art.  It  represents  Mercurj'  presenting  the  infant  Bacchus  to  Silenus. 
To  the  left  of  the  window  is  a  humorous  representation  of  the  visit  of 
Jupiter  and  Mercuiy  to  Alcmena,  who  is  looking  at  them  out  of  a 
window. 

77/1?  6///  Room. — 

In  the  center  of  this  room  is  a  magnificent  vase  from  Cervetri,  "  of 
the  rare  form  called  Hohnos — a  large  globe-shaped  bowl  on  a  tall  stand, 
like  an  enormous  cup  and  ball  ;  "  its  paintings  are  of  wild  animals. 
On  the  shelf  of  the  entrance  wall  is  the  kind  of  amphora  called  Pelice, 
from  Caere.  "  Two  men  are  represented  sitting  under  an  olive-tree, 
each  with  an  amphora  at  his  feet,"  and  one  who  is  measuring  the  oil 
exclaims,  "  O  father  Jupiter,  would  that  I  were  rich  !  "  On  the  reverse 
of  the  vase  is  the  same  pair,  at  a  subsequent  period,  when  the  prayer 
has  been  heard,  and  the  oil-dealer  cries,  "Verily,  yea,  verily,  it  hath 
been  filled  to  overflowing."  A  Calpis,  represents  a  boy  with  a  hoop 
in  one  hand,  and  a  stolen  cock  in  the  other,  for  which  his  tutor  is  re- 
proving him. 

The  'jth  Room. — 

Is  an  arched  corridor.  In  the  second  niche  is  a  Hydria  with  Mi- 
nerva and  Hercules,  from  Vulci.  Among  the  vases  which  follow  is  an 
Amphora  irorci  Vulci;  "  '  Ekabe  '  (Hecuba)  presents  a  goblet  to  her 
son,  '  the  brave  Hector,' — and  regards  him  with  such  intense  interest, 
that  she  spills  the  wine  as  she  pours  it  out  to  him.  '  Priamos  '  stands 
by,  leaning  on  his  staff,  looking  mournfully  at  his  son,  as  if  presaging 
his  fate."     Many  other  vasei  in  thi,  room  are  of  g'reat  beauty. 


662  WALKS  J.V  HOME. 

The  %th  Room.  — 

"  Contains  Cylices  or  Paterae,  which  are  more  rare  than  the  upright 
vases,  and  not  inferior  in  beauty."  At  the  end  of  the  room,  from 
Vulci,  is  "  a  large  Amphora  of  the  second  or  Archaic  style,"  in  which 
hardness  and  severity  of  design  are  combined  with  most  conscientious 
execution  of  detail.  It  represents  Achilles  ("  Achilleos  ")  and  Ajax 
("  Aiantos  ")  playing  3.i  (lice,  or  asiralagi.  Achilles  cries,  "Four!" 
and  Ajax  "  Three  !  " — the  said  words,  in  choice  Attic,  issuing  from 
their  mouths.  The  maker's  name,  "  Echsekias,"  is  recorded  as  well  as 
that  of  "  the  brave  Onetorides  "  to  whom  it  was  presented.  On  the  other 
side  of  the  vase  is  a  family  scene  of  "  Kastor  "  with  his  horse,  and 
"  Poludeukes  "  playing  with  his  dog,  "Tyndareos"  and  "Leda" 
standing  by. 

The  qth  Boom. — 

Entered  from  the  6th  room,  is  the  jewel  room.  A  biga,  or  war- 
chariot,  is  not  Etruscan,  but  Roman,  found  in  the  villa  of  the  Quin- 
tilii,  near  the  Via  Appia.  Near  this  are  some  colossal  fragments  of 
bronze  sratues,  found  near  Civita  Vecchia.  At  the  opposite  end  of  the 
room  is  a  warrior  in  armor  found  at  Todi  in  1835  and  a  bronze  couch 
with  a  raised  place  for  the  head,  found  in  the  Regulini  Galassi  tomb 
at  Cervetri,  where  it  bore  the  corpse  of  a  high  priest.  A  boy  with  a 
bulla,  sitting,  from  Tarquinii,  is  "  supposed  to  represent  Tages,  the 
mysterious  boy-god,  who  sprang  from  the  furrows  of  that  site."  A 
beautiful  oval  Cista.  with  a  handle  formed  by  two  swans  bearing  a  boy 
and  a  girl,  is  from  Vulci  ;  and  so  are  the  braziers  or  censers  retaining 
the  tongs,  shovel,  and  rake,  found  with  them  : — "  the  tongs  are  on 
wheels,  and  terminate  in  serpents'  heads  ;  the  shovel  handle  ends  in  a 
swan's  neck  ;  and  the  rake  in  a  human  hand."  Among  the  smaller 
relics  are  a  curious  bottle  from  Caere,  with  an  Etruscan  alphabet  and 
spelling  lesson  (!)  scratched  upon  it,  and  a  pair  of  Etruscan  clogs  found 
in  a  tomb  at  Vulci.  Near  the  door  is  a  little  bronze  figure  of  a  boy 
with  a  bird,  and  an  Etruscan  inscription  on  his  leg,  from  Perugia. 

In  the  center  of  the  room  is  the  jewel-case  of  glass.  The  whole  of 
the  upper  division  and  one  compartment  of  the  lower  are  devoted  to 
Cervetri  (Caere).  All  these  objects  are  from  the  Regulini  Galassi  tomb, 
for  all  the  other  tombs  had  been  rifled  at  an  early  period,  except  one, 
whence  the  objects  were  taken  by  Campana.  The  magnificent  oak- 
wreath  with  the  small  ornaments  and  the  large  ear-rings  were  worn  by 
a  lady,  over  whom  was  written  in  Etruscan  characters,  "  Me  Larthia," 
— I,  the  Great  Lady, — evidently  because  at  the  time  of  her  death, 
3,000  years  ago,  it  was  supposed  that  she  was  so  very  great  that  the 
memory  of  her  name  could  never  by  any  possibility  perish,  and  that 
therefore  it  was  quite  unnecessary  to  record  it.  The  tomb  was  divided, 
and  she  was  walled  up  with  precious  spices  (showing  what  the  com- 
merce of  Etruria  must  have  been)  in  one  half  of  it.  It  was  several 
hundred  years  before  anyone  was  found  of  .sufficient  dignity  to  occupy 
the  other  half  of  the  great  lady's  tomb.  Then  the  high  priest  of 
Etruria  died,  and  was  buried  there  with  all  his  ornaments.  His  were 
the  large  bracelets,  the  filets  for  the  head,  with  the  plate  of  gold,  cover- 
ing the  head,  and  a  second  plate  of  gold  which  covered  the  forehead-' 


ETRUSCAN  MUSEUM.  663 

worn  only  on  the  most  solemn  occasions.  -  This  may  be  considered  to 
have  been  the  head-dress  of  Aaron.  His  was  also  the  broad  plate  of 
gold,  covering  the  breast,  reminding  of  the  Urim  and  Thummim. 
The  bronze  bed  on  which  he  lay  (and  on  which  the  ornaments  were 
found  lying  where  the  body  had  mouldered)  is  preserved  in  another 
part  of  the  room,  and  the  great  incense  burner  filled  with  precious 
spices  which  was  found  by  his  side.  The  three  large  bollas  on  his 
breast  were  tilled  with  incense,  whose  perfume  was  still  so  strong  when 
the  tomb  was  opened,  that  those  who  burnt  it  could  not  remain  in  the 
room. 

The  iv}'  leaves  on  the  ornaments  denote  the  worship  of  Bacchus,  a 
late  period  in  Etruria  :  laurel  denotes  a  victor  in  battle  or  the  games. 

The  loth  Room. — 

(Entrance  on  right  of  the  jewel-room),  is  a  passage  containing  a 
number  of  Roman  water-pipes  of  lead. 

The  wth  Room. — 

Is  hung  with  paintings  on  canvas  copied  from  the  principal  tombs 
of  Vulci  and  Tarquinii.  Beginning  from  the  right,  on  entering,  they 
take  the  following  order  : 

From  the  Camera  del  Morto  :  Tarquinii, 

From  the  Grotta  delle  Bighe,  or  Grotta  Stackelberg  :  Tarquinii. 

From  the  Grotta  Querciola  :   Tarquinii. 

From  the  Grotta  delle  Iscrizioni  :   Tarquinii. 

From  the  Grotta  del  Triclinio,  or  Grotta  Maizi  :  Tarquinii. 

From  the  Grotta  del  Barone,  or  Grotta  del  Ministro  :   I'arquinii. 

From  the  painted  tomb  at  Vulci. 

All  the  paintings  from  Tarquinii  are  still  to  be  seen  on  that  site, 
though  not  in  so  perfect  a  state  as  they  are  here  represented.  But  the 
tomb  at  Vulci  is  utterly  destroyed. 

Each  of  the  paintings  is  most  interesting.  That  of  the  death-bed 
scene  proves  that  the  Etruscans  believed  in  the  immortality  of  the  souL 
In  the  upper  division  a  daughter  is  mounting  on  a  stool  to  reach  the 
high  bed  and  give  a  last  kiss  to  her  dying  father,  while  the  son  is  wail- 
ing and  lamenting  in  the  background.  Below  is  the  rejoicing  spirit, 
freed  from  the  trammels  of  the  flesh. 

In  the  scenes  representing  the  games,  the  horses  are  painted  bright 
red  and  bright  blue,  or  black  and  red.  These  may  be  considered  to 
have  been  the  different  colors  of  the  rival  parties.  A  number  of  jars 
for  oil  and  wine  are  arranged  in  this  room.  All  the  black  pottery  is 
from  Northern  Etruria. 

The  12th  Room,  seldom  open,  is  a  very  meager  and  most 
inefificient  facsimile  of  an  ordinary  Etruscan  tomb.  It  is 
guarded  by  two  lions  in  nenfro,  found  at  Vulci.' 

1  For  a  detailed  account  of  this  collection,  see  Dennis'  Cities  and  Cemeteries 
t/  EtruriayWhence  many  of  the  quotations  above  are  taken  ;  also  Mrs.  Hamil- 
ton Gray's  Sepulchres  0/ Etruria. 


664  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

At  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  on  the  right  of  the  entrance  to 
the  Sala  a  Croce  Greca,  is  the  door  of  the  Egyptian  Mu- 
seum, open  on  Thursdays.  The  collection  is  chiefly  due 
to  Pius  VII.  and  Gregory  XVI.  The  greater  part  is  of  no 
especial  importance. 

The  2d  Rootn  contains  colossal  Egyptian  statues.  At  the 
end  is  the  figure  of  the  mother  of  Rhamses  II.  (Sesostris) 
between  two  lions  of  basalt,  which  were  found  in  the  Baths 
of  Agrippa,  and  which  long  decorated  what  is  now  called 
the  Fontana  delle  Terme.  Upon  the  base  of  these  lions 
is  inscribed  the  name  of  the  Egyptian  king  Nectanebo. 

"Dans  cette  sculpture  bien  egyptienne,  on  sent  deja  le  souffle  de 
I'art  grec.  La  pose  de  ces  lions  est  la  pose  roide  et  monumentale  des 
lions  a  tete  humaine  de  Louqsor  ;  la  criniere  est  encore  de  convention, 
mais  la  vie  est  exprimcfe,  les  muscles  sont  accuses  avec  un  soin  et  un 
relief  que  la  sculpture  purement  egyptienne  n'a  pas  connus." — Am- 
pc're,  Emp.  ii.  198. 

"Ces  lions  ont  une  expression  remarquable  de  force  et  de  repos  ;  il 
y  a  quelque  chose  dans  leur  physionomie  qui  n'appartient  ni  a  I'animal 
ni  a  I'homme  ;  ils  semblent  une  puissance  de  la  nature,  et  Ton  con9oit, 
en  les  voyant,  comme  les  dieux  du  paganisme  pouvaient  etre  repre- 
sentes  sous  cet  embleme." — Mad.  de  StaiJl. 

On  the  right  of  the  entrance- wall  are,  Ptolemy-Philadel- 
phus,  and,  on  his  left,  his  queen  Arsinoe,  of  red  granite. 
These  were  found  in  the  gardens  of  Sallust,  and  were  for- 
merly preserved  in  the  Senator's  Palace. 

"  There  is  a  fine  collection  of  Egyptian  antiquities  in  the  Vatican  ; 
and  the  ceilings  of  the  rooms  in  which  they  are  arranged  are  painted 
to  represent  a  star-light  sky  in  the  desert.  It  may  seem  an  odd  idea, 
but  it  is  very  effective.  The  grim,  half-human  monsters  from  the 
temples,  look  more  grim  and  monstrous  underneath  the  deep  dark 
blue  ;  it  sheds  a  strange  uncertain  gloomy  air  on  everything — a  mys- 
tery adapted  to  the  objects  ;  and  you  leave  tliem,  as  you  find  them, 
shrouded  in  a  solemn  night." — Dickens. 

The  -^rd  Room  is  occupied  by  Roman  imitations  of 
Egyptian  statues,  from  the  Villa  Adriana. 

"  Ces  statues  sont  toutes  des  traductions  de  I'art  egyptien  en  art  grec. 
L'alliance,  la  fusion  de  la  sculpture  egyptienne  et  de  la  sculpture  gre- 
co-romaine  est  un  des  traits  les  plus  saillants  des  cosmopolitisme  si 
etranger  a  d'anciennes  traditions  nationales,  et  dont  Adrien,  par  ses 
voyages,  ses  gouts,  ses  monuments,  fut  la  plus  cclatante  manifestation. 

"  Sauf  I'Antinoiis,  les  produits  de  cette  sculpture  d'imitation,  bien 
que  datant  d'une  epoque  encore  brillante  de  I'art  romain,  ne  sauraient 
le  disputer  a  leurs  modeles.     Pour  s'en  convaincre,  il  suffit  de  les  com- 


GARDENS  OF    THE    VATICAN.  665 

parer  aux  statues  vraiment  egyptiennes  qui  remplissent  une  salle 
voisine.  Dans  celles-ci,  la  realite  du  detail  est  meprisee  et  sacrifice  ; 
mais  les  traits  fondamentaux,  les  lineaments  essentielsde  la  forme,  sont 
rendus  admirablement.  De  la  un  grand  style,  car  I'employer  I'expres- 
sion  la  plus  generale,  c'est  le  secret  de  la  grandeur  du  style,  comme  a 
dit  Buffon.  Celte  elevation,  cette  sobriete  du  genie  egyptien  ne  se 
retrouvent  plus  dans  les  imitations  batardes  du  temps  d  Adrien." — 
Ampere,  Emp.  ii.  197,  202. 

On  the  left  is  the  Nile  in  black  marble  ;  at  one  end  of 
the  hall  is  a  colossal  statue  of  Antinous,  the  favorite  of 
Hadrian,  in  white  marble. 

"II  est  nature]  qu' Antinous,  qui  s'etait,  disait-on,  precipite  dans  le 
Nil,  ait  ete  represente  sous  les  traits  d'un  dieu  egyptien.  ...  La 
physionomie  triste  d' Antinous  sied  bien  a  un  dieu  d'Egypte,  et  le  style 
grec  emprunte  au  reflet  du  style  egyptien  une  grandeur  sombre." — 
Aniphe,  Emp.  ii.  196. 

The  ^th  Room  (semi-circular)  contains  eight  statues  of 
the  goddess  Pasht  from  Carnac. 


The  windows  of  the  Egyptian  museum  look  upon  the 
inner  Garden  of  the  Vatican,  which  may  be  reached  by  a 
door  at  the  end  of  the  long  gallery  of  the  Museo  Chiara- 
monti,  before  ascending  to  the  Torso.  The  garden  which 
is  thus  entered,  called  Giardino  della  Pigna  is  in  fact  merely 
the  second  great  quadrangle  of  the  Vatican,  planted  with 
shrubs  and  flowers.  Several  interesting  relics  are  preserved 
here.  In  the  center  is  the  Pedestal  of  the  Column  of  An- 
toninus Pius,  ionnd  in  1709  on  the  Monte  Citoria.  The 
column  was  a  simple  memorial  pillar  of  granite,  erected  by 
the  two  adopted  sons  of  the  emperor,  Marcus  Aurelius  and 
Lucius  Verus.  It  was  broken  up  to  mend  the  obelisk  of 
Psammeticus  I.  at  the  Monte  Citorio.  Among  the  reliefs 
of  the  pedestal  is  one  of  a  winged  genius  guiding  Antoninus 
and  Faustina  to  Olympus.  In  the  great  semicircular  niche 
of  Bramante,  at  the  end  of  the  court-garden,  is  the  famous 
Pigna,  a  gigantic  fir-cone,  which  once  crowned  the  summit 
of  the  Mausoleum  of  Hadrian.  Thence  it  was  first  re- 
moved to  the  front  of  the  old  basilica  of  S.  Peter's.  In  the 
fresco  of  the  old  S.  Peter's  at  S.  Martino  al  Monte,  the 
pigna  is  introduced,  but  it  is  there  placed  in  the  center  of 
the  nave,  a  position  it  never  occupied.  Dante  saw  it  at  S. 
Peter's  and  compares  to  it  a  giant's  head  (it  is  eleven  feet 


666  WALKS  LV  ROME. 

high)  which  he   saw  through  the  mist  in  the  last  circle  of 
hell. 

"  La  faccia  mi  parea  longa  e  grossa 
Come  la  pina  di  S.  Pietro  in  Roma." 

On  either  side  of  the  pigna  are  two  bronze  peacocks, 
which  are  said  to  have  stood  on  either  side  the  entrance  of 
Hadrian's  Mausoleum. 

"  Je  pense  qu'ils  y  araent  ete  places  en  I'honneur  des  imperatrices 
dont  les  cendres  devaient  s'y  trouver.  Le  paon  consacrea  Juiion  etait 
le  symbole  de  I'apotheose  des  imperatrices,  comme  I'oiseau  dedie  a 
Jupiter  ceiui  de  I'apotheose  des  empereurs,  car  le  mausolee  d'Adrien 
n'etait  pas  pour  lui  seul,  mais,  comme  avaient  ete  le  mausolee  d'Auguste 
et  le  temple  des  Flaviens,  pour  toute  la  famille  imperiale." — Ampere, 
Emp.  ii,  212. 

A  flight  of  steps  leads  from  this  court  to  the  narrow 
Terrace  of  the  Navicella,  in  front  of  the  palace,  so  called 
from  a  bronze  ship  with  which  its  fountain  is  decorated. 
The  visitor  should  beware  of  the  tricksome  water-works 
upon  this  terrace. 

Beyond  the  courtyard  is  the  entrance  to  the  larger  gar- 
den, which  may  be  reached  in  carriage  by  those  who  do 
not  wish  to  visit  the  palace  on  the  way,  by  driving  round 
through  the  courts  at  the  back  of  S.  Peter's.  Admittance 
is  difficult  to  obtain,  as  the  garden  is  constantly  used  by 
the  Pope  ;  Piux  IX.  used  to  ride  here  upon  his  white  mule. 
It  is  a  most  delightful  retreat  for  the  hot  days  of  May  and 
June,  and  before  that  time  its  woods  are  carpeted  with  wild 
violets  and  anemones.  No  one  who  has  not  visited  them 
can  form  any  idea  of  the  beauty  of  these  ancient  groves, 
interspersed  with  fountains  and  statues,  but  otherwise  left 
to  nature,  and  forming  a  fragment  of  sylvan  scenery  quite 
unassociated  with  the  English  idea  of  a  garden.  They  are 
backed  by  the  walls  of  the  Borgo,  and  a  fine  old  tower  of 
the  time  of  Leo  IV.  The  Casino  del  Papa,  or  Villa  Pia,' 
built  by  Pius  IV.  in  the  lower  and  more  cultivated  portion  of 
the  ground,  is  the  chef-d'oeuvre  of  the  architect,  Pirro 
Ligorio,  and  is  decorated  with  paintings  by  Baroccio,  Zuc- 
chero,  and  Santi  di  Tito,  and  a  set  of  terra-cotta  reliefs  col- 
lected by  Agincourt  and  Canova.  The  shell  decorations 
are  pretty  and  curious. 

During  the  hours  which  he  spent  daily  in  this  villa,  its 

1  Vasari  calls  it  Palazzo  nel  Bosco  del  Belvedere. 


GARDENS  OF    THE    VATICAN.  667 

founder  Pius  IV.  enjoyed  that  easy  and  simple  life  for 
which  he  was  far  better  fitted  by  nature  than  for  the  affairs 
of  government ;  but  here  also  he  received  the  counsels  of 
his  nephew  S.  Carlo  Borromeo,  who,  summoned  to  Rome 
in  1560,  became  for  several  succeeding  years  the  real  ruler 
of  the  state.  .  Here  he  assembled  around  him  all  those  who 
were  distinguished  by  their  virtue  or  talents,  and  held  many 
of  the  meetings  which  received  the  name  of  Notte  Vaticane 
— at  first  employed  in  the  pursuit  of  philosophy  and  poetry, 
but  after  the  necessity  of  church  reform  became  apparent 
both  to  the  pope  and  to  S.  Carlo,  entirely  devoted  to  the 
discussion  of  sacred  subjects.  In  this  villa  Pius  VIII.  and 
Gregory  XVI.  used  frequently  to  give  their  audiences. 

The  sixteenth  century  was  the  golden  age  for  the  Vati- 
can, Then  the  splendid  court  of  Leo  X.  was  the  center  of 
artistic  and  literary  life,  and  the  witty  and  pleasure-loving 
pope  made  these  gardens  the  scene  of  his  banquets  and 
concerts  ;  and,  in  a  circle  to  which  ladies  were  admitted, 
as  in  a  secular  court,  listened  to  the  recitations  of  the  poets 
who  sprang  up  under  his  protection,  beneath  the  shadow 
of  their  woods. 

"  Le  Vatican  e'tait  encombre,  sous  Leon  X.,  d'historiens,  de  sa- 
vants, de  poetes  surtout.  'La  tourbe  importune  des  poetes,'  s'ecrie 
Valerianus,  '  le  poursuit  de  porte  en  poite,  tantot  sous  les  portiques, 
tantot  a  la  promenade,  tantot  au  palais,  tantot  a  la  chambre,  peuetra- 
libus  in  imis ;  elle  ne  respecte  ni  son  repos,  ni  les  graves  affaires  qui 
I'occupent  aujourd'hui  que  I'incendie  ravage  le  monde.'  On  remarquait 
dans  cette  foule  :  Berni,  le  poete  burlesque  ;  Flaminio,  le  poete  ele- 
giaque  ;  Molza,  I'enfant  de  Petrarque,  et  Postumo.  Maroni,  Cartero- 
machus,  Fedra  Inghirami,  le  savant  bibliothecaire,  et  la  grande 
luniiire  d'Arczzo,  comme  dit  I'Arioste,  V unique  Accolti.  Accolti  jouit 
pendant  toute  la  dure'e  du  seizieme  siecle  d'une  reputation  que  la 
poste'rite  n'a  pas  confirmee.  On  I'appelait  le  celeste.  Larsqu'il  devait 
reciter  ces  vers,  les  magasins  etaient  fermes  comme  en  un  jour  de  fete, 
et  chacun  accourais  pour  I'entendre.  II  etait  entoure  de  prelats  de  la 
]iremiere  distinction  ;  un  corps  de  troupes  suisses  i'accompagnait,  et 
I'auditoire  etait  eclaire  par  des  flambeaux.  Un  jour  qu'Accolti  entrait 
chez  le  pape  :  Ouvrez  toutes  les  portes,  s'ecria  Le'on,  et  laissez  entrer 
la  foule.  Accolti  recita  un  terncile,  a  la  Vierge,  et,  quand  il  eut  fini. 
mille  acclamations  retentirent  :  Vive  le  poete  dizdn,  Vive  Vincompara- 
ble  Accolti  !  Leon  etait  le  promier  a  applaudir,  et  le  duche  de  Nessi 
devenait  la  re'compense  du  poete. 

"  Une  autre  fois,  c'etait  Paul  Jove,  I'homme  aux  oui-dires,  comme 
I'appelle  Rabelais,  qui  venait  lire  des  fragments  de  son  histoire,  et  que 
Leon  X.  saluait  du  litre  de  Tite-Live  italien.  II  y  avait  dans  ces 
eloges,  dans    ces    encouragements    donnes    avec    entrainement,   mais 


668  n' A  LA'S  I.V  HOME. 

avec  tact,  je  ne  sais  quel  souffle  de  vie  pour  rintelHgence,  qui  I'ac- 
livait  et  qui  lui  faisait  rendre  au  centuple  les  dons  qu'elle  avail  re9us 
du  ciel.  Rome  enticre  etait  devenue  un  musee,  une  academic  ;  par- 
tout  des  chants,  partout  la  science,  la  poesie,  les  beaux-arts,  une  sorte 
de  volupte  dans  I'etude.  Ici,  c'est  Calcagnini,  qui  a  de'ja  devine  la 
rotation  de  la  terre  ;  la,  Ambrogio  de  Pise,  qui  parle  chaldeen  et  arabe; 
plus  loin,  Valerianus,  que  le  philologie,  I'archeologie,  la  jurispru- 
dence revendiquent  a  la  fois,  et  qui  se  distrait  de  ses  doctes  tra- 
vaux  par  des  poesies  digne  d'Horace." — Gournerie,  Rome  Chretlenne, 
ii.  114. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE    ISLAND    AND    THE    TRASTEVERE. 

Ponte  Quattro  Capi — Caetani  Tower — S.  Bartolommeo  in  Isola — 
Temple  of  Aesculapius — Hospital  of  the  Benfratelli — Mills  on  the 
Tiber — Ponte  Cestio — Fornarina"s  House— S.  Benedetto  a  Piscin- 
uola — Castle  of  the  Alberteschi — S.  Crispino — Palazzo  Ponziani — 
S.  Maria  in  Cappelia — S.  Cecilia — Hospital  of  S.  Michele — Porta 
Portese — S.  Maria  del  Orto — S.  Francesco  a  Ripa  — Castle  of  the 
Anguillara — S.  Crisogono — Hospital  of  S.  Gallicano — S.  Maria  in 
Trastevere — S.  Calisto — Convent  of  S.  Anna — S.  Cosimato — Porta 
Settimiana — S.  Dorotea — Ponte  Sisto, 

FOLLOWING  the  road  which  leads  to  the  Temple  of 
Vesta,  &c.,  as  far  as  the  Via  Savelli,  and  then  turn- 
ing down  past  the  gateway  of  the  Orsini  palace,  with  its 
two  bears, — we  reach  the  Ponte  Quattro  Capi. 

This  was  the  ancient  Pons  Fabricius,  built  of  stone  in 
the  place  of  a  wooden  bridge,  a.u.c.  733,  by  Fabricius, 
the  Curator  Viarum.  It  has  two  arches,  with  a  small 
ornamental  one  in  the  central  pier.  In  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury the  greater  part  was  faced  with  brickwork.  An  in- 
scription,  only  partly  legible,  remains.     L  .   fabricius  . 

C  .  F  .  cur  .  VIAR  .  FACIUNDUM  .  CURAVIT  .  EIDEMQ  . 
PROBAVIT    .  Q    .    LEPIDUS    .    M    .     F    .    M    .     LOLLIUS    .    M  . 

F  .  COS  .  EX  .  s  .  c  .  PROBAVERUNT.  From  this  in- 
scription the  inference  has  been  drawn  that  the  senate 
always  allowed  forty  years  to  elapse  between  the  com- 
pletion of  a  public  work,  and  the  grant  to  it  of  their 
public  approval.  This  bridge,  according  to  Horace,  was 
a  favorite  spot  with  those  who  wished  to  drown  them- 
selves ;  hence  Damasippus  would  have  leaped  into  the 
Tiber  if  it  were  not  for  the  precepts  of  the  stoic  Stertinius: 

"  Unde  ego  mira 
Descripsi  docilis  praecepta  haec,  tempore  quo  me 
Solatus  jussit  sapientem  pascere  barbam, 
Atque  a  Fabricio  non  tristem  ponte  reverti." 

Horace,  Sat.  iii.  34. 

669 


670  WALKS  IN  HOME. 

The  name  of  the  bridge  changed  with  time  to  *'  Pons 
Tarpeius  "  and  "  Pons  Judaeorum,"  from  the  neighboring 
Ghetto.  It  is  now  called  Ponte  Quattro  Capi,  from  two 
busts  of  the  four-headed  Janus,  which  adorn  its  parapet, 
and  are  supposed  to  have  come  from  the  temple  of 
"  Janus  Geminus,"  which  stood  in  this  neighborhood. 
They  formerly  supported  the  railings  of  the  bridge,  as 
may  be  seen  by  the  holes  bored  in  them  for  the  bronze 
bars. 

On  crossing  this  bridge,  we  are  on  the  Island  in  the 
Tiber,  the  formation  of  which  is  ascribed  by  tradition  to 
the  produce  of  the  corn-fields  of  the  Tarquins  (cast  con- 
temptuously upon  the  waters  after  their  expulsion),  which 
accumulated  here,  till  soil  gathered  around  them,  and  a 
solid  piece  of  land  was  formed.      Of  this,  Ampere  says  : 

"  L'effet  du  courant  rapide  du  fleuve  est  plutot  de  detruire  les  iles 
que  d'en  former.  Cast  ainsi  qu'une  petite  ile  a  ete  entrainee  par  la 
violence  des  eaux  en  lySS." — Histoirc  Rornaine  a  Rome. 

On  this  island,  anciently  known  as  the  Isola  Tiberina, 
were  three  temples, — those,  namely,  of  Esculapius  : 

"  Unde  Coroniden  circumflua  Tibridis  alveo 
Insula  Romuleae  sacris  adsciverit  urbis." 

Ovid,  Metam.  xv.  624. 

"  Accepit  Phoebo  Nymphaque  Coronide  natum 
Insula,  dividua  quam  premit  amnis  aqua." 

Ovid,  Fast,  i  291. 

of  Jupiter  : 

"  Jupiter  in  parte  est,  cepit  locus  unus  utrumquc  : 
Junctaque  sunt  magno  templa  nepotis  avo." 

Ovid,  lujst.  i.  293. 

and  of  Faunus  : 

"  Idibus  agrestis  fumant  altaria  I'auni, 

Hie  ubi  discretas  insula  runipit  aquas." 

Ovid,  Fast.  ii.  193. 

Here  also  was  an  altar  to  the  Sal)ine  god  Semo-Sancus, 
whose  inscription,  legible  in  the  early  centuries  of  Chris- 
tianity, led  various  ecclesiastical  authors  into  the  error  that 
the  words  ''  Scmoni-Sanco  "  referred  to  Simon  Magus.' 

In   imperial    times   the   island  was   used   as   a  prison : 

1  Ampere,  i.  436. 


S.    BARTOLOMMEO.  '671 

among  remarkable  prisoners  immured  here  was  Arvandus, 
Prefect  of  Gaul,  a.d.  468.  In  the  reign  of  Claudius  sick 
slaves  were  exposed  and  left  to  die  here, — that  emperor — 
by  a  strange  contradiction  in  one  who  caused  fallen  gladia- 
tors to  be  butchered  "  for  the  pleasure  of  seeing  them 
die  " — making  a  law  that  any  slave  so  exposed  should 
receive  his  liberty  if  he  recovered.  In  the  middle  ages 
the  island  was  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Cardinal 
Bishop  of  Porto,  who  lived  in  the  Franciscan  convent. 
Under  Leo  X.  a  fete  was  held  here  in  which  Camillo 
Querno,  the  papal  poet,  was  crowned  with  ivy,  laurel,  and 
cabbage  (!).  In  1656  the  whole  island  was  appropriated 
as  a  hospital  for  those  stricken  v/ith  the  plague, — a  sin- 
gular coincidence  for  the  site  of  the  temple  of  Aescula- 
pius. 

The  first  building  on  the  left,  after  passing  the  bridge, 
is  a  fine  brick  tower,  of  great  historic  interest,  as  the  only 
relic  of  a  castle,  built  by  the  family  of  the  Anieii,  of  which 
S.  Gregory  the  Great  was  a  member,  and  two  of  whom 
were  consuls  together  under  Plonorius  : 

"  Est  in  Romuleo  procumbens  insula  Tibri, 
Qua  medius  geniinas  interfluit  alveus  urbes, 
Discretas  subeunte  freto,  pariterque  minantes 
Ardua  turrigerae  surgunt  in  culmina  ripae. 
Hie  stetit  ct  subitum  prospexit  ab  aggere  votum. 
Unanimes  fratres  junctot  stipante  senatu 
Ire  forum,  strictasque  procul  radiare  secures, 
Atque  uno  bijuges  tolli  de  limine  fasces." 

Clatidian,  Paneg.  in  Prob.  et  Olyb.  Cons.  226. 

From  the  Anieii  the  castle  passed  to  the  Caetani.  It 
was  occupied  as  a  fortress  by  the  Countess  Matilda,  after 
she  had  driven  the  faction  of  the  anti-pope  Guibert  out  of 
the  island,  and  was  the  refuge  where  two  successive  popes, 
Victor  III.  and  Urban  II.,  lived  under  her  protection.' 

The  center  of  the  island  is  now  occupied  by  the  Chtirch 
and  Cotivent  of  S.  Bartolommeo,  which  gives  it  its  present 
name. 

The  piazza  in  front  of  the  church  is  decorated  by  a  pil- 
lar, erected  at  the  private  expense  of  Pius  IX.,  to  com- 
memorate the  opening  of  the  Vatican  Council  of  1869-70 
— adorned  with  statutes  of  S.  Bartholomew,  S.  Paulinus  of 

•  See  llcmans'  .Monuinoiis  in  Rome. 


672  WAL/CS  IN  ROME. 

Nola,  S.  Francis,  and  S.  Giovanni  di  Dio.  Here  formerl); 
stood  an  ancient  obelisk  (the  only  one  of  unknown  origin). 
A  fragment  of  it  was  long  preserved  at  the  Villa  Albani, 
whence  it  is  said  to  have  been  removed  to  Urbino.  The 
church,  a  basilica,  was  founded  by  Otho  III.  c.  1000  ;  its 
campanile  dates  from  11 18.  The  nave  and  aisles  are  di- 
vided by  red  granite  columns,  said  to  be  relics  of  the  an- 
cient temple, — as  is  a  marble  well-head  under  the  stairs 
leading  to  the  tribune.  This  was  restored  in  1798,  and 
dedicated  to  S.  Adalbert  of  Gneisen,  who  bestowed  upon 
the  church  its  great  relic,  the  body  of  S.  Bartholomew, 
which  he  asserted  to  have  brought  from  Beneventum,  though 
the  inhabitants  of  that  town  profess  that  they  still  possess 
the  real  body  of  the  apostle,  and  that  S.  Paulinus  of  Nola 
was  sent  to  Rome  instead.  The  dispute  about  the  pos- 
session of  this  relic  ran  so  high  as  to  lead  to  a  siege  of 
Beneventum  in  the  middle  ages.  The  convent  belongs  to 
the  Franciscans  (Frati  Minori),  who  will  admit  male 
visitors  into  their  pretty  little  garden  at  the  end  of  the 
island,  to  see  the  remains  of 

The  Temple  of  Aesculapius,  built  after  the  great  plague 
in  Rome,  in  B.C.  291,  when,  in  accordance  with  the  advice 
of  the  Sibylline  books,  embassadors  were  sent  to  Epidaurus 
to  bring  Aesculapius  to  Rome  ; — they  returned  with  a 
statue  of  the  god,  but  as  their  vessel  sailed  up  the  Tiber,  a 
serpent,  which  had  lain  concealed  during  the  voyage,  glided 
from  it,  and  landed  on  this  spot,  hailed  by  the  people  under 
the  belief  that  Aesculapius  himself  had  thus  come  to  them. 
In  consequence  of  this  story,  the  form  of  a  ship  was  given 
to  this  end  of  the  island,  and  its  bow  may  still  be  seen  at 
the  end  of  the  convent  garden,  with  the  famous  serpent  of 
Aesculapius  sculptured  upon  it  in  high  relief.'  The  curious 
remains  still  existing  are  not  of  sufficient  size  to  bear  out 
the  assertion  often  made  that  the  whole  island  was  inclosed 
in  the  travertine  form  of  a  ship,  of  which  the  temple  of 
Jupiter  at  the  other  end  afterward  formed  the  prow,  and 
the  obelisk  the  mast. 

"  Pendant  les  guerres  Samnites,  Rome  fut  de  nouveau  frappe'e  par 
una  de  ces  maladies  auxquelles  clle  etait  souvent  en  proie  ;  cclle-ci  dura 
trois  annees.     On  eut  recours  aux  livres  Sibyllius.     En  cas  pareil  ils 

'  Piranesi's  engraving  sliows  that  a  hundred  years  ago  there  existed,  in  addi- 
tion, a  colossal  bust,  and  a  hand  holding  the  serpent-twined  rod  of  Aesculapiu  ;. 


6.    GIOVANNI  CALABITA. 


^n 


avaient  present  de  consacrer  un  temple  a  Apollon  ;  cette  fois  ils  pre- 
scrivirent  d'aller  a  Epidaure  chercher  le  filsd'Apollon,  Esculape,  et  de 
I'amener  a  Rome.  Esculape,  sous  la  forme  d'unt  serpent,  fut  trans- 
porte  d'Epidaure  dans  I'ile  Tiberine,  ou  on  lui  deva  un  temple,  et  ou 
ont  etc  trouve's  At.:-,cx-voto,  representant  des  bras,  des  jambes,  diverses 
autres  parties  du  corps  humain,  ex-voio  qu'on  eut  pu  croise  jrovenir 
d'une  eglise  de  Rome,  car  le  catholicisme  romain  a  adopte  cct  usage 
paien  sans  y  rien  changer. 

"  Pourquoi  place-t-on  le  temple  d'Esculape  en  cet  endroit  ?  On  a 
vu  que  I'ile  Tiberine  avait  ete  tres-anciennement  consacre  au  culte 
d'un  dieu  des  Latins  primitifs,  Faunus  :  or  ce  dieu  vendait  ses  oracles 
pres  des  sources  thermales  ;  ils  devaient  avoir  souvent  pour  objet  la 
guerison  des  malades  qui  venaient  demander  la  sante  a  ces  sources. 
De  plus,  les  malades  consultaient  Esculape  dans  les  songes  par  incu- 
bation, comma  dans  I'Ovide,  Numa  vaconsuher  Faunus  sur  I'Aventin. 
II  n'est  done  pas  surprenant  qu'on  ait  institue  le  culte  du  dieu  grec  de 
la  sante,  la  ou  le  dieu  latin  Faunus  rendait  ses  oracles  dans  des  songes, 
et  ou  etaient  probablement  des  sources  d'eau  chaude  qui  ont  disparu 
comme  les  lautitlae  pres  du  Forum  romain. 

"  On  donna  a  I'ile  la  forme  d'un  vaisseau,  plus  tard  un  obe'lisque 
figura  le  mat ;  en  le  regardant  du  Ponte  Rotto,  on  reconnait  encore 
tres  bien  cette  forme,  de  ce  cote,  on  voit  sculpte  sur  le  mur  qui  figure 
le  vaisseau  d'Esculape  une  image  du  dieu  avee  un  serpent  entortille 
autour  de  son  sceptre.  La  belle  statue  d'Esculape,  venue  des  jardins 
Farnese,  passe  pour  avoir  ete  celle  de  I'ile  Tiberine  Un  temple  de 
Jupiter  touchait  a  ce  temple  d'Esculape. 

"  Un  jour  que  je  visitais  ce  lieu,  le  sacristain  de  I'eglise  de  S.  Bar- 
thelemy  me  dit,  '  Al  tempo  d'Esculapio  quando  Giove  irgiiava.'  Phrase 
singuliere,  etqui  montre  encore  vivante  une  sorte  de  foi  au  paganisme 
chez  les  Romains." — Ampere,  iii.  42. 

Opposite  S.  Bartolomeo,  on  the  site  of  the  temple  of 
Faunus,  is  the  Hospital  of  S.  Giovamii  Calahita,  also  called 
Benfratelli^  entirely  under  the  care  of  the  brethren  of  S. 
Giovanni  di  Dio,  who  cook  for,  nurse,  wash,  and  otherwise 
do  all  the  work  of  those  who  pass  under  their  care,  often 
to  the  number  of  1,200  in  the  course  of  the  year,  though 
the  hospital  is  very  small. 

"  C'est  a  Pie  V.  que  les  frcres  de  I'ordre  de  la  Charite',  institue  par 
saint  Jean  de  Dieu,  durent  leur  premier  etablissement  a  Rome. 

"  Au  milieu  du  cortege  triomphal  qui  aecompagnait  don  Juan  d'Au- 
triche  {1571).  lors  de  son  retour  de  Lepante,  on  remarquait  un  pauvre 
homme  miserablement  vetu  et  a  I'attitude  modeste.  II  se  nommait 
Sebastien  Arias,  des  fn  es  de  Jean  de  Dieu.  Jean  de  Dieu  etait  mort 
sans  laisser  d'autre  regie  a  ses  disciples  que  ces  touchantes  paroles 
qu'il  repetait  sans  cesse,  faites  le  bien  mes  freres  ;  et  Sebastien  d'Arias 
venait  a  Rome  pour  demander  au  pape  I'autorisation  de  former  des 
convents  et  d'avoir  des  hospices  cii  ils  pussent  suivre  les  exemples  de 
devouement  qui  leur  avait  laisses  Jean  de  Dieu.      Or,  Sebastien  ran- 


674 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


contra  don  Juan  a  Naples,  et  le  vainqueurde  Lepante  le  prit  avec  lui. 
II  se  chargea  meme  d'appuyer  sa  requcte,  et  Pie  V.  s'empressa  d'ac- 
corder  aux  freies  non-seulement  la  bulle  qu'ils  desiraient,  mais  encore 
un  monastere  dans  I'ile  du  Tibre. " — Goiinicric,  Rome  Chrcticnnc,  ii. 
206. 

A  narrow  lane  near  this  leads  to  the  other  end  of  the 
island,  where  the  temple  of  Jupiter  stood.  It  is  worth 
while  to  go  thither  for  the  sake  of  the  view  of  the  river  and 
its  bridges  which  is  to  be  obtained  from  a  little  quay  littered 
with  fragments  of  ancient  temples.  Here,  till  the  change 
of  government  in  1870  (when  they  were  wantonly  de- 
stroyed) were,  moored  in  the  river,  a  number  of  floating 
water-mill^,  worked  by  the  force  of  the  water  through  the 
piers  of  the  bridge,  most  intensely  picturesque  (bearing 
sacred  monograms  upon  their  gables),  and  deeply  inter- 
esting as  having  been  invented  by  Belisarius  in  order  to 
supply  the  people  and  garrison  Avith  bread,  during  the  siege 
of  Rome  by  Vitiges,  when  the  Goths  had  cut  the  aque- 
ducts, and  thus  rendered  the  mills  on  the  Janiculan  use- 
less. 

The  bridge,  of  one  large  and  two  smaller  arches,  which 
connects  the  island  with  the  Trastevere,  is  now  called  the 
Ponte  S.  Bartolommeo^  but  was  anciently  the  Pons  Cestius, 
or  Gratianus,  built  a.u.c.  708,  by  the  Praetor  Lucius  Ces- 
tius, who  was  probably  father  to  the  Gains  Cestius  buried 
near  the  Porta  S.  Paolo.  It  was  restored  a.d.  370  by  the 
emperors  Valentinian,  Valens  and  Gratian,  as  is  seen  from 
the  fragments  of  a  red-letter  inscription  on  the  inside  of 
the  parapet,  in  which  the  title  "  Pontifex  Maximus  "  is 
ascribed  to  each — "a  title  accepted  without  hesitation," 
says  Gibbon,  "  by  seven  Christian  emperors,  who  were 
invested  with  more  absolute  authority  over  the  religion 
they  had  deserted  than  over  that  which  they  professed." 

We  now  enter  the  Trastevere,  the  city  "  across  the  Tiber," 
— the  portion  of  Rome  which  is  most  unaltered  from  me- 
diaeval times,  and  whose  narrow  streets  are  still  over- 
looked by  many  ancient  towers,  gothic  windows,  and 
curious  fragments  of  sculpture.  The  inhabitants  on  this 
side  differ  in  many  respects  from  those  on  the  other  side 
of  the  Tiber.  They  pride  themselves  upon  being  born 
"  Trasteverini,"  profess  to  be  the  direct  descendants  of 
the  ancient  Romans,  seldom  intermarry  with  their  neigh- 


S.    BENEDETTO  A    PISCINUOLA.  675 

bors,  and  speak  a  dialect  peculiarly  their  own.  It  is 
said  that  in  their  dispositions  also  they  differ  from  the 
other  Romans  that  they  are  a  far  more  hasty,  passionate, 
and  revengeful,  as  they  are  a  stronger  and  more  vigorous 
race.  The  proportion  of  murders  (a  crime  far  less  com- 
mon in  Rome  than  in  England)  is  larger  in  this  than  in 
any  other  part  of  the  city.  This,  it  is  believed,  is  partly 
due  to  the  extreme  excitement  which  the  Trasteverini  dis- 
play in  the  pursuit  of  their  national  games,  especially  that 
of  Morra  : 

"  Morra  is  played  by  the  men,  and  merely  consists  in  holding  up,  in 
rapid  succession,  any  number  of  fingers  they  please,  calling  out  at  the 
same  time  the  number  tlieir  antagonist  shows.  Nothing,  seemingly, 
can  be  more  simple  or  less  interesting.  Yet,  to  see  them  play,  so 
violent  are  their  gestures,  that  you  would  imagine  them  possessed  by 
some  diabolical  passion.  The  eagerness  and  rapidity  with  which  they 
carry  it  on  render  it  very  liable  to  mistake  and  altercation  ;  then  frenzy 
fires  them,  and  too  often  furious  disputes  arise  at  this  trivial  play  that 
end  in  murder.  Morra  seems  to  differ  in  no  respect  from  the  Micare 
Digitis  of  the  ancient  Romans." — Eato7is  Rome. 

A  house  with  gothic  windows  on  the  right,  soon  after 
passing  the  bridge,  is  pointed  out  as  that  once  inhabited 
by  the  Fornarina,  beloved  of  Raffaelle,  and  so  well  known 
to  us  from  his  portrait  of  her. 

Crossing  the  Via  Lungarina,  we  find  ourselves  in  tlie 
little  piazza  of  S.  Benedetto  a  Fiseinuola,  where  there  is  a 
tiny  church,  with  a  good  brick  campanile  intersected  by 
terra-cotta  moldings,  which  occupies  the  site  of  the  house 
inhabited  by  S.  Benedict  before  his  retrert  to  Subiaco. 
The  exterior  is  uninviting,  but  the  interior  very  curious  ; 
an  atrium  with  antique  columns  opens  to  a  vaulted  chapel 
(of  the  same  design  as  the  Orto  del  Paradiso  at  S. 
Prassede),  in  which  is  a  picture  of  the  Virgin  and  Child, 
revered  as  that  before  which  vS.  Benedict  was  wont  to  pray. 
Hence  is  entered  the  cell  of  the  saint,  of  rough-hewn 
stones.  His  stone  pillow  is  shown.  The  church  has  an- 
cient pillars,  and  a  rich  opus-alexandrinum  pavement. 

"  Over  the  high  altar  is  a  picture — full-length—  of  S.  Benedict, 
which  Mabillon  ('  Iter  Italicum  ')  considers  a  genuine  contemporary 
portrait — though  Nibby  and  other  critics  suppose  it  less  ancient.  The 
figure,  on  gold  background,  is  seated  in  a  chair  with  gothic  carvings, 
such  as  were  in  mediaeval  use;  the  black  cowl  is  drawn  over  the  head; 
the  hair  and  beard  arc  white  ;  the  aspect  is  serious  and  thoughtful,  in 


676  WALKS  ly  ROME. 

one  hand  a  crozier,  in  the  other  the  book  of  rules  drawn  up  by  the 
Saint,  displaying  the  words  with  which  they  begin  :  '  Ausculta,  fill, 
precepta  magistri.'  " — Hemans'  Ancient  Sacred  Art. 

Turning  down  the  Via  Lungarina  toward  the  river,  we 
pass,  on  the  left,  considerable  remains  of  the  old  mediaeval 
Castle  0/  the  Alberteschi  Famil)\  consisting  of  a  block  of 
palatial  buildings  of  handsome  masonry,  with  numerous 
antique  fragments  built  into  them,  and  a  very  rich  porch 
sculptured  with  egg  and  billet  moldings  off.  a.d.  1150, 
and  beyond  these,  separated  from  them  by  a  modern  street, 
a  high  brick  tower  of  c.  a.d.  iioo.  Above  one  of  the 
windows  of  this  tower,  a  head  of  Jupiter  is  ingrafted  in  the 
wall. 

We  now  reach  the  entrance  of  the  Ponte  Rotto  (de- 
scribed Chap.  v.).  Close  to  this  bridge  is  the  Church  of 
6".  Crispino  al  Pante  (the  saint  is  buried  at  S.  Lorenzo  Pane 
e  Perna).  The  front  is  modernized,  but  the  east  end 
displays  rich  terra-cotta  cornices,  and  is  very  picturesque. 
On  the  river  bank  below  this  are  the  colossal  lions'  heads 
mentioned  in  Chap.  V. 

Turning  up  the  Via  de  Vascellari,  we  pass,  on  the  right, 
the  ancient  Palace  of  the  Ponziana  Family,  once  magnifi- 
cent, but  now  of  humble  and  rude  exterior,  and  scarcely 
to  be  distinguished,  except  in  March,  during  the  festa  of 
S.  Francesca  Romana,  when  old  tapestries  are  hung  out 
upon  its  white-washed  walls,  and  the  street  in  front  is 
thickly  strewn  v/ith  box-leaves. 

"The  modern  building  that  has  been  raised  on  the  foundation  of 
the  old  palace  is  the  Casa  degli  Esercizii  Pii,  for  the  young  men  of  the 
city.  There  the  repentant  sinner  who  longs  to  break  the  chain  of 
sin,  the  youth  beset  by  some  strong  temjitation,  one  who  has  heard 
the  inward  voice  summoning  him  to  higher  paths  of  virtue,  another 
who  is  in  doubt  as  to  the  particular  line  of  life  to  which  he  is  called, 
may  become,  and  leave  behind  them  for  three,  or  five,  or  ten  days,  as 
it  may  be,  the  busy  world,  with  all  its  distractions  and  its  agitations, 
and,  free  for  the  time  being  from  temporal  cares,  the  wants  of  the  body 
being  provided  for,  and  the  mind  at  rest,  may  commune  w  ith  God  and 
their  own  souls. 

"Over  the  Casa  degli  Esercizi  Fii  the  sweet  spirit  of  Francesca 
seems  still  to  preside.  On  the  day  of  her  festival  its  rooms  are  thrown 
open,  every  memorial  of  the  gentle  saint  is  exhibited,  lights  burn  on 
numerous  altars,  flowers  deck  the  passages,  leaves  are  strewn  in  the  , 
chapel,  on  the  stairs,  in  the  entrance  court  ;  gay  carpets,  figured  , 
tapestry,  and  crimson  silks  hang  over  the  door,  and  crowds  of  people 
go  in  and  out,  and    kneel  before  the  relics  or  the  pictures   of  the  dear 


S.    CECILIA.  6-- 

saint  of  Rome.  It  is  a  touching  festival,  which  carries  back  the  mind 
to  the  day  when  the  young  bride  of  Lorenzo  Ponziano  entered  these 
walls  for  the  first  time,  in  ail  the  sacred  beauty  of  liolinjss  and  youth." 
— Lady  G.  FuUerton. 

In  this  house,  also,  S.  Francesca  Romana  died,  having 
come  hither  from  her  convent  to  nurse  her  son  who  was 
ill,  and  having  been  then  seized  with  mortal  illness  her- 
self. 

"  Touching  were  the  last  words  of  the  dying  mother  to  her  spiritual 
children  :  '  Love,  love,'  was  the  burden  of  her  teaching,  as  it  had 
been  that  of  the  beloved  disciple.  '  Love  one  another,'  she  said, 
'  and  be  faithful  unto  death.  Satan  will  assault  you,  as  he  has 
assaulted  me,  but  be  not  afraid.  You  will  overcome  him  through 
patience  and  obedience  ;  and  no  trial  will  be  too  grievous,  if  you  are 
united  to  Jesus  ;  if  you  walk  in  His  ways.  He  will  be  with  you.'  On 
the  seventh  day  of  her  illness,  as  she  had  herself  announced,  her  life 
came  to  a  close.  A  sublime  expression  animated  her  face,  a  more 
ethereal  beauty  clothed  her  earthly  form.  Her  confessor  for  the  last 
time  inquired  what  it  was  her  enraptured  eyes  beheld,  and  she  an- 
swered :  '  The  heavens  open  !  the  angels  descend  !  the  angel  has 
finished  his  task.  He  stands  before  me.  He  beckons  me  to  follow 
him.'  These  were  the  last  words  Francesca  uttered." — Lady  G. 
FuUerton' s  Life  of  S.  F.  Romana. 

Almost  opposite  the  Ponziani  Palace,  an  alley  leads  to 
the  small  chapel  of  S.  Maria  in  Cappella,  which  has  a  good 
brick  campanile,  dating  from  1090.  This  building  is 
attached  to  a  hospital  for  poor  women  ill  of  incurable 
diseases,  attended  by  sisters  of  charity,  and  entirely  under 
the  patronage  of  the  Doria  family. 

We  now  reach  the  front  of  the  Convent  and  Church  of 
S.  Cecilia  (facing  which  is  the  curious  mediaeval  house), 
in  many  ways  one  of  the  most  interesting  buildings  in  the 
city. 

Cecilia  was  a  noble  and  rich  Roman  lady  who  lived  in 
the  reign  of  Alexander  Severus.  She  was  married  at  six- 
teen to  Valerian,  a  heathen,  with  whom  she  lived  in  per- 
petual virginity,  telling  him  that  her  guardian  angel  watched 
over  her  by  day  and  night. 

"  I  have  an  angel  which  thus  loveth  me — 

That  with  great  love,  whether  I  wake  or  sleep. 
Is  ready  aye  my  body  for  to  keep." — Chaucer. 

At  length  Valerian  and  his  brother  Tiburtius  were  con- 
verted to  Christianity  by  her  prayers,  and  the  exhortations 
of    Pope  Urban  I.     The  husband  and  brother  were  be- 


678  WALKS  IN-  HOME. 

headed  for  refusing  to  sacrifice  to  idols,  and  Cecilia  was 
shortly  afterward  condemned  by  Almachius,  prefect  of 
Rome,  who  was  covetous  of  the  great  wealth  she  had  in- 
herited by  their  deaths.  She  was  first  shut  up  in  the  Siula- 
tjriicm  of  her  own  baths,  and  a  blazing  fire  was  lighted, 
that  she  might  be  destroyed  by  the  hot  vapors.  But 
when  the  bath  was  opened,  she  was  found  still  living,  "  for 
God,"  says  the  legend,  "  had  sent  a  cooling  shower,  which 
had  tempered  the  heat  of  the  fire,  and  preserved  the  life  of 
the  saint."  Almachius,  then,  who  dreaded  the  conse- 
quences of  bringing  so  noble  and  courageous  a  victim  to 
public  execution,  sent  a  lictor  to  behead  her  in  her  own 
palace,  but  he  executed  his  office  so  ill,  that  she  still  lived 
after  the  third  blow  of  his  axe,  after  which  the  Roman  law 
forbade  that  a  victim  should  be  stricken  again.  "  The 
Christians  found  her  bathed  in  her  blood,  and  during  the 
three  days  she  still  preached  and  taught,  like  a  doctor  of 
the  church,  with  such  sweetness  and  eloquence  that  four 
hundred  pagans  were  converted.  On  the  third  day  she 
was  visited  by  Pope  Urban,  to  whose  care  she  tenderly 
committed  the  poor  whom  she  nourished,  and  to  him  she 
bequeathed  the  palace  in  which  she  had  lived,  that  it  might 
be  consecrated  as  a  temple  to  the  Saviour.  Then,  "thank- 
ing God  that  he  considered  her,  a  humble  woman,  worthy 
to  share  the  glory  of  his  heroes,  and  with  her  eyes  appar- 
ently fixed  upon  the  heavens  opening  before  her,  she  de- 
parted to  her  heavenly  bridegroom  upon  the  22nd  No- 
vember, A.  D.  280." 

The  foundation  of  the  church  dates  from  its  consecration 
by  Pope  Urban  I.,  after  the  death  of  S.  Cecilia,  but  it  was 
rebuilt  by  Paschal  I.  in  821,  and  miserably  modernized  by 
Cardinal  Doria  in  1725.  The  exterior  retains  its  ancient 
campanile  of  11 20,  and  its  atrium  of  marble  pillars,  evi- 
dently collected  from  pagan  edifices  and  surmounted  by  a 
frieze  of  mosaic,  in  which  medallion  heads  of  Cecilia,  Vale- 
rian, Tiburtius,  Urban  I.,  and  others  are  introduced.  In 
the  courtyard  of  the  convent,  which  belongs  to  Benedictine 
nuns,  is  a  fine  specimen  of  the  Roman  vase  called  Cantha- 
rus,  perhaps  coeval  with  S.  Cecilia's  own  residence  here. 

Right  of  the  door,  on  entering,  is  the  tomb  of  Adam  of 
Hertford,  Bishop  of  London,  who  died  1398,  the  only  one 
spared  from  a  cruel  death  of  the  cardinals  who  conspired 


S.    CECILIA. 


679 


against  Urban  VI.,  and  were  taken  prisoners  at  Nocera — 
from  fear  of  the  king  of  England,  who  was  his  friend.  His 
sarcophagus  is  adorned  with  the  arms  of  England,  then 
three  leopards  and  fleurs-de-lis  quartered.  On  the  opposite 
side  of  the  entrance  is  the  tomb  of  Cardinal  Fortiguerra, 
conspicuous  in  the  contests  of  Pius  II.  and  Paul  II.  with 
the'Malatestas  and  Savellis  in  the  fifteenth  century.  The 
drapery  is  a  beautiful  specimen  of  the  delicate  carving  of 
detail  during  that  period. 

The  altar  canopy,  which  bears  the  name  of  its  artist, 
Arnolphus,  and  the  date  12S6,  is  a  fine  specimen  of  gothic 
work,  and  has  statuettes  of  Cecilia,  Valerian,  Tiburtius, 
and  Urban.  Beneath  the  altar  is  the  famous  statue  of  S. 
Cecilia. 

In  the  archives  of  the  Vatican  remains  an  account 
written  by  Pope  Paschal  I.  (a.d.  816-24)  himself,  describ- 
ing how,  "yielding  to  the  infirmity  of  the  flesh,"  he  fell 
asleep  in  his  chair  during  the  early  morning  service  at  S. 
Peter's,  with  his  mind  preoccupied  by  a  longing  to  find 
the  burial-place  of  Cecilia  and  discover  her  relics.  Then, 
in  a  glorified  vision,  the  virgin-saint  appeared  before  him, 
and  revealed  the  spot  where  she  lay,  with  her  husband 
and  brother-in-law,  in  the  catacomb  of  Calixtus,  and  there 
they  were  found,  and  transported  to  her  church  on  the 
following  day. 

In  the  sixteenth  century,  Sfondrato,  titular  cardinal  of 
the  church,  opened  the  tomb  of  the  martyr,  when  the  em- 
balmed body  of  Cecilia  was  seen,  as  it  had  been  previously 
found  by  Paschal,  robed  in  gold  tissue,  with  linen  clothes 
steeped  in  blood  at  her  feet,  "  not  lying  upon  the  back,  like 
a  body  in  a  tomb,  but  upon  the  right  side,  like  a  virgin  in 
her  bed,  with  her  knees  modestly  drawn  together,  and 
offering  the  appearance  of  sleep."  Pope  Clement  VIII. 
and  all  the  people  of  Rome  rushed  to  look  upon  the  saint, 
who  was  afterward  inclosed  as  she  was  found,  in  a  shrine 
of  cypress  wood  cased  in  silver.  But  before  she  was  again 
hidden  from  sight,  the  greatest  artist  of  the  day,  Stefano 
Maderno,  was  called  in  by  Sfondrato  to  sculpture  the 
marble  portrait  which  we  now  see  lying  upon  her  grave. 
Sfondrato  (whose  tomb  is  in  this  church )  also  enriched  her 
shrine  with  the  ninety-six  silver  lamps  which  burn  con- 
stantly before  it.     In  regarding  this  statue  it  will  be  remem- 


68o  W A  Lies  I.V  ROME. 

bered  that  Cecilia  was  not  beheaded,  but  wounded  in  the 
throat — a  gold  circlet  conceals  the  wound. 

In  the  statue  "  the  body  lies  on  its  side,  the  limbs  a  little  drawn  up  ; 
the  hands  are  delicate  and  fine, — they  are  not  locked,  but  crossed  at 
the  wrists  :  the  arms  are  stretched  out.  The  drapery  is  beautifully 
modeled,  and  modestly  covers  the  limbs.  ...  It  is  the  statue  of  a 
lady,  perfect  in  form,  and  affecting  from  the  resemblance  to  reality  in 
the  drapery  of  the  white  marble,  and  the  unspotted  appearance  of  the 
statue  altogether.  It  lies  as  no  living  body  could  lie,  and  yet  correctly 
as  the  dead  when  left  to  expire, — I  mean  in  the  gravitation  of  the 
limbs." — Sir  C.  Bell. 

The  inscription,  by  Stefano  Maderno,  says  :  "  Behold  the  body  of 
the  most  holy  virgin  Cecilia,  whom  I  myself  saw  lying  incorrupt  in  her 
tomb.  I  have  in  this  marble  expressed  for  thee  the  same  saint  m  the 
very  same  posture  of  body." 

The  tribune  is  adorned  with  mosaics  of  the  ninth  cent- 
ury, erected  in  the  lifetime  of  Paschal  I.  (see  his  square 
nimbus).  The  Saviour  is  seen  in  the  act  of  benediction, 
robed  in  gold  :  at  his  side  are  SS.  Peter  and  Paul,  S.  Ce- 
cilia and  S.  Valerian,  S.  Paschal  I.  carrying  the  model  of 
his  church,  and  S.  Agatha,  whom  he  joined  with  Cecilia  in 
its  dedication.  The  mystic  palm-trees,  and  the  phoenix, 
the  emblem  of  eternity,  are  also  represented,  and,  beneath, 
the  four  rivers,  and  the  twelve  sheep,  emblematical  of  the 
apostles,  issuing  from  the  gates  of  Bethlehem  and  Jerusa- 
lem, to  the  adoration  of  the  spotless  Lamb.  The  picture 
of  S.  Cecilia  behind  the  altar  is  attributed  to  Guido. 

At  the  end  of  the  right  aisle  is  an  ancient  fresco  repre- 
senting the  drearn  of 'Pope  Paschal, — the  (mitered)  pope 
asleep  upon  his  throne,  and  the  saint  appearing  before  him 
in  a  rich  robe  adorned  with  gems.  This  is  the  last  of  a 
series  of  frescoes  which  once  existed  in  the  portico  of 
the  church.  The  rest  were  destroyed  in  the  seventeenth 
century.  There  are  copies  of  them  in  the  Barberini  li- 
brary, viz.  : 

1.  The  Marriage  Feast  of  Valerian  and  Cecilia. 

2.  Cecilia  persuades  Valerian  to  seek  for  S.  Urban. 

3.  Valerian  rides  forth  to  seek  for  Urban. 

4.  Valerian  is  baptized. 

5.  An  Angel  crowns  Cecilia  and  Valerian. 

6.  Cecilia  converts  her  Executioners. 

7.  Cecilia  suffers  in  the  Bath. 

8.  The  Martyrdom  of  Cecilia. 

9.  The  Burial  of  Cecilia. 
10.  The  Dream  of  Paschal. 


S.    CECILIA.  68 1 

Opening  out  of  the  same  aisle  are  two  chambers  in  the 
house  of  S.  Cecilia,  one  the  sudatorium  of  her  baths,  in 
which  she  was  immured,  actually  retaining  the  pipes  and 
calorifers  of  an  ancient  Roman  bath. 

The  Festa  of  S.  Cecilia  is  observed  in  this  church  on 
November  2 2d,  when 

—  "rapt  Cecilia,  seraph-haunted  queen  of  harmony" — 

is  honored  in  beautiful  music  from  the  papal  choir  as- 
sembled here.  Visitors  to  Bologna  will  recollect  the  gloria 
ous  figure  of  S.  Cecilia  by  Raffaelle,  wrapped  in  ecstasy, 
and  surrounded  by  instruments  of  music.  This  association 
w'th  Cecilia  probably  arises  from  the  tradition  of  the  church 
wnich  tells  how  Valerian,  returning  from  baptism  by  Pope 
Urban,  found  her  singing  hymns  of  triumph  for  his  con- 
version, of  which  he  had  supposed  her  to  be  ignorant,  and 
that,  when  the  bath  was  opened  after  her  three  days'  im- 
prisonment, she  was  again  found  singing  the  praises  of  her 
Saviour. 

It  is  said  that  "  she  sang  with  such  ravishing  sweetness, 
that  even  the  angels  descended  from  heaven  to  listen  to 
her,  or  to  join  their  voices  with  hers." 

The  antiphons  sung  upon  her  festival  are  : 

"  And  Cecilia,  thy  servant,  serves  thee,  O  Lord,  even  as  the  bee  that 
is  never  idle. 

"  I  bless  thee,  O  Father  of  my  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  for  through  thy 
Son  the  fire  hath  been  quenched  round  about  me. 

"  I  asked  of  the  Lord  a  respite  of  three  days,  that  I  might  con- 
secrate my  house  as  a  church. 

"  O  Valerian,  I  have  a  secret  to  tell  thee  :  I  have  for  my  lover  an 
angel  of  God,  who,  with  great  jealousy,  watches  over  my  body. 

"  The  glorious  virgin  ever  bore  the  Gospel  of  Christ  in  her  bosom, 
and  neither  by  day  nor  night  ceased  from  conversing  with  God  in 
prayer. " 

And  the  anthem  : 

"While  the  instruments  of  music  were  playing,  Cecilia  sang  unto 
the  Lord,  and  said.  Let  my  heart  be  undefiled,  that  I  may  never  be 
confounded. 

"  And  Valerianus  found  Cecilia  praying  in  her  chamber  with  an 
angel." 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Cecilia  is  one  of  the  chosen 
saints  daily  commemorated  in  the  canon  of  the  mass. 

'  Wordsworth. 
29* 


682  WALK'S  IN  HOME. 

"  Nobis  quoque  peccatoribus  famuHs  tuis,  de  multitudine  misera- 
tionum  tuarum  sperantibus,  partem  aliquam  et  societatem  donare  dig- 
neris  cum  luis  Sanctis  Apostolis  et  Martyribus:  cum  Joanne,  Stephano, 
Matthia,  Barnaba,  Ignatio,  Alexandre.  Marcellino,  Petro,  Felicitate, 
Perpetua,  Agatha,  Lucia,  Agnate,  Caeciiia,  Anastasia,  et  omnibus 
Sanctis." 

Just  beyond  S.  Cecilia  is  the  immense  Hospital  of  S. 
Michele,  founded  by  Cardinal  Odescalchi,  nephew  of  In- 
nocent XL,  in  1693,  as  a  refuge  for  vagabond  children, 
where  they  might  be  properly  brought  up  and  taught  a 
trade.  Innocent  XII.  (Pignatelli)  added  to  this  founda- 
tion a  hospital  for  sick  persons  of  both  sexes,  and  each 
succeeding  pope  has  increased  the  buildings  and  their  en- 
dowment. The  establishment  is  now  divided  into  an  asy- 
lum for  old  men  and  women,  a  school  with  ateliers  for  boyp 
and  girls,  and  a  penitentiary  (''  Casa  delle  Donne  cattive"). 
A  large  church  was  attached  to  the  hospital  by  Leo  XII. 
No  old  men  are  admitted  who  have  not  inhabited  Rome 
for  five  years  ;  if  tliey  are  still  able  to  work,  a  small  daily 
task  is  given  to  them.  The  old  women,  as  long  as  they  can 
work,  are  obliged  to  mend  and  wash  the  linen  of  the  estab- 
lishment. The  boys — for  the  most  part  orphans — are  re- 
ceived at  the  age  of  eleven.  The  girls  receive  a  dowry  of 
'>)00  francs  if  they  marry,  and  used  to  receive  double  that 
sum  if  they  consented  to  enter  a  convent.  A  printing-press 
is  attached  to  the  hospital. 

S.  Michele  occupies  the  site  of  the  sacred  grove  of  the 
goddess  Furina  (not  of  the  Furies),  where  Caius  Gracchus 
was  killed,  B.C.  123.  Protected  by  his  friends,  he  escaped 
from  the  Aventine,  where  he  had  first  taken  refuge,  and 
crossed  the  Pons  Sublicus.  A  single  slave  reached  the 
grove  of  Furina  with  him,  who,  having  in  vain  sought  for  a 
horse  to  continue  their  flight,  first  slew  his  master  and 
then  himself.  One  Septimuleius  then  cut  off  the  head  of 
Gracchus,  and — a  proclamation  having  been  issued  that 
any  one  who  brought  the  head  of  Caius  Gracchus  should 
receive  its  weight  in  gold — first  filled  it  with  lead,  and  then 
carried  it  on  a  spear  to  the  consul  Opimius,  who  paid  him 
his  blood-money. 

At  the  end  of  this  street  is  the  Porta  Portese,  built  by 
Urban  VIII. ,  through  which  runs  the  road  to  Porto  and 
Fiumicino. 


PORTA   PORTESE.  685 

Outside  this  gate  was  the  site  of  the  camp  of  Tarquin, — 
afterward  given  by  the  senate  to  Mutius  Scaevola,  for 
his  bravery  in  the  camp  of  Lars  Porsenna.  The  vine- 
yards here  have  an  interest  to  Roman  CathoHcs  as  the 
scene  of  one  of  the  miracles  attributed  to  S.  Francesca 
Romana. 

"  One  fine,  sunny  January  day,  Francesca  and  her  companions  had 
worked  since  dawn  in  the  vineyards  of  the  Porta  Portese.  They  had 
worked  hard  for  several  hours,  and  then  suddenly  remembered  that 
they  had  brought  no  provisions  with  them.  They  soon  became  faint 
and  hungry,  and,  above  all,  very  thirsty.  Perna,  the  youngest  of  all 
the  oblates,  was  particularly  heated  and  tired,  and  asked  permission  of 
the  Mother  Superior  to  go  to  drink  water  at  a  fountain  some  way  off 
on  the  public  road. 

"'Be  patient,  my  child,'  Francesca  answered,  and  they  went  on 
with  their  work  ;  but  Francesca,  withdrawing  aside,  knelt  down,  and 
said,  '  Lord  Jesus,  I  have  been  thoughtless  in  forgetting  to  provide 
food  for  my  sisters, — help  us  in  our  need.' 

"Perna,  who  had  kept  near  the  Mother  Superior,  said  to  herself, 
with  some  impatience,  '  It  would  be  more  to  the  purpose  to  take  us 
home  at  once.'  Then  Francesca,  turning  to  her,  said,  '  My  child,  you 
do  not  trust  in  God  ;  look  up  and  see.'  And  Perna  saw  a  vine  en- 
twined around  a  tree,  whose  dead  and  leafless  branches  were  loaded 
with  grapes.  In  speechless  astonishment  the  oblates  assembled  around 
the  tree,  for  they  had  all  seen  its  bare  and  withered  branches.  Twenty 
times  at  least  they  had  passed  before  it,  and  the  season  for  grapes  was 
gone  by.  There  were  exactly  as  many  bunches  as  persons  present." — 
See  Lady  G.  Fullertons  Life  of  S.  F.  Romana. 

From  the  back  of  S.  Michele  a  cross  street  leads  to  the 
Church  0/  S.  Maria  deW  Orto,  designed  by  Giulio  Romano, 
c.  1530,  except  the  facade,  which  is  by  Martino  Lunghi. 
The  high  altar  is  by  Giacomo  della  Porta.  The  church 
contains  an  Annunciation  by  Taddeo  Zucchero. 

"  Cette  eglise  appartient  a  plusieurs  corporations  ;  chacune  a  sa 
tombe  devant  sa  propre  chapelle,  et  sur  le  couvercle  sont  gravees  ses 
armes  particulieres  ;  un  coq  sur  la  tombe  des  marchands  de  volaille, 
une  pantoufle  sur  celle  des  savetiers,  des  artichauts  sur  celle  des  jar- 
diniers,  etc." — Rohello. 

Close  to  this,  at  the  end  of  the  street  which  runs  parallel 
with  S.  Michele,  is  the  Church  of  S.  Francesco  a  Ripa,  the 
noviciate  of  the  Franciscans — "  Frati  Minori."  The  con- 
vent contains  the  room  (approached  through  the  church) 
in  which  S.  Francis  lived,  dining  his  visits  at  Rome,  with 
many  relics  of  him.     His  stone  pillow  and  his  crucifix  are 


684  WALK'S  LV  ROME. 

shown,  and  a  picture  of  liim  by  G.  de  LettesoU.  An  altar 
in  his  chamber  supports  a  reUquary  in  which  18,000  relics 
are  displayed  ! 

The  church  was  rebuilt  soon  after  the  death  of  S.  Fran- 
cis by  the  knight  Pandolfo  d'  Anguillara  (his  castle  is  in 
the  Via  Lungaretta),  whose  tomb  is  in  the  church,  with 
his  figure,  in  the  dress  of  a  Franciscan  monk,  which  he 
assumed  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life.  It  was  again  rebuilt 
by  Cardinal  Pallavicini,  from  designs  of  Matteo  Rossi. 
Among  its  pictures  are  the  Virgin  and  S.  Anne  by  Bac- 
ciccio,  the  Nativity  by  Simon  Voieet,  and  a  Dead  Christ  by 
An?iibale  Caracci.  On  the  left  of  the  altar  is  the  Altieri 
chapel,  in  which  is  a  recumbent  statue  of  the  blessed  Luigi 
Albertoni,  by  Beniini.  In  the  third  chapel  on  the  right  is 
a  mummy,  said  to  be  that  of  the  virgin  martyr  S.  Semplicia. 
The  convent  garden  has  some  beautiful  palm-trees. 

Following  the  Via  Morticelli  we  regain  the  Via  Lunga- 
retta, near  S.  Benedetto.  This  street,  more  than  any  other 
in  Rome,  retains  remnants  of  mediaeval  architecture.  On 
the  right  (opposite  the  opening  to  the  west  end  of  S.  Cri- 
sogono)  is  the  entrance  to  the  old  Castle  of  the  Anguillara 
Family,  of  whom  were  Count  Pandolfo  d'  Anguillara  al- 
ready mentioned,  and  Everso,  his  grandson,  celebrated  for 
his  highway  robberies  between  Rome  and  Viterbo  in  the 
fifteenth  century;  also,  Orso  d' Anguillara,  senator  of  Rome, 
who  crowned  Petrarch  at  the  Capitol  on  Easter  Day,  1341. 
"  The  family  device,  two  crossed  eels,  surmounted  by  a 
helmet,  and  a  wild  boar  holding  a  serpent  in  his  mouth,  is 
believed  to  refer  to  the  story  of  the  founder  of  their  house, 
Malagrotta,  a  second  S.  George,  who  slew  a  terrible  ser- 
pent, which  had  devastated  the  district  round  his  abode, 
and  received  in  recompense  from  the  pope  the  gift  of  as 
much  land  as  he  could  walk  round  in  one  day."  ' 

The  existing  remains  consist  of  an  arch,  called  L'  Arco 
deir  Annunziata,  and  a  brick  tower,  where,  during  Epiph- 
any, a  remarkably  pretty  Presepio  was  exhibited,  in  which 
the  Holy  Family  and  the  Shepherds  were  seen  backed  by 
the  real  landscape. 

On  the  left,  is  the  fine  Church  of  S.  Crisogono,  founded 
by  Pope  Sylvester,  but  rebuilt  in  731,  and  again  by  Car- 
dinal Scipio  Borghese  (who  modernized  so  many  of  the  old 

Hemans'  Monuments  in  Rente. 


S.    GALLICANO.  ggr 

churches),  in  1623.  The  tower  is  mediaeval  (rebuilt?), 
but  spoilt  by  whitewash;  the  portico  has  four  ancient  gran- 
ite columns.  The  interior  is  a  basilica,  the  nave  be'ng 
separated  from  the  aisles  by  twenty-two  granite  columns, 
and  the  tribune  from  the  nave  by  two  magnificent  columns 
of  porphyry.  The  baldacchino,  of  graceful  proportions, 
rests  on  pillars  of  yellow  alabaster.  Over  the  tabernacle 
is  a  picture  of  the  Virgin  and  Child  by  the  Car.  a'  Arpino. 
The  mosaic  in  the  tribune,  probably  only  the  fragment  oi 
a  larger  design,  represents  the  Madonna  and  Child  en- 
throned, between  S.  James  the  Great  and  S.  Crisogono. 
The  stalls  are  good  specimens  of  modern  wood-carving. 
Near  the  end  of  the  right  aisle  is  the  modern  tomb  of  Anna 
Maria  Taigi,  lately  beatified  and  likely  to  be  canonized, 
though  readers  of  her  life  will  find  it  difficult  to  imagine 
why, — the  great  point  of  her  character  being  that  she  was 
a  good  wife  to  her  husband,  though  he  was  "  ruvido  di 
maniere,  e  grossolano. "  Stephen  Langton,  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  was  titular  cardinal  of  this  church. 

S.  Crisogono,  represented  in  the  mosaic  as  a  young 
knight,  stood  by  S.  Anastasia  during  her  martyrdom,  ex- 
horting her  to  patient  endurance.  He  was  afterward  him- 
self beheaded  under  Diocletian,  and  his  body  thrown  into 
the  sea. 

In  1866  an  Excubitoriufu  of  the  vuth  cohort  of  Vigiles 
(a  station  of  Roman  firemen)  was  discovered  near  this 
church.      Several  chambers  were  tolerably  perfect. 

On  the  left,  we  pass  the  Hospital  of  S.  Gallicaiio,  founded 
by  Benedict  XIII.  (Orsini),  in  1725,  as  is  told  by  the  in- 
scription over  the  entrance,  for  the  '  neglectis  rejectisque 
ab  omnibus.'  The  interior  has  two  long  halls  opening  into 
one  another,  the  first  containing  120  beds  for  men,  the 
second  88  for  women.  Patients  affected  with  maladies  of 
the  skin  are  received  here  to  the  number  of  100.  The 
principal  treatment  is  by  means  of  baths,  which  gives  the 
negative,  within  these  walls,  to  the  Italian  saying  that  '  an 
ancient  Roman  took  as  many  baths  in  a  week  as  a  modern 
Roman  in  all  his  life."  The  establishment  is  at  present 
under  the  management  of  the  Benfratelli  ('  Fate  Benefra- 
telli ').  S.  Gallicano,  to  whom  the  hospital  is  dedicated, 
was  a  Benfratello  of  the  time  of  Constantine,  who  devo- 
ted his  time  and  his  fortune  to  the  poor. 


686  WALKS  IN  HOME. 

At  the  upper  end  of  the  Via  Lungaretta  is  a  piazza  with 
a  very  handsome  fountain,  on  one  side  of  which  is  the 
Church  of  S.  Maria  in  'I'rasievere,  supposed  to  be  the  first 
church  in  Rome  dedicated  to  the  Virgin.  It  was  founded 
by  S.  Calixtus,  a.d.  224,  on  the  site  of  the  Taberna 
Meritoria,  an  asylum  for  old  soldiers,  where,  according  to 
Dion  Cassius,  a  fountain  of  pare  oil  sprang  up  at  the  time 
of  our  Saviour's  birth,  and  flowed  away  in  one  day  to  the 
Tiber,  a  story  which  gave  the  name  of  *  Fons  Olei '  to  the 
church  in  early  times.  It  is  said  that  wine-sellers  and 
tavern-keepers  (popinarii)  disputed  with  the  early  Christian 
inhabitants  for  this  site,  upon  which  the  latter  had  raised 
some  kind  of  humble  oratory,  and  that  they  carried  their 
complaint  before  x\lexander  Severus,  when  the  emperor 
awarded  the  site  to  the  Christians,  saying,  '  I  prefer  that  it 
should  belong  to  those  w'ho  honor  God,  v/hatever  be  their 
form  of  worship. " 

"  Ce  souvenir  augmente  encore  I'interet  qui  s'attache  a  I'eglise  de 
Santa  Maria  in  Trastevere.  Les  colonnes  antiques  de  granit  egyptien 
de  cette  basilique  et  les  belles  mosaiques  qui  la  decorent  me  touchent 
moins  que  la  tradition  d'apres  laquelle  elle  fut  elevee  la  ou  de  pauvres 
rhre'tiens  se  rassemblaient  dans  un  cabaret  purific  par  leur  piete,  pour  y 
celebrer  lecult  qui  devaitun  jour  etalerses  magnificences  sousle  deme 
resplendissant  de  Saint-Pierre.' — Ampere,  Emp.  ii.  318. 

The  church  v/as  rebuilt  in  340  by  Julius  I.,  and  after  a 
series  of  alterations  v/as  again  almost  entirely  reconstructed 
in  1 1 39  by  Innocent  II.,  as  a  thanksgiving  offering  for  the 
submission  of  the  anti-pope.  Eugenius  III.  (1145-50) 
finished  what  was  left  uncompleted,  but  the  new  basilica 
was  not  consecrated  until  the  time  of  Innocent  III.  (1198- 
1216).  The  tower,  apse,  tribune  and  mosaics  belong  to 
the  early  restoration  ;  the  rest  is  due  to  alteration  made 
by  Bernardino  Rosscllini  for  Nicholas  V. 

The  west  facade  is  covered  with  mosaics  ;  the  upper 
part — representing  the  Saviour  throned  between  angels — 
and  the  lower — of  palms,  the  twelve  sheep,  and  the  mystic 
cities — are  additions  by  Pius  IX.  in  1869.  The  central 
frieze  was  begun  in  the  twelfth  century  under  Eugenius  III., 
and  completed  in  the  fourteenth  by  Pietro  Cavallini.  It 
represents  the  Virgin  and  Child  enthroned  in  the  midst, 
and  ten  female  figures,  generally  described  as  the  Ten 
Virgins,— but  Hemans  remarks  : 


S.MARIA    IN    TRASTEVERE.  687 

"It  is  evident  that  such  subject  cannot  have  been  in  the  artist's 
thoughts,  as  each  stately  figure  advances  toward  the  throne  with  the 
same  devout  aspect  and  graceful  serenity,  the  same  faith  and  confi- 
dence ;  the  sole  observable  distinctions  being  that  the  two  with  unlit 
lamps  are  somewhat  more  matronly,  their  costumes  simpler,  than  is 
the  case  with  the  rest;  and  that  instead  of  being  crowned,  as  are  the 
others,  these  two  wear  vails.  Explanation  of  such  attributes  may  be 
found  in  the  mystic  meaning — the  light  being  appropriate  to  virgin 
saints,  the  oil  taken  to  signify  benevolence  or  almsgiving  ;  and  we  may 
conclude  that  those  without  light  represent  wives  or  widows,  the 
others  virgin  saints,  in  this  group.  Two  other  diminutive  figures  (the 
scale  indicating  humility),  who  kneel  at  the  feet  of  Marj',  are  Innocent 
II.  and  Eugenius  III.,  both  vested  in  the  pontifical  mantle,  but  bare- 
headed. Originally  the  Mother  and  Child  alone  had  the  nimbus 
around  the  head,  as  we  see  in  a  water-color  drawing  from  this  original 
(now  in  the  Barberini  Librar)')  dated  1640,  made  before  a  renovation 
by  which  that  halo  has  been  given  alike  to  all  the  female  figures. 
Another  much-faded  mosaic,  the  Madonna  and  Child,  under  an  arched 
canopy,  high  up  on  the  campanile,  may  perhaps  be  as  ancient  as  those 
on  the  facade." — Mediaeval  Christian  Art. 

The  portico  contains  two  frescoes  of  the  Annunciation, 
one  of  them  ascribed  to  Cavallini.  Its  walls  are  occupied 
by  early  Christian  and  pagan  inscriptions.  One,  of  the 
time  of  Trajan,  is  regarded  with  peculiar  interest :  "  marcus 

COCCEUS  LIB  .  AUG  .  AMBROSIUS  PRAEPOSITUS  VESTIS  ALBAE 
TRIU?.rPHALIS  FECIT  NICE  CONJUGI  SUAE  CUM  QUA  VIXIT 
ANNOS    XXXXV.    DIEBUS     XI.    SINE    ULLA    QUERELA."       The 

interior  is  that  of  a  basilica.  Between  the  doors  is  pre- 
served the  stone  said  to  have  been  attached  to  S.  Calixtus 
when  he  was  thrown  into  the  well.  The  nave,  paved  with 
opus-alexandrinum,  is  divided  from  the  aisles  by  twenty- 
two  ancient  granite  columns,  whose  Ionic  capitals  are  in 
several  instances  decorated  with  heads  of  pagan  gods. 
They  support  a  richly  decorated  architrave.  The  roof,  in 
the  center  of  which  is  a  picture  of  the  Assumption  of  the 
Virgin,  is  painted  by  DojuejiicJiino.  On  the  right  of  the 
entrance  is  a  ciborium  by  Mino  da  Fiesole.  The  high 
altar  covers  a  confession,  beneath  which  are  the  remains  of 
five  early  popes,  removed  from  the  catacombs.  Among 
the  tombs  are  those  of  the  painters  Lanfranco  and  Giro 
Ferri,  and  of  Bottari,  librarian  of  the  Vatican,  editor  of  the 
dictionary  of  the  Delia  Crusca  Academy,  and  canon  of 
this  church,  ob.  1775. 

Pope  Innocent  II.  is  buried  here  without  a  tomb. 

In  the  left  transept  is  a  beautiful  gothic  tabernacle  over 


688  WALKS  IN  HOME. 

an  altar,  erected  by  Cardinal  d'Alen9on,  nephew  of  Charles 
de  Valois,  and  brother  of  Philippe  le  Bel.  On  one  side  is 
the  tomb  of  that  cardinal,  in  early  life  Archbishop  of 
Rouen,  and  afterward  Bishop  of  Ostia  (the  fresco  repre- 
sents the  martyrdom  of  his  patron,  S.  Philip,  who  is  por- 
trayed as  crucified  with  his  head  downward  like  S.  Peter); 
on  the  other  is  the  monument  of  Cardinal  Stefaneschi 
temporal  vicar  of  Rome  in  the  reign  of  John  XXIII., 
by  Paolo  Roma?io,  one  of  the  first  sculptors  of  the  four- 
teenth century.  Opening  from  hence  is  a  chapel,  which 
has  a  curious  picture  of  the  Council  of  Trent  by  Taddeo 
Zucchero.  At  the  end  of  the  right  aisle  are  several  more 
fine  tombs  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  the  chapel  of  the 
Madonna  di  Strada  Cupa,  designed  by  Domenichino,  from 
whose  hand  is  the  figure  of  a  child  scattering  flowers, 
sketched  out  in  one  corner  of  the  vaulting. 

The  upper  part  of  the  tribune  is  adorned  with  magnifi- 
cent mosaics  (restored  in  modern  times  by  Camuccini)  of 
the  time  of  Innocent  II. 

"  In  the  center  of  the  principal  group  on  the  vault  is  the  Saviour, 
seated,  with  his  Mother,  crowned  and  robed  like  an  Eastern  Queen, 
beside  him,  both  sharing  the  same  gorgeous  throne  and  footstool; 
while  a  hand  extends  from  a  fan-like  glory,  with  a  jeweled  crown  held 
over  his  head  ;  she  (a  singular  detail  here)  giving  benediction  with  the 
usual  action  ;  He  embracing  her  with  the  left  arm,  and  in  the  right 
hand  holding  a  tablet  that  displays  the  words,  '  Veni,  electa  mea,  at 
ponam  in  thronum  nieum  '  ;  to  which  corresponds  the  text,  from  the 
Song  of  Solomon,  on  a  tablet  in  her  left  hand,  '  Laeva  ejus  sub  capita 
meo  et  dextera  illius  amplexabitur  me.'  Below  the  heavenly  throne 
stand,  each  with  name  inscribed  in  gold  letters.  Innocent  II.,  holding 
a  model  of  this  church  ;  S.  Laurence,  in  deacon's  vestments,  with  the 
Gospel  and  the  jeweled  cross  ;  the  sainted  popes,  Calixtus  I.,  Corne- 
lius, and  Julius  I.;  S.  Peter  (in  clas.sic  white  vestments),  and  Calepo- 
dius,  a  martyr  of  the  third  century,  here  introduced  because  his  body, 
together  with  those  of  the  other  saints  in  the  same  group,  was  brought 
from  the  catacombs  to  this  church. 

"  As  to  ecclesiastical  costume,  this  work  affords  decisive  evidence  of 
its  ancient  splendor  and  varieties.  We  do  not  see  the  keys  in  the  hands 
of  S.  Peter,  but  the  large  tonsure  on  his  head;  that  ecclesiastical  badge 
which  he  is  said  to  have  invented,  and  which  is  sometimes  the  sole 
peculiarity  (beside  the  ever-recognizable  type)  given  to  this  Apostle  in 
art. 

"  Above  the  archivolt  wa  see  a  cross  between  the  Alpha  and  Omega, 
and  the  winged  emblems  of  the  Evangelists  ;  latterly,  Jeremiah  and 
Jsaiah,  each  with  a  prophetic  text  on  a  scroll  :  along  a  frieze  below, 
twelve  sheep  advancing  from  the  holy  cities,  Jerusalem  and  Bethlehem, 


MONASTERY  OF  S.    ANNA.  689 

toward  the  Divine  Lamb,  who  stands  on  a  mount  whence  issue  the 
four  rivers  of  Paradise — or,  according  to  perhaps  juster  interpretation, 
the  four  streams  of  gospel  truth.  Pahns  and  a  phoenix  are  seen  beside 
the  two  prophets  ;  also  a  less  common  symbol — caged  birds,  that  sig- 
nify the  righteous  soul  incarcerated  in  the  body,  or  (with  highest  rev- 
erence) the  Saviour  in  his  assumed  humanity  ;  such  accessory  remind- 
ing of  the  ancient  usage,  in  some  countries,  of  releasing  birds  at 
funerals,  and  of  that  still  kept  up  amid  the  magnificent  canonization- 
rites,  of  offering  various  kinds  of  birds,  in  cages,  at  the  papal  throne. 
"  Remembering  the  date  of  the  composition  before  us,  about  a  cent- 
ury and  a  half  before  the  time  of  Cimabue  and  Giotto,  we  may  hail  in 
it,  if  not  an  actual  Renaissance,  the  dawn,  at  least,  that  heralds  a 
brighter  day  for  art,  compared  with  the  deep  gloom  previous." — He- 
mans'  Alediaeval  Christian  Art. 

Below  these  are  another  series  of  Mosaics  representing 
six  scenes  in  the  life  of  the  Virgin,  the  work  of  Pietro 
Cavallini,  of  the  thirteenth  century,  when  they  were  or- 
dered by  Bertoldo  Stefaneschi,  Avho  is  himself  introduced 
in  one  of  the  subjects.  In  the  center  of  the  tribune  is  an 
ancient  marble  episcopal  throne,  raised  by  a  flight  of 
steps. 

In  the  Sacristy  is  a  picture  of  the  Virgin  with  S.  Rocco 
and  S.  Sebastino,  by  Perugino.  Here  are  preserved  some 
beautiful  fragments  of  mosaics  of  birds,  &c.,  from  the  cat- 
acombs. 

Outside  the  right  transept  of  S.  Maria  is  a  picturesque 
shrine,  and  there  are  many  points  about  this  ancient  church 
which  are  interesting  to  the  artist.  The  palace,  which 
forms  one  side  of  the  piazza  at  the  west  end  of  the  church, 
formerly  Flazzo  Moroni^  is  now  used  as  the  summer  resi- 
dence of  the  Benedictine  monks  of  S.  Paolo,  who  are 
driven  from  their  convent  by  the  malaria  during  the  hot 
months.  During  the  revolutionary  government  of  1848- 
49,  a  number  of  priests  suffered  death  here,  which  has  led 
to  the  monastery  being  regarded  as  "the  Carmesof  Rome." 
The  modern  Church  of  S.  Calisto  contains  the  well  in  which 
that  pope  suffered  martyrdom,  a.d.  222.  This  well,  now 
seen  through  a  door  near  the  altar,  was  then  in  the  open 
air,  and  the  martyr  was  thrown  into  it  from  a  window  of  a 
house  in  which  he  had  been  imprisoned  and  scourged,  and 
v/here  he  had  converted  the  soldier  who  was  appointed  to 
guard  him.  His  festival  has,  till  recently,  been  celebrated 
here  with  great  splendor  by  the  monks. 

Opposite  S.    Calisto    is    the   Monastery   of  S.  Anna,  in 


690 


WALKS  /y  ROME. 


which  were  passed  the  last  days  of  the  beautiful  and 
learned  Vittoria  Colonna.  As  her  death  approached,  she 
was  removed  to  the  neighboring  house  of  her  kinsman 
Giuliano  Cesarini,  and  there  she  expired  (February,  1547) 
in  the  presence  of  her  devoted  friend,  Michael  Angelo,  who 
always  regretted  that  he  had  not  in  that  solemn  moment 
ventured  to  press  his  lips  for  the  first  and  last  time  to  her 
beautiful  countenance.  She  was  buried,  by  her  ov/n  desire, 
in  the  convent  chapel,  without  any  monument. 

Hence  a  lane  leads  to  the  Chiu'ch  of  S.  Cosimato,  in  an 
open  space  facing  the  hill  of  S.  Pietro  in  Montorio  (where 
stands  of  seats  are  placed  during  the  Girandola).  A 
court-yard  is  entered  through  a  low  arch  supported  by 
two  ancient  columns,  having  a  high  roof  with  rich  terra-cotta 
moldings, — beautiful  in  color.  The  court  contains  an 
antique  fountain,  and  is  exceedingly  picturesque.  The 
church  has  carefully  sculptured  details  of  cornice  and 
molding ;  the  door  is  a  good  specimen  of  mediaeval 
wood-carving.  The  wall  on  the  left  of  the  altar  is  occupied 
by  a  most  beautiful  fresco  by  Pijitu?-icchio,  representing 
S.  Francis  and  S.  Clare  standing  on  either  side  of  the 
Virgin  and  Child  ;  it  has  lately  been  ill  restored.  Opening 
from  the  end  of  the  left  aisle  is  a  very  interesting  chapel, 
decorated  with  frescoes,  and  containing  an  exquisite  altar 
of  the  fifteenth  century,  in  honor  of  tne  saints  Severa  and 
Fortunata,  with  statuettes  of  Faith,  Justice,  Charity,  and 
Hope.  Attached  to  the  church  is  a  very  large  convent  of 
Poor  Clares,  which  produced  two  saints,  Theodora  and 
Seraphina,  in  the  fifteenth  century. 

Following  in  the  Via  della  Scala,  on  the  south  side  of 
S.  Maria  in  Trastevere,  we  reach  the  Porta  Settiim'ana, 
built  by  Alexander  VI.  on  the  site  of  a  gateway  raised  by 
Honorius,  which  marked  the  position  of  an  arch  of  Sep- 
timius  Severus.  This  is  the  entrance  to  the  Via  Lungara, 
containing  the  Corsini  and  Farnesina  Palaces  (see  Chap- 
ter XX.).  The  gateway  has  forked  battlements,  but  is  much 
spoilt  by  recent  plasterings.  Near  this  is  S.  Dorotea,  an 
ugly  church,  but  important  in  church  history  for  its  con- 
nection with  the  foundation  of  the  Order  of  the  Theatins — 
which  arose  out  of  a  revulsion  from  the  sensuous  age  of 
Leo  X. — and  as  containing  the  tomb  of  their  founder,  Don 
Gaetano  di  Tcatino,  the  friend  of  Paul  IV. 


PONTE   SIS  TO.  691 

"  Des  le  regne  de  Leon  X.,  quelques  sj-mp tomes  d'une  reaction 
religieuse  se  manifesterent  dans  les  hautes  classes  de  la  societie  romaine. 
On  vit  un  certain  nombre  d'hommes  eminents  s'affilier  les  uns  aux 
autre,  afin  de  trouver  dans  de  saintes  pratiqueis  assez  de  force  pour 
resister  a  I'atmosphere  enervante  qui  les  entouralt.  lis  prirent  pour  leur 
association  le  litre  et  les  emblemes  de  I'amour  divin,  et  ils  s'assemble- 
rent,  a  des  jours  determines,  dans  I'eglise  de  Sainte-Dorothee,  pres  de 
la  porte  Settimiana.  Parmi  ces  hommes  de  foi  et  d'avenir,  oncitaitui, 
archeveque,  Caraffa  ;  un  protonotaire  apostolique,  Gattan  de  Thiene  ; 
un  noble  Venitien,  aussi  distingue  par  son  caractere  que  par  ses  talents, 
Contarini  ;  et  cinquante  autres  dont  les  noms  rappellaient  tous,  ou  una 
illustration,  ouune  haute  position  sociale,  tels  que  Lippomano,  Sadolet, 
Ghiberti. 

"  Mais  bientot  ces  premiers  essais  de  rupture  avec  la  tendance 
generale  des  esprits  enflammerent  Is  zele  de  plusieurs  des  membres  de 
la  congregation  de  V Amour  divin.  Caraffa  surtout,  doni  I'ame  ardente 
n'avait  trouve  qu'anxieties  et  fatigue  dans  les  grandeurs,  aspirait  a  une 
vie  d'action  qui  lui  permit  de  s'employer,  de  tous  ses  mo)  ens,  a  la 
reforme  du  monde.  II  trouve  dans  Gaetan  de  Thiene  des  dispositions 
conformes  a  ce  qu'il  desirait.  Gaetan  avals  cependant  un  charactere 
tres-different  du  sien  :  d'une  angelique  douceur,  craignant  de  se 
faire  entendre,  recherchant  la  meditation  et  la  retraite,  11  eut  voulu, 
lui  aussi,  reformer  le  monde,  mais  il  n'eiit  pas  voulu  en  etre  connu. 
Les  qualites  diverses  de  ces  deux  hommes  rares  es  combinerent  heur- 
eusement  dans  I'execution  du  projet  qu'ils  a\aient  con9u,  c'etait  de 
former  une  association  des  ccclesiastiques  voues  tout  ensemble  a  la 
contemplation  et  a  une  vie  austere,  a  la  predication  et  au  soin  des 
malades  ;  des  ccclesiastiques  qui  donnassent  partcut  au  clerge  I'exemple 
de  I'accomplissement  des  devoirs  der  sa  sainte  mission." — Gournierie, 
Rome.  Clirctienney  ii.,  157. 

"  When  Dorothea,  the  maiden  of  Cesarea,  was  condemned  to  death 
by  Sapritius,  she  replied  "  Be  it  so  ;  then  I  shall  the  sooner  stand  in  ' 
the  presence  of  Christ,  my  spouse,  in  whose  garden  are  the  fruits  of 
Paradise,  and  roses  that  never  fade.'  As  she  was  being  led  to  execu- 
tion, the  young  Theophilus  mocking  said,  'O  maiden,  gcest  thou  to 
join  thy  biidegroom  ?  send  me,  then,  I  pray  thee,  of  the  fruits  and 
flowers  which  grow  in  his  garden.'  And  the  maiden  bowed  her  head  and 
smiled,  saying,  'Thy  request  is  granted,  O  Theophilus,'  whereat  he 
laughed,  and  siie  went  forward  to  death. 

"And  behold,  at  the  place  of  execution,  a  beautiful  child,  with  hair 
like  the  sunbeam,  stood  beside  her,  and  in  his  hand  was  a  basket  con- 
taining three  fresh  roses  and  three  apples.  And  she  said,  '  Take  these 
to  Theophilus,  and  tell  him  that  Dorothea  waits  for  him  in  the  garden 
from  whence  they  came.' 

"And  the  child  sought  Theophilus,  and  gave  him  the  flowers  and 
the  fruits,  '-aying,  '  Dorothea  sends  thee  these,'  and  vanished.  And  the 
heart  of  Theophilus  melted,  and  he  ate  of  the  fruit  from  heaven,  and 
was  converted  and  professed  himself  one  of  Christ's  servants,  so  that 
he  alao  was  martyred,  and  was  translated  into  the  heavenly  garden." — 
Le^i-end. 

This  story  is  lolrl  in  nearly  al!  the  pictures  of  S.  Dorothea. 


6^2  WALJiTS  IN  ROME. 

Hence  we  reach  the  Ponte  Sisto,  built  1473-75  by  Six- 
tus  IV.  in  the  place  of  the  Pons  Janiculensis  (or,  accord- 
ing to  Ampere,  the  Pons  Antoninus),  which  Caracalla  had 
erected  to  reach  the  garden  in  the  Trastevere,  formerly 
belonging  to  his  brother  Geta, — but  which  was  known  as 
the  Pons  Fractus  after  a  flood  had  destroyed  part  of  it  in 
792.  The  Acts  of  Eusebius  describe  the  many  Christian 
martyrdoms  which  took  place  from  this  bridge.  S.  Sym- 
phorosa  under  Hadrian,  S.  Sabas  under  Aurelian,  S.  Cale- 
podius  under  Alexander,  and  S.  Anthimius  under  Diocle- 
tian, were  thrown  into  the  Tiber  from  hence,  with  many 
others,  whose  bodies,  usually  drifting  to  the  island  then 
called  Lycaonia,  were  recovered  there  by  their  faithful 
disciples.  1  An  inscription  begs  the  prayers  of  the  pas- 
sengers for  its  papal  founder  ;  but  the  bridge  has  been 
completely  modernized  and  spoiled,  to  carry  out  a  ludicrous 
scheme,  which  unfortunately  originated  with  the  patriot 
Garibaldi,  since  the  change  of  government  in  1870.  It  is 
an  Italian  superstition  that  you  have  no  good  luck  if  you 
cannot  see  a  white  horse,  an  old  woman,  and  a  priest,  while 
crossing  this  bridge. 

Beautiful  views  might  formerly  be  obtained  from  hence 
— on  the  one  side  of  the  island,  of  the  temple  of  Vesta,  and 
the  Alban  hills  ;  on  the  other  of  S.  Peter's  rising  behind 
the  Farnesina,  and  the  grand  mass  of  the  Farnese  Palace 
towering  above  the  less  important  buildings. 

"  They  had  reached  the  bridge  and  stopped  to  look  at  the  view, 
perhaps  the  most  beautiful  of  all  those  seen  from  the  Roman  bridges. 
Looking  toward  the  hills,  the  Tiber  was  spanned  by  Ponte  Rotto, 
under  which  the  old  black  mills  were  turning  ceaselessly,  almost  level 
with  the  tawny  water  :  the  sunshine  fell  full  on  the  ruins  of  the  Pala- 
tine, about  the  base  of  which  had  gathered  a  crowd  of  modern  build- 
ings ;  a  brick  campanile,  of  the  middle  ages,  rose  high  above  them 
against  the  blue  sky,  which  was  seen  through  its  open  arches  ;  beyond 
were  the  Latin  Hills  ;  on  the  other  hand,  S.  Peter's  stood  pre-emi- 
nent in  the  distance  ;  nearer,  a  stack  of  picturesque  old  houses  were 
half  hidden  by  orange-trees,  where  golden  fruit  clustered  thickly  ; " 
women  leaned  from  the  windows,  long  lines  of  flapping  clothes  hung 
out  to  dry  ;  below,  the  ferry-boat  was  crossing  the  river,  impelled  by 
the  current.  Modern  and  ancient  Rome  all  mingled  together — every- 
where were  thrilling  names  connected  with  all  that  was  most  glorious 

'  See  the  Acts  of  the  Martyrs  S  Hippolytus  and  S.  Adrian,  and  the  Acts  of 
S.  Calepodius,  quoted  by  Canina,  A'.  Ani.  p.  584. 

2  The  old  houses  and  orancjc -trees  were  wantonly  destroyed  by  the  govern- 
ment, with  much  of  the  Farnesina  Gardens,  in  1878. 


S.    PAOLO   ALLA    REGOLA.  693 

in  the  past.      The  modern  are  richer  than  their  ancestors,  the  past  is 
theirs  as  well  as  the  present." — Madcmoislle  Mori. 

Close  to  the  farther  entrance  of  the  bridge,  opposite  the 
Via  GiuHa.  stood  till  1879,  when  it  was  wantonly  destroyed 
by  the  Italian  government,  the  noble  Fountain  of  the  Ponte 
Sisto,  built  by  Paul  V.  from  designs  of  Fontana.  No  one 
can  recollect  its  perfect  proportions  and  the  dash  and  play 
of  its  crystal  waters,  without  a  bitter  pang  of  anguish  over 
one  of  the  most  disgraceful  of  the  many  injuries  which  the 
city  has  sustained  since  the  fall  of  the  papal  power.  The 
fountam  may  be  rebuilt  but  can  never  have  its  original 
grandeur  and  beauty,  and,  having  been  designed  for  one 
especial  site,  it  is  unsuited  for  another. 

Near  this,  in  the  Via  della  Regola,  behind  the  church  of 
S.  Paolo  alia  Pes^ola,  is  S.  Paul's  school,  on  the  site  of  the 
building  in  which  he  is  said  to  have  instructed  catechumens 
in  the  Christian  faith,  and  where  tradition  asserts  that  he 
held  a  discussion  with  the  philosopher  Seneca. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  TRE  FONTANE  AND  S.  PAOLO, 

The  Marmorata — Arcodi  S.  I.azzaro — Protestant  Cemetery — Pyrannd 
of  Caius  Cestius — Monte  Testaccio — Porta  S.  Paolo — Chapel  of  tl.^ 
Farewell — The  Tre  Fontane  (SS.  Vincenzo  ed  Anaslasio — S.  Mar' a 
Scala  Coeli — S.  Paolo  alle  Tre  Fontane) — Basilica  and  Monastery 
of  S.  Paolo. 

BEYOND  the  Piazza  Bocca  della  Verita  the  Via  dclla 
Marmorata  is  spanned  by  an  arch  which  nearly 
marks  the  site  of  the  Porta  Trigemina,  by  which  Marius 
fled  to  Ostia  before  Sulla  in  B.C.  88.  Near  this  stood  the 
statue  erected  by  public  subscription  to  Minucius,  whose 
jealousy  brought  about  the  execution  of  the  patriot  Maelius, 
B.C.  440.  Here  also  was  the  temple  of  Jupiter  Inventor, 
whose  dedication  was  attributed  to  the  gratitude  of  Her- 
cules for  the  restoration  of  his  cattle  carried  off  by  Cacus 
to  his  cave  on  the  neighbouring  Aventine. 

It  was  at  the  Porta  Trigemina  that  Camillus  (b.  c.  391), 
sent  into  exile  to  Ardea  by  the  accusations  of  the  plebs, 
stayed,  and  stretching  foith  his  hands  to  the  Capitol, 
prayed  to  the  gods  who  reigned  there  that,  if  he  was  unjustly 
expelled,  Rome  might  "one  day  have   need  of  Camillub. " 

Passing  the  arch,  the  road  skirts  the  wooded  escarpment 
of  the  Aventine,  crowned  by  its  three  churches — S.  Sabina, 
S.  Alessio,  and  the  Priorato. 

"  De  ce  cote,  entre  TAventin  et  le  Tibre,  hors  de  le  porte  Trigemina, 
etaient  divers  marches,  notamment  le  marche  aux  bois,  le  marche  a  la 
farine  et  au  pain,  les  konra,  magasins  de  bles.  Le  voisinage  de  ces 
marches,  de  ces  magasins  et  de  Femporium,  produisait  un  grand  mouve- 
ment  de  transport  et  fournissait  de  I'occupation  a  beaucoup  de  porte- 
faix.  I'laute  '  fait  allusion  a  ces  porteurs  de  sacs  de  la  porte  Trige- 
mina. On  peut  en  voir  encore  tous  les  jours  remplir  le  mcme  office  au 
mcme  lieu. — Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  iv.  75. 

'  Plautus,  Capt.  i.  i,  22. 

694 


PYRAMID   OF  CAIUS  CESTIUS.  695 

From  the  landing-place  for  modern  Carrara  marble,  a 
new  road  on  the  right,  planted  with  trees,  leads  along  the 
river  to  the  ancient  Afannoratay  discovered  1867-6S,  when 
many  magnificent  blocks  of  ancient  marble  were  found 
buried  in  the  mud  of  the  Tiber.  Excavations  in  the  latter 
days  of  the  papal  power  laid  bare  the  inclined  planes  by 
which  the  marbles  were  landed,  and  the  projecting  bars  of 
stone  with  rings  for  mooring  the  marble  vessels. 

In  the  neighboring  vineyard  are  the  massive  ruins  of  the 
Emporium,  or  magazine  for  merchandise,  founded  by  M. 
Aemilius  Lepidus  and  L.  Aemilius  Paulus,  the  aediles  in  b. 
c.  186.  Upon  the  ancient  walls  of  this  time  is  ingrafted  a 
small  and  picturesque  winepress  of  the  fifteenth  century. 
The  neighboring  vineyard  is  much  frequented  by  marble 
collectors. 

A  short  distance  beyond  the  turn  to  the  Marmorata  the 
main  road  is  crossed  by  an  ancient  brick  arch,  called  Arco 
di  S.  Lazzaro,  or  Arco  della  Salara,  by  the  side  of  which  is 
a  hermitage. 

About  half  a  mile  beyond  this  we  reacli  the  Porta  S. 
Paolo,  built  by  Belisarius  on  the  site  of  the  Ancient  Porta 
Ostiensis. 

It  was  here,  just  within  the  Ostian  Gate,  that  the  Em- 
peror Claudius,  returning  from  Ostia  to  take  vengeance 
upon  Messalina,was  met  by  their  two  children,  Octavia  and 
Brittanicus,  accompanied  by  a  vestal,  who  insisted  upon 
the  rights  of  her  Order,  and  imperiously  demanded  that 
the  empress  should  not  be  condemned  undefended. 

"  Totila  entra  par  la  porte  Asinaiiate  une  autre  fois  par  la  porte 
Ostiensis,  aujourd'hui  porte  Saint-Paul;  par  la  meme  porte,  Genseric, 
que  la  mer  apportait,  et  qui,  en  s'embarquant,  avait  dit  a  son  pilote  : 
'  Conduis-moi  vers  le  rivage  que  menace  la  colere  divine.'" — Ampl-re, 
Emp.  ii.  395. 

Close  to  this  is  the  famous  pyramid  of  Cains  Cestius. 
It  is  built  of  brick,  coated  with  marble,  and  is  125  feet  high, 
and  100  feet  wide  at  its  square  basement.  In  the  midst  is 
a  small  sepulchral  chamber,  painted  with  arabesques.  Two 
inscriptions  on  the  exterior  show  that  the  Caius  Cestius 
buried  here  was  a  praetor,  a  tribune  of  the  people,  and  one 
of  the  "  Epulones "  appointed  to  provide  the  sacrificial 
feasts  of  the  gods.  He  died  about  30  B.C.,  leaving  Agrippa 
as  his  executor,  and   desiring  by  his  will  that  his  body 


696 


WALKS  IN-  ROME. 


might  be  buried  wrapped  up  in  precious  stuffs.  Agrippa, 
however,  applied  to  him  the  law  which  forbade  luxurious 
burial,  and  spent  the  money,  partly  upon  the  pyramid  and 
partly  upon  erecting  two  colossal  statues  in  honor  of  the 
deceased,  of  which  the  pedestals  have  been  found  near  the 
tomb.  In  the  middle  ages  this  was  supposed  to  be  the 
sepulchcr  of  Remus. 

"  Cette  pyramide,  sauf  les  dimensions,  est  absolument  semblable  aux 
pyramides  d'Egypte.  Si  Ton  pouvait  encore  douter  que  celles-ci 
etaient  des  tombeaux,  I'imitation  des  pyramides  egyptiennes  dans  un 
tombeau  romam  serait  un  argument  de  plus  pour  prouver  qu'elles 
avaient  une  destination  funeraire.  La  chambre  qu'on  a  Irouvee  dans 
le  monumen  de  Cestius  etait  decoree  de  peintures  dont  quelques-unes 
ne  sont  pas  encore  effacees.  C'etait  la  coutume  des  peuples  anciens, 
notamment  des  Egyptiens  et  des  Etrusques,  de  peindre  I'interieur  des 
tombeaux,  que  Ton  fermait  ensuite  soigneusement.  Ces  peintux-es, 
souvent  tres-considerables,  n'etaient  que  pour  le  mort,  et  ne  devaient 
jamais  etre  vues  par  I'oeil  d'un  vivant.  II  en  etait  certainement  ainsi 
de  celles  qui  decoraient  la  chamble  sepulchrale  de  la  pyramide  de 
Cestius,  car  cette  chambre  n'avait  aucune  entree.  L'ouverture  par 
laquelle  on  y  penelre  adjourd'hui  est  moderne.  On  avail  depose  le  corps 
ou  les  cendres  avant  de  terminer  le  monument,  on  acheva  en  suite  de 
le  batir  jusqu'au  sommet." — Ampere,  Emp.  i.  347. 

"  S.  Paul  was  led  to  execution  beyond  the  city  walls,  upon  the  road 
to  Ostia.  As  he  issued  forth  from  the  gate,  his  eyes  must  have  rested 
for  a  moment  upon  that  sepulchral  pyramid  which  stood  beside  the 
road,  and  still  stands  unshattered,  amid  the  wreck  of  so  many  centu- 
ries, upon  the  same  spot.  That  spot  was  then  only  the  burial-place 
of  a  single  Roman  ;  it  is  now  the  burial-place  of  many  Britons.  The 
mausoleum  of  Caius  Cestius  rises  conspicuously  among  humbler 
graves,  and  marks  the  site  where  Papal  Rome  suffers  her  Protestant 
sojourners  to  bury  their  dead.  In  England  and  in  Germany,  in  Scan- 
dinavia and  in  America,  there  are  hearts  which  turn  to  that  lofty  ceno- 
taph as  the  sacred  point  of  their  whole  horizon  ;  even  as  the  English 
villager  turns  to  the  gray  church  tower  which  overlooks  the  grave- 
stones of  his  kindred.  Among  the  works  of  man,  that  pyramid  is  the 
only  surviving  witness  of  the  martyrdom  of  S.  Paul  ;  and  we  may 
thus  regard  it  with  yet  deeper  interest,  as  a  monument  unconsciously 
erected  by  a  pagan  to  the  memory  of  a  martyr.  Nor  let  us  think  those 
who  lie  beneath  its  shadow  are  indeed  resting  (as  degenerate  Italians 
fancy)  in  unconsecrated  ground.  Rather  let  us  say,  that  a  spot  where 
the  disciples  of  Paul's  faith  now  sleep  in  Christ,  so  near  the  soil  once 
watered  by  his  blood,  is  doubly  hallowed  ;  and  that  their  resting-place 
is  most  fitly  identified  with  the  last  earthly  journey,  and  the  dying 
glance  of  their  own  patron  saint,  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles." — Cony- 
beare  and  Ilowson. 

At  the  foot  of  the  Pyramid  is  the  Old  Protestant  Cemetery, 
a  lovely  spot,  now  closed. 


OLD   PROTESTAXT  CEMETERY.  697 

"  The  cemetery  is  an  open  space  among  the  ruins,  covered  in  win- 
ter with  violets  and  daisies.  It  might  make  one  in  love  with  death, 
to  think  that  one  should  be  buried  in  so  sweet  a  place." — Shelley, 
Preface  to  Adonais. 

Here  is  the  grave  of  Keats,  with  the  inscription  : 

"  This  grave  contains  all  that  was  mortal  of  a  young  English  poet, 
who,  on  his  death-bed,  in  the  bitterness  of  his  heart  at  the  malicious 
power  of  his  enemies,  desired  these  words  to  be  engraven  on  his  tomb- 
stone :  '  Here  lies  one  whose  name  was  writ  in  water.'  February  24, 
1821." 

"Go  thou  to  Rome — at  once  the  paradise. 
The  grave,  the  city,  and  the  wilderness  ; 
And  where  its  wrecks  like  shattered  mountains  rise, 
And  flowering  weeds,  and  fragrant  copses  dress 
The  bones  of  desolation's  nakedness, 
Pass,  till  the  spirit  of  the  spot  shall  lead 
Thy  footsteps  to  a  slope  of  green  access, 
Where,  like  an  infant's  smile,  over  the  dead, 
A  light  of  laughing  flowers  along  the  grass  is  spread, 

"  And  gray  walls  molder  round,  on  which  dull  Time 
Feeds,  like  slow  fire  upon  a  hoary  brand  ; 
And  one  keen  pyramid,  with  wedge  sublime. 
Pavilioning  the  dust  of  him  who  planned 
This  refuge  for  his  memory,  doth  stand 
Like  flame  transformed  to  marble  ;  and  beneath 
A  field  is  spread,  on  which  a  newer  band 
Have  pitched  in  Heaven's  smile  their  camp  of  death, 
Welcoming  him  we  lose  with  scarce  extinguished  breath." 

Shelley's  Adonais, 

To  a  grave  near  that  of  Keats,  the  remains  of  his  faith- 
ful friend,  Joseph  Severn,  the  artist,  were  removed  in  the 
spring  of  1882. 

Very  near  is  the  grave  of  Augustus  WiHiam  Hare,  the 
elder  of  the  two  brothers  who  wrote  the  "  Guesses  at 
Truth,"  ob.  1834. 

"  Wlien  I  am  inclined  to  be  serious,  I  love  to  wander  up  and  down 
before  the  tomb  of  Caius  Cestius.  The  Protestant  burial-ground  is 
there,  and  most  of  the  little  monuments  are  erected  to  the  young — 
young  men  of  promise,  cut  off  when  on  their  travels,  full  of  enthusi- 
asm, full  of  enjoyment  ;  brides  in  the  bloom  of  their  beauty,  on  their 
first  journey  ;  or  children  borne  from  home  in  search  of  health.  This 
stone  was  placed  by  his  fellow  travelers,  young  as  himself,  who  will 
return  to  the  house  of  his  parents  without  him  ;  that,  by  a  husband  or 
a  father,  now  in  his  native  country.  His  heart  is  buried  in  that 
grave. 

"  It  is  a  quiet  and  sheltered  nook,  covered  in  the  winter  with  violets," 

30 


698 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


and  the  pyramid,  that  overshadows  it,  gives  it  a  classic  and  singfularly 
solemn  air.  You  feel  an  interest  there,  a  sympathy  you  were  not  pre- 
pared for.  You  are  yourself  in  a  foreign  land  ;  and  they  are  for  the 
most  part  your  countrymen.  They  call  upon  you  in  your  mother 
tongue — in  English — in  words  unknown  to  a  native,  known  only  to 
yourself  :  and  the  tomb  of  Cestius,  that  old  majestic  pile,  has  this  also 
in  common  with  them.  It  is  itself  a  stranger  among  strangers.  It  has 
stood  there  till  the  language  spoken  round  about  it  has  changed  ;  and 
the  shepherd,  bom  at  the  foot,  can  read  the  inscription  no  longer." — 
Rogers. 

The  New  Burial  Ground  was  opened  in  1825.  It  ex- 
tends for  some  distance  along  the  slope  of  the  hill  under 
the  old  Aurelian  Wall,  and  is  beautifully  shaded  by  cy- 
presses, and  carpeted  with  violets.  Amid  the  forest  of 
tombs  we  may  notice  that  which  contains  the  heart  of 
Shelley  (his  body  having  been  burnt  upon  the  shore  at 
Lerici,  where  it  was  thrown  up  by  the  sea).  Leigh  Hunt 
wrote  the  epitaph  : — 

"Percy  Bysshe  Shelley,  Cor  Cordium.  Natus  iv.  Aug.  mdccxcii. 
Obiit  viil.  Jul.  MDCCcxxii. 

to  which  Shelley's  faithful  friend  Trelawny  added  the  lines, 
from  Ariel's  song,  which  was  much  loved  by  the  poet : — 

"  Nothing  of  him  that  doth  fade, 
But  doth  suffer  a  sea  change 
Into  something  rich  and  strange." 

Another  noticeable  tomb  is  that  of  Gibson  the  sculptor, 
who  died  in  1868. 

From  the  fields  in  front  of  the  cemetery  [Fraii  del  Popolo 
Romano),  surmounted  by  a  cross,  rises  the  Monte  Testaccio, 
only  160  feet  in  height,  but  worth  ascending  for  the  sake 
of  the  splendid  view  it  affords.  The  extraordinary  forma- 
tion of  this  hill,  which  is  entirely  composed  of  broken  pieces 
of  pottery,  has  long  been  an  unexplained  bewilderment. 

"  Le  Monte-Testaccio  est  pour  moi,  des  nombreux  problemes  qu'of- 
frent  les  antiquites  romaines,  le  plus  difficile  a  resoudre.  On  ne  peut 
s'arreter  a  discuter  serieusement  la  tradition  d'apres  laquelle  il  aurait 
ete  forme  avec  les  debris  des  vases  contenant  les  tributs  qu'apportaient 
a  Rome  les  peuples  soumis  par  elle.  C'est  la  evidement  une  legende 
du  moyen  age  nee  du  souvenir  de  la  grandeur  romaine  et  imaginee  pour 
exprimer  la  haute  idee  qu'on  s'en  faisait,  comme  on  avail  imagine  ces 
statues  de  provinces  placees  au  Capitole,  et  dont  chacune  portait  au 
cou  une  cloche  qui  sonnait  tout-a-coup  d'elle-meme,  quand  unfc  pro- 
vince se  soulevait,  comme  on  a  pretendu  que  le  lit  du  Tibre  etait  pave 


TRE  FONT  AXE.  6yy 

en  airain  par  les  tributs  apportes  aux  empereurs  remains.     II  faut 
done  chercher  une  autre  explication." — Ampere,  Emp.  ii.  386. 

Just  outside  the  Porta  S-  Paolo  is  (on  the  right)  a  vine- 
yard which  belonged  to  S.  Francesca  Romana  (born  13S4, 
canonized  1608  by  Paul  V.). 

"  Instead  of  entering  into  the  pleasures  which  her  birth  and  riches 
entitled  her,  S.  Francesca  went  every  day,  disguised  in  a  coarse  woolen 
garment  to  her  vineyard,  and  collected  fagots,  which  she  brought  into 
the  city  on  her  head,  and  distributed  to  the  poor.  If  the  weight  ex- 
ceeded her  womanly  strength,  she  loaded  therewith  an  ass,  following 
after  on  foot  with  great  humility." — Mrs.  Jameson's  Monastic  Orders. 

A  Straight  road  a  mile  and  a  half  long  leads  from  the 
gate  to  the  basilica.  Halfway  (on  the  left)  is  the  humble 
chapel  which  commemorates  the  farewell  of  S.  Peter  and 
S.  Paul  on  their  way  to  martyrdom,  inscribed  : 

"  In  this  place  SS.  Peter  and  Paul  separated  on  their  way  to  mar- 
tyrdom. 

"And  Paul  said  to  Peter,  '  Peace  be  with  thee.  Foundation  of  the 
Church,  Shepherd  of  the  flock  of  Christ.' 

"  And  Peter  said  to  Paul,  '  Go  in  peace,  Preacher  of  good  tidings, 
and  Guide  of  the  salvation  of  the  just.'"  ' 

Passing  the  basilica,  which  looks  outside  like  a  very  ugly 
railway  station,  let  us  visit  the  scene  of  the  martyrdom, 
before  entering  the  grand  church  which  arose  in  conse- 
quence. 

The  road  we  now  traverse  is  the  scene  of  the  legend  of 
Plautilla. 

"  S.  Paul  was  beheaded  by  the  sword  outside  the  Ostian  gate,  about 
two  miles  from  Rome,  at  a  place  called  Ad  Aquas  Salvias,  now  the 
'  Tre  Fontane.'  The  legend  of  his  death  relates  that  a  certain  Roman 
matron  named  Plautilla.  one  of  the  converts  of  S.  Peter,  placed  herself 
on  the  road  by  which  S.  Paul  passed  to  his  martyrdom,  to  behold  him 
for  the  last  time  ;  and  when  she  saw  him  she  wept  greatly,  and  besought 
his  blessing.  The  apostle  then,  seeing  her  faith,  turned  to  her,  and 
begged  that  she  would  give  him  her  vail  to  blind  his  eyes  when  he  should 
be  beheaded,  promising  to  return  it  to  her  after  his  death.  The  at- 
tendants mocked  at  such  a  promise,  but  Plautilla,  with  a  woman's 
faith  and  charity,  taking  off  her  vail,  presented  it  to  him.  After  his 
martyrdom,  S.  Paul  appeared  to  her,  and  restored  the  vail  stained 
with  his  blood. 

"  In  the  ancient  representations  of  the  martyrdom  of  S.  Paul,  the 
legend  of  Plautilla   is   seldom  omitted.     In   the  picture  by  Giotto  in 

>  See  the  Epistle  of  S.  Denis  the  Areopagite  to  Timothy. 


yOO  IVALKS  IN  ROME. 

the  sacristy  of  S.  Peter's,  Plautilla  is  seen  on  an  eminence  in  the  back- 
ground, receiving  the  vail  from  the  hands  of  S.  Paul,  who  appears  in 
the  clouds  above  ;  the  same  representation,  but  little  varied,  is  executed 
in  bass-relief  on  the  bronze  doors  of  S.  Peter's." — -Jameson  s  Sacred  Art. 

The  lane  which  leads  to  the  Tre  Fontane  ttirns  off  to 
the  left  a  little  beyond  S.  Paolo. 

"  In  all  the  melancholy  vicinity  of  Rome,  there  is  not  a  more  melan- 
choly spot  than  the  Tre  Fontane.  A  splendid  monastery,  rich  with 
all  the  offerings  of  Christendom,  once  existed  there  :  the  ravages  of  that 
mysterious  scourge  of  the  Campagna,  the  malaria,  have  rendered  it  a 
desert ;  three  ancient  churches  and  some  ruins  still  exist,  and  a  few 
pale  monks  wander  about  the  swampy,  dismal  confines  of  the  hollow 
in  which  they  stand.  In  winter  you  approach  them  through  a  quag- 
mire ;  in  summer,  you  dare  not  breathe  in  their  pestilential  vicinity  ; 
and  yet  there  is  a  sort  of  dead  beauty  about  the  place,  something 
hallowed  as  well  as  sad,  which  seizes  on  the  fancy." — -Jatuesons 
Sacred  Art. 

The  convent  was  bestowed  in  1867  by  Pius  IX.  upon 
the  French  Trappists,  and  twelve  brethren  of  the  Order 
went  to  reside  there.  Entering  the  little  inclosure,  the  first 
church  on  the  right  is  S.  Maria  Scala  Coeli,  supposed  to 
occupy  the  site  of  the  cemetery  of  S.  Zeno,  in  which  the 
12,000  Christians  employed  in  building  the  Baths  of  Diocle- 
tian were  buried.  The  present  edifice  was  the  work  of 
Vignola  and  Giacomo  della  Porta  in  1582.  The  name  is 
derived  from  the  legend  that  here  S.  Bernard  had  a  vision 
of  a  ladder  which  led  to  heaven,  its  foot  resting  on  this 
church,  and  of  angels  on  the  ladder  leading  upward  the 
souls  whom  his  prayers  had  redeemed  from  purgatory. 
The  mosaics  in  the  apse  were  the  work  of  F.  Zitcc/iero,  in 
the  sixteenth  century,  and  are  perhaps  the  best  of  modern 
mosaics.  They  represent  the  saints  Zeno,  Bernard,  Vin- 
cenzo,  and  Anastasio,  adored  by  Pope  Clement  VIII.  and 
Cardinal  Aldobrandini,  under  whom  the  remodeling  of  the 
church  took  place. 

The  second  church  is  the  basilica  of  SS.  Vincenzo  ed 
Anastasio,  founded  by  Honorius  I.  (625),  and  restored  by 
Honorius  III.  (1221),  when  it  was  consecrated  afresh.  It 
is  approached  by  an  atrium  with  a  penthouse  roof,  support- 
ed by  low  columns,  and  adorned  with  decaying  frescoes, 
among  which  the  figure  of  Honorius  III.  may  be  made 
out.  The  interior,  which  reeks  with  damp,  is  almost 
entirely    of   the    twelfth    century,    and,    as    Gregorovius 


S.    PAOLO  ALLE    TRE  FONTANE.  73 f 

observes,  "  there  is  no  church  in  Rome  where  one  breathes 
a  greater  air  of  antiquity  than  here."  The  pillars  are 
adorned  with  coarse  frescoes  of  the  apostles. 

"  S.  Vincenzo  alle  Tre  Frontane  so  far  deviates  from  the  usual  basil- 
ican  arrangement  as  almost  to  deserve  the  appellation  of  gotliic.  It 
has  the  same  defect  as  all  the  rest — its  pier  arches  being  too  low,  for 
which  there  is  no  excuse  here ;  but  both  internally  and  externally  it 
shows  a  uniformity  of  design,  and  a  desire  to  make  every  part  orna- 
mental, that  produces  a  very  pleasing  effect,  although  the  whole  is 
merely  of  brick,  and  ornament  is  so  sparingly  applied  as  only  just  to 
prevent  the  building  sinking  to  the  class  of  mere  utilitarian  erections." 
— Fergitsson  s  Handbook  of  Architecture,  vol.  ii. 

The  two  saints  whose  relics  are  said  to  repose  here  were  in  nowise 
connected  in  their  lifetime.  S.  Vincenzo,  who  suffered  A.  D.  304,  was  a 
native  of  Sarago.ssa,  cruelly  tortured  to  death  at  Valencia,  under  Dacian, 
by  being  racked  on  a  slow  fire  over  a  gridiron,  "  of  which  the  bars  were 
framed  like  scythes."  His  story  is  told  with  horrible  detail  by  Pru- 
dentius.  Anastasius,  who  died  A.  D.  62S,  was  a  native  of  Persia,  who 
had  become  a  Christian  and  taken  the  monastic  habit  at  a  convent  near 
Jerusalem.  He  was  tortured  and  finally  strangled,  under  Chosroes,  at 
Barsaloe,  in  Assyria.  He  is  not  known  to  be  represented  anywhere  in 
art,  save  in  the  almost  obliterated  frescoes  in  the  atrium  of  this  church. 

The  third  church,  .S.  Paolo  alle  Tre  Fontane,  v/as  built 
by  Giacomo  della  Porta  for  Cardinal  Aldobrandini  in  1590. 
It  contains  the  pillar  to  which  S.  Paul  is  said  to  have 
been  bound,  the  block  of  marble  upon  which  he  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  beheaded,  and  the  three  fountains  which 
sprang  forth  wherever  the  severed  head  struck  the  earth 
during  three  bounds  which  it  made  after  decapitation. 
In  proof  of  this  story,  it  is  asserted  that  the  water  of  the 
first  of  these  fountains  is  still  warm,  of  the  second  tepid,  of 
the  third  cold.  Three  modern  altars  above  the  fountains 
are  each  decorated  with  a  head  of  the  apostle  in  bass-relief. 

"  A  la  premiere,  I'ame  vient  a  I'instant  meme  de  s'echapperdu  corps. 
Ce  chef  glorieux  est  plein  de  vie  !  A  la  seconde,  les  ombres  de  la  mcrt 
couvrent  deja  ses  admirables  traits  ;  a  la  troisieme.  le  sommeil  eternel 
les  a  envahis,  et,  quoique  demeures  tout  rayonnants  de  beaute,  ils  disent, 
sans  parler.  que  dans  ce  monde  ces  levres  ne  s'entr'ouvriront  plus,  et  que 
ce  regard  d'aigle  s'est  voile  pour  toujours. " —  Line   ChrJtiennc  a  Rome} 

The   pavement    is  an  ancient  mosaic  representmg  the 

'  The  accounts  of  the  apostle's  death  vary  greatly  :  "  S.  Prudentius  says  that 
both  S.  Peter  and  S,  Paul  suffered  togelher  in  the  same  field,  near  a  swampy 
ground,  on  the  banks  of  the  Tiber.  Som'5  say  S.  Peter  suffered  on  the  same  day 
of  the  month,  but  a  year  before  S.  Paul.  But  Euscbius,  S.  Epiphanius,  and 
most  others,  affirm  that  they  suffered  the  same  year,  and  on  the  2gth  of  June."— 
Alban  Butler, 


702 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


Four  Seasons,  brought  from  the  excavations  at  Ostia.  The 
interior  of  this  church  has  lately  been  beautified  at  the 
expense  of  a  French  nobleman,  and  the  whole  inclosure  of 
the  Tre  Fontane  has  been  improved  by  the  Mgr.  de  IMerode, 
whose  plantations  of  eucalyptus  are  doing  much  to  modify 
the  malaria,  -which,  till  lately,  made  it  impossible  for  any 
monks  to  survive  the  summer  here. 

"  As  the  martyr  and  his  executioners  passed  on  (from  the  Ostian 
gate),  their  way  was  crowded  with  a  motley  multitude  of  goers  and 
comers  between  the  metropolis  and  its  harbor — merchants  hastening 
to  superintend  the  unlading  of  their  cargoes — sailors  eager  to  squander 
the  profits  of  their  last  voyage  in  the  dissipations  of  the  capital — 
officials  of  the  government  charged  with  tlie  administration  of  the 
provinces,  or  the  command  of  the  legions  on  the  Euphrates  or  the 
Rhine — Chaldean  astrologers — Phrygian  eunuchs — dancing-girls  from 
Syria,  with  their  painted  turbans — mendicant  priests  from  Egypt, 
howling  for  Osiris — Greek  adventurers,  eager  to  coin  their  national 
cunning  into  Roman  gold — representatives  of  the  avarice  and  ambition, 
the  fraud  and  lust,  the  superstition  and  intelligence,  of  the  Imperial 
world.  Through  the  dust  and  tumult  of  that  busy  throng,  the  small 
troop  of  soldiers  threaded  their  way  silently,  under  the  bright  sky  of  an 
Italian  midsummer.  They  were  marching,  though  they  knew  it  not, 
in  a  procession  more  really  triumphal  than  any  they  had  ever  followed 
in  the  train  of  general  or  emperor,  along  the  Sacred  Way.  Their 
prisoner,  now  at  last  and  forever  delivered  from  captivity,  rejoiced  to 
follow  his  I.ord  "  without  the  gate."  The  place  of  execution  was  not 
far  distant,  and  there  the  sword  of  the  headsman  ended  his  long  course 
of  sufferings,  and  released  that  heroic  soul  from  that  feeble  body. 
Weeping  friends  took  up  his  corpse,  and  carried  it  for  burial  to  those 
subterranean  labyrinths  where,  through  many  ages  of  oppression,  the 
persecuted  church  found  refuge  for  the  living,  and  sepulchers  for 
the  dead. 

"Thus  died  the  apostle,  the  prophet,  and  the  martyr,  bequeathing 
to  the  Church,  in  her  government  and  her  disciphne,  the  legacy  of  his 
apostolic  labors  ;  leaving  his  prophetic  words  to  be  her  living  oracles; 
pouring  forth  his  blood  to  be  the  seed  of  a  thousand  martyrdoms. 
Thenceforth,  among  the  glorious  company  of  the  apostles,  among  the 
goodly  fellowship  of  the  prophets,  among  the  noble  army  of  martyrs, 
his  name  has  stood  pre-eminent.  And  wheresoe\er  the  holy  Church 
throughout  all  the  world  doth  acknowledge  God,  there  Paul  of  Tarsus 
is  revered  as  the  great  teacher  of  a  universal  redemption  and  a  Catholic 
religion — the  herald  of  glad  tidings  to  all  mankind." — Conybeare  and 
Hoioson. 

Let  us  now  return  to  the  grand  Basilica  which  arose  to 
commemorate  the  martyrdom  on  this  desolate  site,  and 
which  is  now  itself  standing  alone  on  the  edge  of  the 
Campagna,  entirely  deserted  except  by  a  few  monks  who 


S.    PAOLO  FUORI  LE  MURA. 


703 


linger  in  its  monastery  through  the  winter  months,  but  take 
flight  to  S.  Calisto  before  the  pestilential  malaria  of  the 
summer, — though  in  the  middle  ages  it  was  not  so,  when 
S.  Paolo  was  surrounded  by  the  flourishing  fortified  suburb 
of  Joannopolis  (so  called  from  its  founder,  John  VIII.), 
whose  possession  was  sharply  contested  in  the  wars  between 
the  popes  and  anti-popes. 

The  first  church  on  this  site  was  built  in  the  time  of 
Constantine,  on  the  site  of  the  vineyard  of  the  Roman 
matron  Lucina,  where  she  first  gave  a  burial-place  to  the 
apostle.  This  primal  oratory  was  enlarged  into  a  basilica 
in  386  by  the  emperors  Valentinian  II.  and  Theodosius. 
The  church  was  restored  by  Leo  III.  (795-816),  and  every 
succeeding  century  increased  its  beauty  and  magnificence. 
The  sovereigns  of  England,  before  the  Reformation,  were 
protectors  of  this  basilica — as  those  of  France  are  of  S.  John 
Lateran,  and  of  Spain  of  S.  Maria  Maggiore — and  the 
emblem  of  the  Order  of  the  Garter  may  still  be  seen 
among  its  decorations. 

"  The  very  abandonment  of  this  huge  pile,  standing  in  solitary 
grandeur  on  the  banks  of  the  Tiber,  was  one  source  of  its  value. 
While  it  had  been  kept  in  perfect  repair,  little  or  nothing  had  been 
done  to  modernize  it,  and  alter  its  primitive  form  and  ornaments, 
excepting  the  later  addition  of  some  modern  chapels  above  the  tran- 
sept ;  it  stood  naked  and  almost  rude,  but  unincumbered  with  the 
lumpish  and  tasteless  plaster  incasement  of  the  old  basilica  in  a 
modern  Berninesque  cliurch  which  had  disfigured  the  Lateran  cathe- 
dral under  pretense  of  supporting  it.  It  remained  genuine,  though 
bare,  as  St.  Apollinare  in  Classe,  at  Ravenna,  the  city  eminently  of 
unspoiled  basilicas.  No  chapels,  altars,  or  mural  monuments  softened 
the  severity  of  its  outlines  ;  only  the  series  of  papal  portraits  running 
round  the  upper  line  of  the  walls  redeemed  this  sternness.  But  the 
unbroken  files  of  columns,  along  each  side,  carried  the  eye  forward  to 
the  great  central  object,  the  altar  and  its  "  Confession  ;"  while  the 
secondary  row  of  pillars,  running  behind  the  principal  ones,  gave 
depth  and  shadow,  mass  and  solidity,  to  back  up  the  noble  avenue 
along  which  one  glanced." — Cardinal  Wistiiian. 

On  the  15th  of  July,  1823,  this  magnificent  basilica  was 
almost  totally  destroyed  by  fire,  on  the  night  which  preceded 
the  death  of  Pope  Pius  VII. 

"  Quelque  chose  de  mysterieux  s'est  lie  dans  I'esprit  des  Remains  a 
I'lncendie  de  S.  Paul,  et  les  gens  a  I'imagination  de  ce  peuple  parlent 
avec  ce  sombre  plaisir  qui  tient  a  la  melancolie,  ce  sentiment  si  rare  en 
Italic,  et  si  frequent  en  Allemagne,     Dana  la  giande  nef,  sur  le  mur, 


704 


IVALKS  IN  ROME. 


audessus  des  colonnes,  se  trouvait  la  longue  suite  des  portraits  de  tous 
les  papes,  et  le  peuple  de  Rome  voyait  avec  inquietude  qu'il  n'y  avait 
plus  de  place  pour  le  portrait  du  successeur  de  Pie  VII.  De  la  les 
bruits  de  la  suppression  du  saint-siege  Le  venerable  pontile,  qui 
etait  presque  un  martyre  aux  yeux  de  ses  sujets,  touchait  a  ses  derniers 
moments  lorsqu'arriva  I'incendie  de  Saint-Paul.  II  eut  lieu  dans  la 
nuit  du  15  au  16  Juillet,  1SJ3  ;  cette  meme  nuit,  le  pape,  presque 
mourant,  fut  agite  par  un  songe,  qui  lui  presentait  sans  cesse  un  grand 
mallieur  arrive  a  I'cglise  de  Rome.  II  s'eveilla  en  sursaut  plusieurs 
fois,  et  demanda  s'll  n'etait  rien  arrive  de  nouveau.  Le  lendemain, 
pour  ne  pas  aggraver  son  etat,  on  lui  caclia  I'incendie,  et  il  est  mort 
apres  sans  I'avoir  jamais  su." — Stendhal,  ii.  94 

"  Not  a  word  was  said  to  the  dying  Pius  VII.  of  the  destruction  of 
S-  Paul's.  For  at  St.  Paul's  he  had  lived  as  a  quiet  monk,  engaged 
in  study  and  in  teaching,  and  he  loved  the  place  with  the  force  of  an 
early  attachment.  It  would  have  added  a  mental  pang  to  his  bodily 
sufferings  to  learn  the  total  destruction  of  that  venerable  sanctuary,  in 
which  he  had  drawn  down  by  prayer  the  blessings  of  heaven  on  his 
youthful  labor." — Wiseman,  Life  of  Pins  VII. 

The  restoration  of  the  basilica  was  immediately  begun, 
and  a  large  contribution  levied  for  the  purpose  from  all 
Roman  Catholic  countries.  In  1854  it  was  re-opened  in 
its  present  form  by  Pius  IX.  Its  exterior  is  below  con- 
tempt; its  interior,  supported  by  eighty  granite  columns, 
is  most  striking  and  magnificent,  but  it  is  cold  and  unin- 
teresting when  compared  with  the  ancient  structure,  "  rich 
with  inestimable  remains  of  ancient  art,  and  venerable  from 
a  thousand  associations."  ' 

If  we  approach  the  basilica  by  the  door  on  the  side  of 
the  monastery,  we  enter  first  a  portico,  containing  a  fine 
statue  of  Gregory  XVI.,  and  many  fragments  of  the  ancient 
mosaics,  collected  after  the  fire  ; — then,  a  series  of  small 
chapels  which  were  not  burnt,  from  the  last  of  which  ladies 
might  look  into  the  beautiful  cloister  of  the  twelfth  century, 
which  they  were  not  permitted  to  enter  under  the  papal 
rule,  but  which  contains  various  architectural  remains,  in- 
cluding a  mutilated  statue  of  Boniface  IX.  from  the  old 
basilica,  and  a  fine  sarcophagus,  adorned  with  reliefs  of 
the  story  of  Apollo  and  Marsyas. 

The  church  is  entered  by  the  south  end  of  the  transept. 
Hence  we  look  down  upon  the  nave  (306  feet  long  and 
222  wide)  with  its  four  ranges  of  granite  columns  (quarried 
near  the  Lago  Maggiore),  surmounted  by  a  mosaic  series 
of  portraits  of  the  popes,  each  five  feet  in  diameter, — mo.st 

'  Mrs.  Jameson. 


S.    PAOLO  FUORI  LE  MURA. 


705 


of  them  of  course  being  imaginary.  The  grand  triumphal 
arch  which  separates  the  transept  from  the  nave  is  a  relic 
of  the  old  basilica,  and  was  built  by  Galla-Placidia,  sister 
of  Honorius,  in  440.  On  the  side  toward  the  nave  it  is 
adorned  by  a  mosaic  of  Christ  adored  by  the  twenty-four 
elders,  and  the  four  beasts  of  the  Revelation  ; — on  that  to- 
ward the  transept  by  the  figure  of  the  Saviour,  between 
S.  Peter  and  S.  Paul. 

It  bears  two  inscriptions,  the  first  : 

"  Theodosius  coepit,  perficit  Honorius  aulam 
Doctoris  mundi  sacratam  corpore  Pauli." 

The  other,  especially  interesting  as  the  only  inscription 
commemorating  the  great  pope  who  defended  Rome  against 
Attila  : 

*'  Placidiae  pia  mens  operis  decus  homne  (sic)  paterni 
Gaudet  pontiticis  studio  splendere  Leonis.' 

The  mosaics  of  the  tribune,  also  preserved  from  the  fire, 
were  designed  by  Cavalii7ii,  a  pupil  of  Giotto,  in  the  thir- 
teenth century,  and  were  erected  by  Honorius  III.  They 
represent  the  Saviour  with  S.  Peter  and  S.  Andrew  on  the 
right,  and  S.  Paul  and  S.  Luke  on  the  left, — and  beneath 
these  the  twelve  apostles  and  two  angels.  The  Holy  Inno- 
cents (supposed  to  be  buried  in  this  cliurch!)  are  repre- 
sented, lying  at  the  feet  of  our  Saviour. 

"  In  the  mosaics  of  tlie  old  basilica  of  S.  Faolo  the  Holy  Innocents 
were  represented  by  a  group  of  small  figures  holding  palms,  and 
placed  immediately  beneath  the  altar  or  throne,  sustaining  the  gospel, 
the  cross,  and  the  instruments  of  the  passion  of  our  Lord.  Over  these 
figures  was  the  inscription,  H.  I.  S.  Inngcentes."— yflw^ii^^'j-  Sacred 
Art. 

Beneath  the  triumphal  arch,  stands  the  ugly  modern  bal- 
dacchino,  which  incloses  the  ancient  altar  canopy,  erected, 
as  its  inscription  tells  us,  by  Arnolphus  and  his  pupil  Pe- 
trus,  in  1285.  In  front  is  the  "Confession,"  where  the 
Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  is  believed  to  repose.  The  bal- 
dacchino  is  inscribed  : 

"  Tu  es  vas  electionis, 
Sancte  Paule  Apostole, 
Praedicator  veritatis 
In  universo  mumlo." 


706  WALKS  IN   ROME. 

It  is  supported  by  four  pillars  of  Oriental  alabaster, 
presented  by  Mehemet  All,  pasha  of  Egypt.  The  altars 
of  malachite,  at  the  ends  of  the  transepts,  were  given  by 
the  Emperor  Nicholas  of  Russia. 

"  Les  schismatiqueset  les  mussiilmans  eux-memes  sont  venus  rendre 
hommage  a  ce  souverain  de  la  parole,  qui  entrinait  les  peuples  au 
martyre  et  subjuguait  toutes  les  nations." — Uiie  Chre'tiejine  a  Rome. 

In  a  building  so  entirely  modern,  there  are  naturally  few 
individual  objects  of  interest.  Among  those  saved ^  from 
the  old  basilica,  is  the  magnificent  paschal  candlestick,  by 
Niccolo  di  Angelo,  covered  with  sculpture  in  high-relief, 
and  one  of  the  most  curious  pieces  of  mediaeval  sculpture 
in  Rome.  The  altar  at  the  south  end  of  the  transept  has 
an  altar-piece  representing  the  Assumption,  by  Agricola, 
and  statues  of  S.  Benedict,  by  Baini,  and  S.  Scholastica, 
by  Teiieraiii.  Of  the  two  chapels  between  this  and  the  trib- 
une, the  second,  the  Capella  del  Coro,  was  saved  from 
the  fire,  and  is  by  Carlo  Madenio. 

The  altar  at  the  north  end  of  the  transept  is  dedicated 
to  S.  Paul,  and  has  a  picture  of  his  conversion,  by  Ca- 
muccini.  At  the  sides  are  statues  of  S.  Gregory  by  Laboiir- 
eur,  and  of  S.  Romualdo  by  StoccJii.  Of  the  chapels 
between  this  and  the  tribune,  the  first,  dedicated  to  S. 
Stephen,  has  a  statue  of  the  saint,  by  Rinaldi ;  the  second 
is  dedicated  to  S.  Bridget  (Brigitta  Brahe),  and  contains 
the  famous  crucifix  (attributed  to  Pielro  Cavallini,  but 
really  of  later  date  and  another  school),  which  is  said  to 
have  spoken  to  her  in  1370. 

"  Not  far  from  the  chancel  is  a  beautiful  chapel,  dedicated  to 
S.  Bridget,  and  ornamented  with  her  statue  in  marble.  During  her 
residence  in  Rome,  she  frequently  came  to  pray  in  this  church  ;  and 
here  is  preserved,  as  a  holy  relic,  the  cross  from  which,  during  her 
ecstatic  devotion,  she  seemed  to  hear  a  voice  proceeding." — Frederika 
Bremer. 

The  upper  walls  of  the  nave  are  decorated  with  frescoes 
by  Galiardi,  Fodesti,  and  other  modern  artists. 

The  two  great  festivals  of  S.  Paul  are  solemnly  observed 
in  this  basilica  upon  January  25  and  June  30,  and  that  of 
the  Holy  Innocents  upon  December  28. 

'  Among  the  most  interesting  of  the  objects  lost  in  the  fire  were  the  bronze 
gates  ordered  by  Hildebrand  (afterward  Gregory  VII.)  v/hen  legate  at  Con- 
stantinople, for  Pantaleone  CastcUi,  in  1070,  and  adorned  with  fifty-four  script- 
ural compositions,  wrought  in  silver  thread. 


THE   OSTIAN  CAMPAGNA. 


707 


Very  near  S.  Paolo,  the  main  branch  of  the  Httle  river 
Almo,  the  *'  cursuque  brevissimus  Ahno  "  of  Ovid,  falls 
into  the  Tiber.  This  is  the  spot  where  the  priests  of  Cybele 
used  to  Avash  her  statue  and  the  sacred  vessels  of  her 
temple,  and  to  raise  their  loud  annual  lamentation  for  the 
death  of  her  lover,  the  shepherd  Atys  : 

"  Est  locus,  in  Tiberin  quo  lubricus  influit  Almo, 
Et  nomen  magno  perdu  ah  amne  minor, 
Illic  purpurea  canus  cum  veste  sacerdos, 
Almonis  dominam  sacraque  lavit  aquis." 

Ovid,  Fast.  iv.  337. 

"  Phrygiaeque  matris  Almo  qua  levat  ferrum. " 

Martial,  Ep.  iii.  47,  2. 

"  Un  vieux  pretre  de  Cybele,  vetu  de  pourpre,  y  lavait  chaque 
annee  la  pierre  sacree  de  Pessinunte.  tandis  que  d'autres  pretres  pous- 
saient  des  hui^lements,  frappaient  sur  le  tambour  de  basque  qu'on  place 
aux  mains  de  Cybele,  soufflaient  avec  fureur  dans  les  fliites  phry- 
giennes,  et  que  I'on  se  donnait  la  discipline, — ni  plus  ni  moins  qu'on 
le  fait  encore  dans  I'eglise  des  Caravite, — avec  des  fouets  garnis  de 
petits  cailloux  ou  d'osselets." — Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  iii.  145. 

The  Campagna  on  this  side  of  Rome  is  perhaps  more 
stricken  by  malaria  than  any  other  part,  and  is  in  con- 
sequence more  utterly  deserted.  That  this  terrible  scourge 
has  followed  upon  the  destruction  of  the  villas  and  gardens 
which  once  filled  the  suburbs  of  Rome,  and  that  it  did  not 
always  exist  here,  is  evident  from,  the  account  of  Pliny, 
who  says  : 

"  Such  is  the  happy  and  beautiful  amenity  of  the  Campagna  that  it 
seems  to  be  the  work  of  a  rejoicing  nature.  For  truly  so  it  appears  in 
the  vital  and  perpetual  salubrity  of  its  atmosphere  {vita His  ac  perennis 
salubritatis  coeli  tempcries),  in  its  fertile  plains,  sunny  hills,  healthy 
woods,  thick  groves,  rich  varieties  of  trees,  breezy  mountains,  fertility 
in  fruits,  vines,  and  olives,  its  noble  flocks  of  sheep,  abundant  herds  of 
cattle,  numerous  lakes,  and  wealth  of  rivers  and  streams  pouring  in 
upon  it,  many  seaports,  in  whose  lap  the  commerce  of  the  world  lies, 
and  which  run  largely  into  the  sea  as  it  were  to  help  mortals." 

Under  the  emperors,  the  town  of  Ostia  (founded  by 
Ancus  Martius)  reached  such  a  degree  of  prosperity  that 
its  suburbs  are  described  as  joining  those  of  Rome,  so  that 
one  magnificent  street  almost  united  the  two.  This  is  now, 
beyond  S.  Paolo,  a  road  through  a  desert,  only  one  human 
habitation  breaking  the  utter  solitude. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


THE    VILLAS    BORGHESE,    MADAMA    AND    MELLINL 

Protestant  Church — Villa  Borghese — Raffaelle's  Villa — Casino  and 
Villa  of  Papa  Giulio — (Claude's  Villa — Arco  Oscuro — Aqua 
Acetosa) — Chapel  of  S.  Andrew — Ponte  MoUe  (Castle  of  Crescenza 
— Prima  Porta — The  Cremera — The  AUia) — (The  Via  Cassia) — 
Villa  Madama — Monte  Mario — Villa  Mellini — Porta  Angelica. 


I 


MMEDIATELY  outside  the  Porta  del  Popolo,  on  the 
left,  is  the  old  English  Church. 

As  to  the  position  selected  for  this  building,  it  is  to  be  observed  that, 
although  originally  restricted  by  the  regulations  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
hierarchy  to  a  locality  outside  the  walls,  the  greatest  possible  attention 
was  paid  to  the  convenience  of  the  Engli;5h,  the  great  majority  of 
whose  dwelling-houses  were  in  this  immediate  quarter.  The  English 
church  in  Rome,  therefore,  though  nominally  outside  the  walls,  was 
really,  as  regards  centrality,  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city.  The  greatest 
possible  facilities  were  afforded  by  the  authorities  to  our  countrymen 
in  all  matters  relating  to  the  establishment ;  and  though  the  general 
behavior  of  the  Roman  inhabitant  is  such  as  to  render  the  precaution 
almost  unnecessary,  the  protection  of  the  police  and  military  were  in- 
variably afforded  during  the  hours  of  divine  service.  .  .  .  Whatever  be 
the  disagreements  on  points  of  religious  faith  between  Protestant 
and  Catholic,  there  was  (under  the  Popes)  at  least  one  point  of 
feeling  in  common  between  both  in  this  respect ;  for  the  streets 
were  tranquil,  the  shops  were  shut,  the  demeanor  of  the  people  was 
decent  and  orderly,  and,  notwithstanding  the  distance  from  England, 
Sunday  felt  more  like  a  Sunday  at  Rome  than  in  any  other  town  in 
Europe. — See  Sir  G.  Head's  Tour  in  Rome. 

The  papal  government  of  Rome  had  more  tolerance  for 
a  religion  which  was  not  its  own  than  that  of  the  early- 
emperors.  Augustus  refused  to  allow  the  performance  of 
Egyptian  rites  within  a  mile  of  the  city  walls. 

On  the  right  of  the  Gate  is  the  handsome  entrance  of 
the  beautiful  Villa  Borghese,  most  liberally  thrown  open  to 
the  public  on  Tuesdays,  Thursdays,  Saturdays  and  Sun 
clays,  from  12  to  sunset. 

708 


VILLA    BOKGhESE. 


re  9 


"  The  entrance  to  the  Villa  Borghese  is  just  outside  the  Porta  del 
Popolo.  Passing  beneath  that  not  very  impressive  specimen  of  Michael 
Angelo's  architecture,  a  minute's  walk  will  transport  the  visitor  from 
the  small  uneasy  lava  stones  of  the  Roman  pavement,  into  broad,  grav- 
eled carriage  drives,  whence  a  little  farther  stroll  brings  him  to  the 
soft  turf  of  a  beautiful  seclusion.  A  seclusion,  but  seldom  a  solitude  ; 
for  priest,  noble,  and  populace,  stranger  and  native,  ail  v\ho  breathe 
the  Roman  air,  find  free  admission,  and  come  hither  to  taste  the  lan- 
guid enjoyment  of  the  day-dream  which  they  call  life. 

"  The  scenery  is  such  as  arrays  itself  to  the  imagination  when  we 
read  the  beautiful  old  myths,  and  fancy  a  brighter  sky,  a  softer  turf, 
a  more  picturesque  arrangement  of  venerable  trees,  than  we  find  in 
the  rude  and  untrained  landscapes  of  the  western  world.  The  ilex- 
trees,  so  ancient  and  time-honored  are  they,  seem  to  have  lived  for 
ages  undisturbed,  and  to  feel  no  dread  of  profanation  by  the  ax  any 
more  than  overthrow  by  the  thunder-stroke.  It  has  already  passed 
out  of  their  dreamy  old  memories  that  only  a  few  years  ago  they  were 
grievously  imperiled  by  the  Gauls'  last  assault  upon  the  walls  of  Rome. 
As  if  confident  in  the  long  peace  of  their  lifetime,  they  assume  atti- 
tudes of  evident  repose.  They  lean  over  the  green  turf  in  ponderous 
grace,  throwing  abroad  their  great  branches  without  danger  of  inter- 
fering with  other  trees,  though  other  majestic  trees  grow  near  enough 
for  dignified  society,  but  too  distant  for  constraint.  Never  was  there 
a  more  venerable  quietude  than  that  which  sleeps  among  their  shelter- 
ing boughs  ;  never  a  sweeter  sunshine  than  that  which  gladdens  the 
gentle  gloom  which  these  leafy  patriarchs  stri\e  to  difluse  over  the 
swelling  and  subsiding  lawns. 

"  In  other  portions  of  the  grounds  the  stone  pines  lift  their  dense 
clumps  of  branches  upon  a  slender  length  of  stem,  so  high  that  they 
look  like  green  islands  in  the  air,  flinging  down  a  shadow  upon  the 
turf  so  far  off  that  you  scarcely  know  which  tree  has  made  it. 

"Again,  there  are  avenues  of  cypress,  resembling  dark  flames  of 
huge  funeral  candles,  which  spread  dusk  and  twilight  round  about 
them  instead  of  cheerful  radiance.  The  more  cpen  spots  are  all 
a-bloom,  early  in  the  season,  with  anemones  of  wondrous  size,  both 
white  and  rose-colored,  and  violets  that  betray  themselves  by  their 
rich  fragrance,  even  if  their  blue  eyes  fail  to  meet  your  own.  Daisies, 
too,  are  abundant,  but  larger  than  the  modest  little  English  flower, 
and  therefore  of  small  account. 

"  These  wooded  and  flowery  lawns  are  more  beautiful  than  the  finei-t 
English  park  scenery,  more  touching,  more  impressive,  through  the 
neglect  that  leaves  nature  so  much  to  her  own  ways  and  methcds. 
Since  man  seldom  interferes  with  her,  she  sets  to  work  in  her  quiet 
way  and  makes  herself  at  home.  There  is  enough  of  human  care,  it 
is  true,  bestowed  long  ago,  and  still  bestowed,  to  prevent  wildness 
from  growmg  into  deformity  ;  and  the  result  is  an  ideal  landscrpe.  a 
woodland  scene  that  seems  to  have  been  projected  out  of  the  poet's 
mind.  If  the  ancient  Faun  were  other  than  a  mere  creation  of  old 
poetry,  and  could  re-appear  anywhere,  it  must  be  in  such  a  scene  as 
this. 

"  In  the  openings  of  the  wood  there  are  fountains  plashing  into 


710 


IVALKS  IN  ROME. 


marble  basins,  the  depths  of  which  are  shaggy  with  water-weeds  ;  of 
they  tumble  like  natural  cascades  from  rock  to  rock,  sending  their  mur- 
mur  afar,  to  make  the  quiet  and  silence  more  appreciable.  Scattered 
here  and  there  with  careless  artihce,  stand  old  altars,  bearing  Roman 
inscriptions.  Statues,  gray  with  the  long  corrosion  of  even  that  soft 
atmospheie,  half  hide  and  half  reveal  themselves,  high  on  pedestals, 
or  perhaps  fallen  and  broken  on  the  turf.  Terminal  figures,  columns 
of  marble  or  graniie  porticoes  and  arches  are  seen  in  the  vistas  of  the 
wood-paths,  either  veritable  rehcs  of  antiquity,  or  with  so  exquisite  a 
touch  of  artful  ruin  on  them  that  they  are  better  than  if  really  antique. 
At  all  events,  grass  grows  on  the  tops  of  the  shattered  pillars,  and 
weeds  and  flowers  root  themselves  in  the  chinks  of  the  massive  arches 
and  fronts  of  temples,  as  if  this  were  the  thousandth  summer  since 
their  winged  seeds  alighted  there. 

■'  What  a  strange  idea — what  a  needless  labor — to  construct  artificial 
ruins  in  Rome,  the  native  soil  of  ruin  !  But  even  these  sportive  imita- 
tions, wrought  by  man  in  emulation  of  what  time  has  done  to  temples 
and  palaces,  are  perhaps  centuries  old,  and,  beginning  as  illusions, 
have  grown  to  be  veneraljle  in  sober  earnest.  The  result  of  all  is  a 
scene  such  as  is  to  be  found  nov/here  save  in  these  princely  villa-resi- 
dences in  the  neighborhood  of  Rome  ;  a  scene  that  must  have  required 
generations  and  ages,  during  which  growth,  decay,  and  man's  intelli- 
gence wrought  kindly  together,  to  render  it  so  gently  wild  as  we  behold 
it  now. 

"  The  final  charm  is  bestowed  by  the  malaria.  There  is  a  piercing, 
thrilUng,  delicious  kind  of  regret  in  the  idea  of  so  much  beauty  being 
thrown  away,  or  only  enjoyable  at  its  half-development,  in  winter  and 
early  spring,  and  never  to  l)e  dwelt  among,  as  the  home  scenery  of 
any  human  being.  P'or  if  you  come  hither  in  summer,  and  stray 
through  tliese  glades  in  the  golden  sunset,  fever  walks  arm-in-arm 
with  you,  and  death  awaits  you  at  the  end  of  the  dim  vista.  Thus  the 
scene  is  like  Eden  in  its  loveliness  ;  like  Eden,  too,  in  the  fatal  spell 
that  removes  it  beyond  the  scope  of  man's  actual  possessions." — 
Tra?ts formation. 

"  Oswald  et  Corinne  termintrent  Icur  voyage  de  Rome  par  la  VilJa- 
Borghi'se,  celui  de  tous  les  jardins  et  de  tons  les  palais  romains  ou  les 
splendeurs  dela  nature  et  des  arts  sont  rassemblees  avec  le  plus  de 
gout  et  d'eclat.  On  y  volt  des  arbres  de  touies  lesespeces  et  deseaux 
magnifiques.  Une  re'union  incroyable  de  statues,  de  vases,  de  sarcc- 
phages  antiques,  se  melent  avec  la  fraicheur  de  la  jeune  nature  du  sue!. 
La  mythologie  des  anciens  y  semble  ranimee.  Les  na.ades  sont  placees 
s ur  le  bord  des  ondcs,  les  nymphes  dans  les  bois  dignes  d'elles,  les 
tombeaux  sous  les  ombrages  elyseens  ;  la  statue  d'Esculape  est  au 
milieu  d'une  ile  ;  celle  de  Venus  semble  sortir  des  ondes  ;  Ovide  et 
Virgile  poirraient  se  promener  dans  ce  beau  lieu,  et  se  croire  encore 
au  siecle  d'Auguste.  Les  chefs-d'oeuvre  de  sculpture  que  renferme  le 
palais,  lui  donnent  une  magnificence  a  jamais  nouvelle.  On  aper9oit 
de  loin,  a  travers  les  arbres,  la  ville  de  Rome  et  Saint-Pierre,  et  la 
campagne,  et  les  longues  arcades,  debris  des  aqueducs  qui  transpor- 
taient  les  sources  des  montagnes  dans  I'ancienne  Rome.  Tout  est  li 
p'lur  la  penscc,  pour  I'imagination,  pour  la  reverie. 


VILLA    BORGHESE. 


711 


"  Les  sensations  !es  plus  pures  se  confondent  avec  Its  plaisirs  de 
I'ame,  etdonnent  I'ideed'un  bonheur  parfait  ;  mais  quand  on  demande, 
pourquoi  ce  sejour  ravissant  n'est-il  paG  habite  ?  Ton  vous  repond  que 
le  mauvais  air  \la  cattiva  aria)  ne  pannec  pas  d'y  vivre  pendant  I'ete." 
— Madame  de  Staiil. 

■  The  Casino,  at  the  further  end  of  the  villa,  built  by  Car- 
dinal Scipio  Borghese,  the  favorite  nephew  of  Paul  V., 
contains  a  collection  of  sculpture  which  is  visible  on  Satur- 
days, from  12  to  4.  The  first  room  entered  is  a  great  hall, 
with  a  ceiling  painted  by  Ivlario  Rossi,  and  a  floor  paved 
with  an  ancient  mosaic  discovered  at  the  Torre  Nuova  (one 
of  the  principal  Borghese  farms)  in  1835. 

"  Cette  mosaique  forte  curieuse  nou-;  offre  et  les  combats  des  gladia- 
teurs  entre  eux,  et  leurs  luttes  avec  les  animaux  feroces.  Cettc  mo- 
saique est  d'un  dessin  aussi  barbare  que  les  scenes  representees  ;  tout 
est  en  harmonie,  le  sujet  et  le  tableau.  Le  sentiment  de  repulsion 
qu'inspire  la  cruaute'  romaine  n'en  est  que  plus  complet  ;  celle-ci  n'cst 
point  adoucie  par  I'art  et  parait  dans  toute  sa  laideur. 

"  On  voit  les  gladiaieurs  se  poursuivre,  s'attaquer,  se  massacrer, 
couverts  d'armures  qui  ressemblcnta  celles  des  chevaliers  :  vous  diriez 
une  odieuse  parodie  du  moyen  age.  Dans  le  corps  de  I'un  des  com- 
battants  un  glaive  est  enfonce.  Des  cadavres  sont  gisants  parmi  les 
flaques  de  sang  ;  a  cote  d'eux  est  le  W  fatal,  initiate  du  mot  grec 
(r)i\.vaToi — a  laquelle  leur  juge  impitoyable,  le  peuple,  les  a  con- 
damnes  ;  du  grec  partout.  Le  maitre  excite  ses  e'ieves  en  leur  mon- 
trant  le  fouet  et  la  palme  ;  les  vainqueurs  elevent  leuri  epees,  et  sans 
doute  la  foule  applaudit.  lis  ont  un  air  de  triomphe.  Ce  sont  des 
acteurs  renommes.  Aupres  de  chacun  son  nom  est  tcrit  ;  ces  noms 
barbares  ou  etranges  :  I'un  s'appelle  Buccibus,  un  autre  Cupidor,  un 
autre  Licentiosus,  avis  eflronte  aux  dames  romaines." — Ampi-re,  iv.  31. 

The  collection  in  this  villa  contains  no  exceedingly  im- 
portant statues.  In  the  vestibule  are  some  reliefs  from  the 
Arch  of  Claudius  in  the  Corso,  destroyed  in  1527.  Leaving 
the  great  hall  on  the  right,  we  may  notice  : 

!.$■/  Room. — 

(/«  the  Center) 

I.  Juno  Pronuba,  from  Monte  Calvi. 
5.  Venus  Genetrix. 
II.   The  Rape  of  Cassandra — a  relief. 

2nd  Room. — 

(/;/  the  Center) 

I.  A  Fighting  Amazon,  on  horseback. 
15.    HercuIeG,  in  female  dress. 


71  2 


ll'ALA'S  IX  ROME. 


yl  Room. — 

{hi  the  Center.') 

I.   Apollo,  from  Torre  Nuova, 
4.   Daphne  changed  into  a  Laurel. 

II.   Bust  of  Ariadne  (the  bust  celebrated  in  "  Ouida's  "  novel). 
13.  Anacreon,  seated. 

"  La  statue  d'Anacreon  est  tres-remarquable  ;  elle  ressemble  a  la 
figure  du  poete  sur  une  medaille  de  Teos.  Le  style  est  sinip'e  et  gran- 
diose, I'expression  cnergique  plutot  que  gracieuse,  ladraperie  est  rude, 
la  statue  respire  I'enthousiasme  ;  ce  n'est  pas  le  faux  Anacreon  que 
nous  connaissons  et  dont  les  poesies  sont  posterieures  au  moins  en 
grande  partie  a  la  date  du  veritable  ;  c'est  levied etprimitif  Anacre'on  ; 
cet  Anacreon-la  ne  vit  plus  que  dans  cet  cnergique  portrait,  seule  image 
de  son  inspiration  veritable,  dont  les  produitsauthentiques  ont  presque 
entierement  disparu. " — Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  iii.  567. 

\th  Rootn. — 
A  handsome  gallery  with  paintings  by  Marchetti  and  De  Aiigelis, 

adorned  with  porphyry  busts  of  the  twelve  Caesars. 
32  Bronze  statue  of  a  boy- 

Sth  Room. — 

The  Hermaphrodite  ;  found  near  .S.  Maria  Vittoria. 

6th  Room. — 
{In  the  Ce7tter)  a  Greek  poet,  probably  Alcaeus. 

7///  Room. — 
{In  the  Center)  Boy  on  a  Dolphin. 

"  D'autres  statues  pcuvent  deriver  de  la  grande  composition  mari- 
time de  Scopas.  Tel  est  le  Palemon,  assis  sur  un  dauphin,  de  la  villa 
Borghese,  d'apres  lequel  a  ete  evidemment  con^u  le  Jonas  de  I'eglise 
de  Saint-Marie  du  Peuple,  qu'on  atiribue  a  Raphael." — Ampere,  Hist. 
Rom.  iii.  284. 

2>th  Room. — 
I.   Dancing  Satyr. 

The  upper  Story,  reached  by  a  winding  staircase  from 
the  Galleria,  contains  : 

ist  Room, — Three  fine  works  by  Bernim. 

David  with  the  sling  :  executed  in  the  sculptor's  iSth  year. 
Apollo  and  Daphne. 

Aeneas  carrying  off  Anchiscs  :  executed  when  the  sculptor  was 
only  15  years  old. 

2d  Roo?;i. — 
Filled  witli  a  collection  of  portraits,  for  the  most  part  unknown. 


CASINO  OF  raffaelle: 


m 


Worthy  ot  attention  are  the  portraits  of  Paul  V.,  by  Caravaggio, 
and  of  his  father  Marc-Antonio  Borghese,  attributed  to  Guido  ; 
also  the  busts  of  Paul  V.  and  of  Cardinal  Scipio  Borghese,  who 
built  the  villa,  by  Bei-nini. 

Ath  Room. — 
A  curious  picture  of  the  Villa  Borghese  in  its  early  state. 

^th  Room. — ■ 

Statue  of  Princess  Pauline  Borghese,   sister  of  Napoleon  I.,  as 
Venus-Victrix,  by  Catiova. 

' '  Canova  esteemed  his  statue  of  the  Princess  Borghese  as  one  of  his 
best  works.  No  one  else  could  have  an  opportunity  of  judging  of  it, 
for  the  prince,  who  certainly  was  not  jealous  of  his  wife's  person,  was 
so  jealous  of  her  statue,  that  he  kept  it  locked  up  in  a  room  in  the 
Borghese  Palace,  of  which  he  held  the  key,  and  not  a  human  being, 
not  even  Canova  himself,  could  get  access  to  it." — Eaton's  Rome. 

Canova  took  Chantrey  to  see  this  statue  by  night,  wishing,  as  was 
his  wont,  to  show  it  by  the  light  of  a  single  taper.  Chantrey,  wishing 
to  do  honor  to  the  artist,  insisted  upon  holding  the  taper  for  the  best 
light  himself,  which  gave  rise  to  Moore's  lines  : 

"  When  he,  thy  peer  in  art  and  fame, 
Hung  o'er  the  marble  with  delight ; 
And  while  his  ling'ring  hand  would  steal 

O'er  every  grace  the  taper's  rays 
Gave  thee,  with  all  the  generous  zeal 
Such  master-spirits  only  feel, 

The  best  of  fame — a  rival's  praise  !  " 

In  the  upper  part  of  the  grounds,  not  far  from  the  walls 
of  Rome,  stood  the  Villa  Olgiati,  once  the  Villa  of  Raf- 
faelle. It  contained  three  rooms  ornamented  with  frescoes 
from  the  hand  of  the  great  master.  The  best  of  these  are 
now  preserved  in  a  room  at  the  end  of  the  gallery  in  the 
Borghese  Palace.  The  villa  was  destroyed  during  the  siege 
of  Rome  in  1849,  when  many  of  the  fin*^  old  trees  were  cut 
down  on  this  side  of  the  grounds. 

"  The  Casino  of  Raffaelle  was  unfurnished,  except  with  casks  of  wine, 
and  uninhabited,  except  by  a  contadina.  The  chamber  which  was  the 
bedroom  of  Raffaelle  was  entirely  adorned  with  the  work  of  his  own 
hands.  It  was  a  small,  pleasant  apartment,  looking  out  on  a  little  green 
lawn,  fenced  in  with  trees  irregularly  planted.  The  walls  were  covered 
v.'ith  arabesques,  in  various  whimsical  and  beautiful  designs — such  as 
the  sports  of  children;  Loves  balancing  themselves  on  poles, or  mount- 
ed on  horseback,  full  of  glee  and  mirth  ;  Fauns  and  Satyrs  ;  Mercury 
and  Minerva  ;  flowers  and  curling  tendrils,  and  every  beautiful  com- 
position that  could  suggest  itself  to  a  classic  imagination  in  its  most 
sportive  mood.     The  cornice  was  supported  by  painted  Cary-atidcs 


7U 


WALKS  IjV  ROME. 


The  coved  roof  was  adorned  with  four  medallions,  containing  portraits 
of  his  mistress,  the  Fornarina — it  seemed  as  if  he  took  pleasure  in 
multiplying  that  beloved  object,  so  that  wherever  his  eyes  turned  her 
image  might  meet  them.  There  were  three  other  paintings,  one 
representing  a  Terminus  with  a  target  before  it,  and  a  troop  of  men 
shooting  at  it  witli  bows  and  arrows  which  they  had  stolen  from  un- 
suspecting Cupid,  lying  asleep  on  the  ground.  The  second  represent- 
ed a  figure,  apparently  a  god,  seated  at  the  foot  of  a  couch,  with  an 
altar  before  him,  in  a  temple  or  rotunda,  and  from  the  gardens  which 
appeared  in  perspective  through  its  open  intercolumniations.  were  seen 
advancing  a  troop  of  gay  young  nymphs,  bearing  vases  full  of  roses 
upon  their  heads.'  .  ..  The  last  and  best  of  these  paintings  represent- 
ed the  nuptials  of  Alexander  the  Great  and  Ro.xana." — Eaton's  Rome. 

Just  outside  the  Porta  del  Popolo,  a  small  gate  on  the 
left  of  the  Villa  Borghese  leads  to  a  beautiful  villa,  known 
under  its  late  proprietor  as  Villa  Estneade  of  considerable 
extent,  and  possessing  beautiful  views  of  Rome  and  the 
Sabine  mountains,  from  its  heights  which  are  adorned  with 
a  few  ancient  statues  and  vases. 

We  now  enter  upon  the  ugly  dusty  road  which  leads  in 
a  straight  line  to  the  Milvian  Bridge.  By  this  road  the  last 
triumphal  procession  entered  Rome — that  of  the  Emperor 
Honorius  and  Stilicho  (described  by  the  poet  Claudian)  in 
A.  D.  403 — a  whole  century  having  then  elapsed  since  the 
Romans  had  beheld  ther  last  triumph — that  of  Diocletian. 

Under  the  line  of  hills  {Monte  Parioli)  on  the  right  of 
the  road  are  the  Catacombs  of  S.  Valentine.  On  the  other 
side  the  same  hills  are  undermined  by  the  Catacombs  of  SS. 
Giamitus  and  Bassilla. 

Half  a  mile  from  the  gate,  rises  conspicuously  on  the 
right  of  the  road  the  Casino  Papa  Giulio,  v.'ith  picturesque 
overhanging  cornices  and  sculptured  fountain.  The  court- 
yard has  a  quaint  cloister.  The  destruction  or  "  removal  " 
of  the  front  of  this  noble  building  is  one  of  the  atrocities 
contemplated  under  the  present  government.  This  is  the 
"  Villino,"  and,  far  behind,  but  formerly  connected  with  ii 
by  a  long  corridor,  is  the  Villa  Papa  Gii/lio,  containing 
several  rooms,  with  very  richly  decorated  c>eilings,  painted 
by  Taddeo  Zucchero.  Michael  Angelo  v/as  consulted  by 
the  pope  as  to  the  building  of  this  villa,  and  Vasari  made 
drawings  for  it,  "but  the  actual  architect  was  Vignola,  a 
modest  genius,  who  had  to  suffer  severely,  together  with 
his  fellow-workmen,  from  the    tracasseries  of    the  pope's 

a  This  picture  is  now  called  Ihc  Nnptials  of  Vertumnus  and  Pomona. 


VILLA    PAPA    GIULO. 


715 


favorite,  the  bishop  Aliotti,  whom  the  less-enduring 
Michael  Angelo,  was  wont  to  nickname  Monsignor  Xante 
Cose." 

"  The  villa  of  Papa  Giulio  is  still  \-isited  by  the  stranger.  Restored 
to  the  presence  of  those  times,  he  ascends  the  spacious  steps  to  the 
gallery,  whence  he  overlooks  the  whole  extent  of  Rome  from  Monte 
Mario,  with  all  the  windings  of  the  Tiber.  The  building  of  this 
palace,  the  laying  out  of  its  gardens,  were  the  daily  occupation  of  Pope 
Julius  III.  The  place  was  designed  by  himself,  but  was  never  com- 
pleted :  every  day  brought  with  it  some  new  suggestion  or  caprice, 
which  the  architects  must  at  once  set  themselves  to  realize.  This 
pontiff  desired  to  forward  the  interests  of  his  family;  but  he  was  not 
inclined  to  involve  himself  in  dangerous  perplexities  on  their  account. 
The  pleasant,  blameless  life  of  his  villa  was  that  which  was  best  suited 
to  him.  He  gave  entertainments,  which  he  enlivened  with  proverbial 
and  other  modes  of  expression  that  sometimes  mingled  blushes  with 
the  smiles  of  his  guests.  In  the  important  affairs  of  the  church  and 
state  he  took  no  other  share  than  was  absolutely  ine\ntable.  This 
Pope  Julius  died  "  March  23,  1555." — Rankers  Hist,  of  the  Popes. 

"  C'est  uniquement  comme  protecteur  des  arts  et  comme  prince 
magnifique  que  nous  pouvons  envisager  Jules  III.  Sa  mauvaise  sante 
lui  faisait  rechercher  le  repos  et  les  douceurs  d'une  vie  grande  et  libre. 
Aussi  avait-il  fait  edifier  avec  une  sorte  de  tendresse  patemelle  cette 
belle  villa,  qui  est  celebre,  dans  I'histoire  de  I'art,  sous  le  nom  de 
Vigne  du  pape  Jules.  Michel-Ange,  Vasari,  Vignole  en  avaient 
dessine  les  prolils  ;  les  nymphees  et  les  fontaines  etaient  d'Ammanati ; 
les  peintures  de  Taddeo  Zuccari.  Du  haut  d'une  galerie  elegante  on 
decouvrait  les  sept  collines,  et  d'ombreusesallees,  tracees  par  Jules  III., 
egaraient  les  pas  du  vieillard  dans  ce  dedale  de  tertres  et  de  vallees  qui 
separe  le  pont  oil  perit  Maxence  de  la  ville  etemelle." — Gournerie, 
Rome  Chretienne,  ii.  172. 

Pope  Julius  used  to  come  hither,  with  all  his  court,  from 
the  Vatican  by  water.  The  richly-decorated  barge,  filled 
with  venerable  ecclesiastics,  gliding  between  the  osier- 
fringed  banks  of  the  yellow  Tiber,  with  its  distant  line  of 
churches  and  palaces,  would  make  a  fine  subject  for  a 
picture. 

Nearly  opposite  the  Casino  Papa  Giulio,  on  the  further 
bank  of  the  Tiber,  is  the  picturesque  classic  Villa  of  Claude 
Lorrai7ie,  whither  he  was  wont  to  retire  during  the  summer 
months,  residing  in  the  winter  in  the  Tempietto  at  the  head 
of  the  Trinita  steps.  This  villa  is  best  seen  from  the  walk 
by  the  river  side,  which  is  reached  by  turning  at  once  tp 
the  left  on  coming  out  of  the  Porta  del  Popolo.  Hence  it 
makes  a  good  foreground  to  the  view  of  the  city  and  dis- 
tant heights  of  the  Taniculan. 


7i6 


WALK'S  IX  ROME. 


"This  road  is  called  '  Poussin's  Walk,' because  the  great  paintet 
used  to  go  along  it  from  Rome  to  his  villa  near  Ponte  MoUe.  One 
sees  here  an  horizon  such  as  one  often  finds  in  Poussin's  pictures." — 
Frederika  Bremer. 

Close  to  the  Villa  Papa  Giulio  is  the  tunnel  called  Arco 
Oscuro,  passing  which,  a  steep  lane,  with  a  beautiful  view 
towards  S.  Peter's,  ascends  between  the  hillsides  of  the 
Monte  Parione,  and  descends  on  the  other  side  (following 
the  turn  to  the  right)  to  the  Tiber  bank,  about  two  miles 
from  Rome,  where  is  situated  the  Acqua  Acetosa,  a  refresh- 
ing mineral  spring  like  seltzer  water,  inclosed  in  a  fountain 
erected  by  Bernini  for  Alexander  VII.  There  is  a  lovely 
view  from  hence  across  the  Campagna  in  the  direction  of 
Fidenae  (Castel  Giubeleo)  and  the  Tor  di  Quinto. 

"  A  green  hill,  one  of  those  bare  table-lands,  so  common  in  the 
Campagna,  rises  on  the  right.  Ascend  it  to  where  a  broad  furrow  in 
the  slope  seems  to  mark  the  site  of  an  ancient  road.  You  are  on  a 
plateau,  almost  quadrangular  in  form,  rising  steeply  to  the  height  of 
nearly  two  hundred  feet  above  the  Tiber,  and  isolated,  save  at  one 
angle,  where  it  is  united  to  other  high  ground  by  a  narrow  isthmus. 
Not  a  tree — not  a  shrub  on  its  turf-grown  surface — not  a  house — not  a 
ruin — not  one  stone  upon  another,  to  tell  you  that  the  site  had  been 
inhabited.  Yet  here  once  stood  Antemnae,  the  city  of  many  towers,'  one 
of  the  most  ancient  of  Italy  !"  Not  a  trace  remains  above  ground. 
Even  the  broken  pottery,  that  infallible  indicator  of  bygone  civil- 
ization, which  marks  the  site  and  determines  the  limits  of  habitation 
on  many  a  now  desolate  spot  of  classic  ground,  is  here  so  overgrown 
with  herbage  that  the  eye  of  an  antiquary  would  alone  detect  it.  It 
is  a  site  strong  by  nature,  and  well  adapted  for  a  city,  as  cities  then 
were  ;  for  it  is  scarcely  larger  than  the  Palatine  Hill,  which,  though  at 
the  first  it  embraced  the  whole  of  Rome,  was  afterward  too  small  for 
a  single  palace.  It  has  a  peculiar  interest  as  one  of  the  three  cities  of 
Sabina,'  whose  daughters,  ravished  by  the  followers  of  Romulus, 
became  the  mothers  of  the  Roman  race.  Antemnae  was  the  nearest 
city  to  Rome — only  three  miles  distant — and  therefore  must  have  suf- 
fered most  from  the  inhospitable  violence  of  the  Romans." — Dennis' 
Cities  of  Firm  ill,  ch.  iii. 

There  is  a  walk — rather  dangerous  for  carriages — by  the 
river,  from  hence,  to  the  Ponte  Molle.  Here  the  beautiful 
Miss  Bathurst  was  drowned  by  her  horse  slipping  back- 
ward with  her  into  the  Tiber  in  1824. 

The  river  bank  presents  a  series  of  picturesque  views, 

'  Turrijerae  Antemnae. — Virg.  Acn.  vii.  631 

^  Antemnaque  prisco 

Crustumio  prior.  — Sil.  Ital.  viii.  ?6i. 
'  The  other  two  were  Caenina  and  Crustutnium. 


POXTE   MOLLE.  ^,-- 

though  the  yellow  Tiber  in  no  way  reminds  us  of  Virgil's 
description  : 

"  Caerulus  Tybris  coelo  gratissimus  amnis." 

Aeii.  viii.  64. 

Continuing  to  follow  the  main  road  from  the  Porta  del 
Popolo,  on  the  left  is  the  round  Church  of  S.  Andrew, 
with  a  Doric  Portico,  built  by  Vignola,  in  1527,  to  com- 
memorate the  deliverance  of  Clement  VII.  from  the  Ger- 
mans. 

Farther  on  the  right  is  another  Chapel  in  honor  of  S. 
Andrew's  Head. 

"  One  of  the  most  curious  instances  of  relique  worship  occurred  here 
in  the  reign  of  Aeneas  Sylvius,  Pope  Pius  II.  The  head  of  S.  Andrew 
was  brought  in  stately  procession  from  the  fortress  of  Narni,  whither, 
as  the  Turks  invaded  the  Morea,  it  had  been  brought  for  safetv  from 
Patris.  It  was  intended  that  the  most  gloiious  heads  of  S.  Peter  and 
S.  Paul  should  go  forth  to  meet  that  of  their  brother  apostle.  But  the 
mass  of  gold  which  enshrined  the  cumbrous  iron  which  protected  these 
reliques  was  too  heavy  to  be  moved  ;  so,  without  them,  the  pope,  the 
cardinals,  the  whole  population  of  Rome,  thronged  forth  to  the 
meadows  near  the  Milvian  Bridge.  The  pope  made  an  eloquent  ad- 
dress to  the  head,  a  hymn  was  sung  entreating  the  saint's  aid  in  the 
discomfiture  of  the  Turks.  It  rested  that  day  on  the  altar  of  Santa 
Maria  del  Popolo,  and  was  then  conveyed  through  the  city  decorated 
with  all  splendor,  to  S.  Peter's.  Cardinal  Bessarion  preached  a  ser- 
mon, and  the  head  was  deposited  with  those  of  his  brother  apostles 
under  the  high  altar." — lililmaris  Latin  Christianity. 

A  mile  and  a  half  from  the  gate,  the  Tiber  is  crossed  by 
the  Po7ite  MoIIe,  built  by  Pius  VII.,  in  1S15,  on  the  site  and 
foundations  of  the  Pons  Milvius,  which  was  erected  b.  c. 
109  by  the  censor  M.  Aemilius  Scaurus.  It  was  here  that, 
on  the  night  of  December  3,  b.  c.  63,  Cicero  captured  the 
emissaries  of  Allobroges,  who  was  engaged  in  the  conspiracy 
of  Catiline.  Hence,  on  October  27,  a.  d.  312,  Maxentius 
was  thrown  into  the  river  and  drowned  after  his  defeat  by 
Constantine  at  the  Saxa  Rubra.  The  statues  of  Our 
Saviour  and  John  the  Baptist,  at  the  farther  entrance  of  the 
bridge,  are  by  Mochi. 

Here  are  a  number  of  taverns  and  trattorie,  much  fre- 
quented by  the  lower  ranks  of  the  Roman  people,  and  for 
which  especial  open  omnibuses  run  from  the  Porta  del 
Popolo.     Similar  places  of  public  amusement  seem  to  have 


7i8  WALKS  I.V  ROME. 

existed  here  from  imperial  times.  Ovid  describes  the  people 
coming  out  hither  in  troops  by  the  Via  Flaminia  to  cele- 
brate the  fete  of  Anna  Perenna,  an  old  woman  who  supplied 
the  plebs  with  cakes  during  the  retreat  to  the  Mons  Sacer, 
but  who  afterward,  from  a  similitude  of  names,  was  con- 
founded with  Anna,  sister  of  Dido. 

"Idibusest  Aiinae  festum  geniale  Perennae, 

Haud  procul  a  ripis,  advena  TIbri,  tuis, 
Plebs  venit,  ac  virides  passim  disjecta  per  herbas 

Potat ;   et  accumbit  cum  pare  quisque  sua. 
Sub  Jove  pars  durat  ;    pauci  tentoria  ponunt : 

Sunt,  quibus  e  ramo  frondea  facta  casa  est : 
Pars,  rubi  pro  rigidis  calamos  statuerc  columnis, 

Desuper  extentas  imposuere  togas. 
Sole  tamen  vinoque  calent  ;  anno^que  precantur 

Quot  Sumant  cyathos,  ad  nunierumque  bibunt. 
Invenies  illic,  qui  Nestoris  ebibat  ar.nos  : 

Quae  sit  per  calices  facta  Sibylla  suos. 
Illic  et  cantant,  quidquid  didicere  theatris, 

Et  jactant  faciles  ad  sua  verba  manus  : 
Et  ducunt  posito  duras  cratere  choreas, 

Multaque  diffusis  saltat  amica  comis. 
Come  redeunt,  tilubant,  et  sunt  spectacula  vulgo, 

Et  Fortunatos  obvia  turba  vocat. 
Occurri  nuper.      Visa  est  mihi  digna  relatu 

Pom  pa  :  senem  potum  pota  trahebat  anus." 

JFast.  iii.  523, 

Here  three  roads  meet.  That  on  the  right  is  the  old 
Via  Flaminia,  begun  B.C.  220  by  C.  Flaminius  the  censor. 
This  was  the  great  northern  road  of  Italy,  which,  issuing 
from  the  city  by  the  Porta  Ratumena,  which  was  close  to 
the  tomb  of  Bibulus,  followed  a  line  a  little  east  of  the 
modem  Corso,  and  passed  the  Aurelian  wall  by  the  Porta 
Flaminia,  near  the  present  Porta  del  Popolo.  It  extended 
to  Ariminum  (Rimini)  a  distance  of  210  miles.' 

Following  this  road  for  about  i  i  miles,  on  the  left  are 
the  ruins  called  Tor  di  Quin'o.  A  little  farther  on  the 
right  of  the  road  are  some  tufa-rocks,  with  an  injured 
tomb  of  the  Nasones.  Following  the  valley  under  these 
rocks  to  the  left  we  reach  (i-i  miles)  the  fine  Castle  of 
Crescenza,  now  a  farmhouse,  picturesquely  situated  on  a 
rocky  knoll, — once  inhabited  by  Poussin,  and  reproduced 
in  the  background  of  many  of  his  pictures.  In  the  in- 
terior are  some  remains  of  ancient  frescoes. 

'  Sec  Dyer's  liht.  0/  the  City  0/ Rome. 


VILLA    OF  LIVLA. 


719 


On  this  road,  seven  miles  from  Rome,  is  Prima  Porta, 
where  are  the  ruins  of  the  Villa  of  Livia,  wife  of  Augustus, 
and  mother  of  Tiberius.  When  first  opened,  several  small 
rooms  in  the  villa,  supposed  to  be  baths,  were  covered  with 
frescoes  and  arabesques  in  a  state  of  the  most  marvelous 
beauty  and  preservation,  but  they  are  now  greatly  injured 
by  damp  and  exposure.  From  the  character  of  the  paint- 
ings, a  trellis-work  of  fruit  and  flowers,  amid  which  birds 
and  insects  are  sporting,  it  is  supposed  that  they  are  the 
work  of  Ludius,  described  in  Pliny,  who  "  divi  Augusti 
aetate  primus  instituit  amoenissimam  parietum  picturam, 
villas  et  porticus  ac  topiaria  opera,  lucos,  nemora.  .  .  . 
blandissimo  aspectu  minimoque  impendio. "  It  was  here 
that  the  magnificent  statue  of  Augustus,  now  in  the  Braccio 
Nuovo  of  the  Vatican,  was  discovered  in  1863. 

"  What  Augustus's  affection  for  Livia  was,  is  well  known.  'Pre- 
serve the  lemembrance  of  a  husband  who  has  loved  you  very  tenderly,' 
were  the  last  words  of  the  emperor,  as  he  lay  on  his  death-bed.  And 
when  asked  how  she  contrived  to  retain  his  affection,  Dion  Cassius  tells 
us  that  she  replied,  '  My  secret  is  very  simple  :  I  have  made  it  the 
study  of  my  life  to  please  him,  and  I  have  never  manifested  any  in- 
discreet curiosity  with  regard  to  his  public  or  private  affairs.'' — 
IVeld. 

Just  beyond  this,  the  Tiber  receives  the  little  river 
Valcciy  considered  to  be  identical  with  the  Cremera. 
Hither  the  devoted  clan  of  the  Fabii,  4,000  in  number, 
retired  from  Rome,  having  offered  to  sustain,  at  their  own 
cost  and  risk,  the  war  which  Rome  was  then  carrying  on 
against  Veii.  Here,  because  they  felt  a  position  within  the 
city  untenable  on  account  of  the  animosity  of  their  fellow- 
patricians,  which  had  been  excited  by  their  advocacy  of 
the  agrarian  law,  and  their  popularity  with  the  plebeians, 
they  established  themselves  on  a  hillock  overhanging  the 
river,  which  they  fortified,  and  v/here  they  dwelt  for  three 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  the  Veientians,  by  letting 
loose  herds  of  cattle  like  the  vaccine,  which  one  still  sees 
wandering  in  that  part  of  the  Campagna,  drew  them  into  an 
ambuscade,  and  they  were  all  cut  off  to  a  man.  Accord- 
ing to  Dionysius,  a  portion  of  the  little  army  remained  to 
guard  the  fort,  and  the  rest  fled  to  another  hill,  perhaps 
that  now  known  as  Vaccareccia.  These  were  the  last  to 
be  exterminated. 


720 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


"  They  fought  from  dawn  to  sunset.  The  enemy  slain  by  theif 
hand  formed  heaps  of  corpses  which  barred  tlieir  passage." — They 
were  summoned  to  surrender,  but  they  preferred  to  die. — "The  people 
of  Veil  showered  arrows  and  stones  upon  them  from  a  distance,  not 
daring  to  approach  them  again.  The  arrows  fell  like  thick  snow.  The 
Fabii,  with  swords  blunted  by  force  of  striking,  with  bucklers  broken, 
continued  to  fight,  snatching  fresh  swords  from  the  hands  of  the 
enemy,  and  rushing  upon  them  with  the  ferocity  of  wild  beasts." — 
Dionysius,  ix.  2i. 

A  little  beyond  this,  ten  miles  from  Rome,  is  the  stream 
Scanuabecchi,  which  descends  from  the  Crustuminian  Hills 
and  is  identical  with  the  Allia,  "  infaustum  .  .  .  Allia 
nomen,"  '  where  the  Romans  were  (b.c.  390)  entirely  de- 
feated with  great  slaughter  by  the  Gauls,  before  the  cap- 
ture of  the  city,  in  which  the  aged  senators  were  massacred 
at  the  doors  of  their  houses. 

It  was  in  the  lands  lying  between  the  villa  of  Livia  and 
the  Tiber  that  Saxa  Rubra-  was  situated,  where  Constantine 
(a.d.  312)  gained  his  decisive  victory  over  Maxentius, 
who,  while  attempting  to  escape  over  the  Milvian  Bridge, 
was  pushed  by  the  throng  of  fugitives  into  the  Tiber,  and 
perished,  engulfed  in  the  mud.  The  scene  is  depicted  in 
the  famous  fresco  of  Giulio  Romano,  in  the  stanze  of  the 
Vatican. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  Castel  Giubileo,  on 
the  site  of  the  Etruscan   Fidenae,  is  a  conspicuous  object. 

(The  direct  road  from  the  Ponte  Molle  is  the  ancient 
Via  Cassia,  which  must  be  followed  for  some  distance  by 
those  who  make  the  interesting  excursions  to  Veii,  Galera, 
and  Bracciano,  each  easily  within  the  compass  of  a  day's 
expedition.  On  the  left  of  this  road,  three  miles  from 
Rome,  is  the  fine  sarcophagus  of  Publius  Vibius  Maximus 
and  his  wife  Reginia  Maxima,  popularly  known  as  "  Nero's 
Tomb.") 

Following  the  road  to  the  left  of  the  Ponte  Molle,  we 
turn  up  a  steep  incline  to  the  deserted  Villa  Madaitia, 
built  by  Giulio  Romano,  from  designs  of  Raffaelle,  for 
Cardinal  Giulio  de'  Medici,  afterward  Clement  VII.  It 
derives  its  name  from  Margaret  of  Austria,  daughter  of 
Charles  V.,   and  wife,   first  of  Alessandro  de'  Medici,  and 

'  Virgfil,/J(^«.  vii.  717. 

.' Masses  of  reddish  rock   of  volcanic  tufa  arc  still  to  be  seen  here,   breaking 
through  the  soil  of  the  campagna. 


MONTE  MARIO. 


721 


then  of  Ottavio  Farnese,  duke  of  Parma  ;  from  this  second 
marriage,  it  descended,  through  Ehsabetta  Farnese,  to  the 
Bourbon  kings  of  Naples.  The  neglected  halls  contain 
some  fresco  decorations  by  Giiilio  Romano  and  Giovanni  da 
Udine,  which  have  been  engraved  by  Gruner. 

"  They  consist  of  a  series  of  beautiful  little  pictures,  representing 
the  sports  of  Satyrs  and  Loves  ;  Juno,  attended  by  her  peacocks  ;  Ju- 
piter and  Ganymede  :  and  various  subjects  of  mythology  and  fable. 
Tlie  paintings  in  the  portico  have  been  of  first-rate  excellence  ;  and  I 
cannot  but  regret  that  designs  so  beautiful  should  not  be  engraved 
before  their  last  traces  disappear  forever.  A  deep  fringe  on  one  of 
the  deserted  chambers,  representing  angels,  flowers,  caryatides,  &c., 
by  Giulio  Romano,  and  also  a  tine  fresco  on  a  ceiling,  by  Giovanni 
da  Udine,  of  Phoebus  driving  his  heavenly  steeds,  are  in  somewhat 
better  preservation. 

"  It  was  in  the  groves  that  surrounded  Villa  Madama,  that  the  Pastor 
Fido  of  Guarini  was  represented  for  the  first  time  before  a  brilliant 
circle  of  princes  and  nobles,  such  as  these  scenes  will«ee  no  more,  and 
Italy  itself  could  not  now  produce." — Eaton  s  Rome. 

The  frescoes  and  arabesques  executed  here  by  Giovanni 
da  Udine  were  considered  at  the  time  as  among  the  most 
successful  of  his  works.  Vasari  says  that  in  these  he 
"wished  to  be  supreme,  and  to  excel  himself."  Cardinal 
de  Medici  was  so  delighted  with  them  that  he  not  only 
heaped  benefits  on  all  the  relations  of  the  painter,  but 
rewarded  him  v/ith  a  rich  canonry,  which  he  was  allowed 
to  transfer  to  his  brother. 

One  can  scarcely  doubt  from  the  description  of  Martial 
that  this  villa  occupies  the  site  of  that  in  which  the  poet 
came  to  visit  his  friend  and  namesake. 

*'  Juli  jugera  pauca  Martialis, 
Hortis  Hesperidum  beatiora, 
Longo  Janiculi  jugo  recumbunt. 
Lati  collibus  imminent  recessus; 
Et  planus  modico  tumore  vertex 
Coelo  perfruitur  sereniore: 
Et,  curvas  nebula  tegente  valles, 
Solus  luce  nilet  peculiari: 
Puris  leniter  admoventur  astris 
Celsae  culmina  delicata  villae. 
Hinc  septem  domiuos  videre  montes, 
Et  totam  licet  aestimare  Romam." 

Ep.  iv.  64. 

The  Villa  Madama  is  situated  on  one  of  the  slopes  of 
Monte  Mario,  which  is  ascended  by  a  winding  carriage- 
Si 


722 


WALKS  IN  HOME. 


road  from  near  the  Porta  Angelica.  This  hill,  in  ancient 
times  called  Clivus  Cinnae,  was  in  the  middle  ages  Monte 
Maio,  and  is  thus  spoken  of  by  Dante  (  "  Paradiso,"  xv. 
109).  Its  name  changed  to  Mario,  through  Mario  Mellini, 
its  possessor  in  the  time  of  Sixtus  V.  Passing  the  two 
churches  of  S.  Maria  del  Rosario,  and  S.  Croce  di  Monte 
Mario,'  we  reach  a  gate  with  an  old  pine-tree.  This  is 
the  Villa  Mellini  (open  every  day,  admission  50c.),  which 
possesses  a  grand  old  ilex  avenue  and  a  magnificent  view 
over  Rome,  from  its  terraces,  lined  with  cypresses. 

"  The  Monte  Mario,  like  Cooper's  hill,  is  the  highest,  boldest,  and 
most  prominent  part  of  the  line;  it  is  about  the  height  and  steepness 
too  of  Cooper's  Hill,  and  has  the  Tiber  at  the  foot  of  it,  like  the  Thames 
at  Anchorwick.  To  keep  up  the  resemblance,  there  is  a  sort  of  terrace 
at  the  top  of  the  Monte  Mario,  planted  with  cypresses,  and  a  villa, 
though  dilapidated,  crowns  the  summit,  as  well  as  at  our  old  friend 
above  Egham.  Here  we  stood,  on  a  most  delicious  evening,  the  ilex 
and  the  gum-cistus  in  great  profusion  about  us,  the  slope  below  full  of 
vines  and  olives,  the  cypresses  above  our  heads,  and  before  our  eyes 
all  that  one  has  read  of  in  Roman  History — the  course  of  the  Tiber 
between  the  hills  that  bound  it,  coming  down  from  Fidenae  and  re- 
ceiving the  Allia  and  the  Anio;  beyond,  the  Apennines,  the  distant  and 
higher  summits  still  quite  white  with  snow;  in  front,  the  Alban  Hills; 
on  the  right,  the  Campagna  to  the  sea;  and  just  beneath  us  the  whole 
length  of  Rome,  ancient  and  modern — S.  Peter's  and  the  Coliseum, 
rising  as  the  representatives  of  each — the  Pantheon,  the  Aventine,  the 
Quirinal,  all  the  well-known  objects  distinctly  laid  before  us.  One  may 
safely  say  that  the  world  cannot  contain  many  views  of  such  mingled 
beauty  and  interest  as  this." — Dr.  Arnold. 

"  Les  maisons  de  campagne  des  grands  seigneurs  donnent  Fidee  de 
cette  solitude,  de  cette  indifference  des  possesseurs  au  milieu  des  plus 
admirables  sejours  du  monde.  On  se  promene  dans  ces  immenses 
jardins  sans  se  douter  qu'ils  aient  un  maitre.  L'herbe  croit  au  milieu 
des  allees;  et,  dans  ces  memes  allees  abandonnees  ies  arbres  sont 
tallies  artistement,  selon  I'ancien  gout  qui  regnaiten  France:  singuliere 
bizarrerie  que  cette  negligence  du  necessaire,  et  cette  affectation  de 
I'inutile!  " — Mad.  de  Stacl. 

In  the  garden  prominent  on  the  hillside,  stands  tl,  e 
famous  Pi7ie  of  Monte  AIano,\\\v\c\\  was  saved  from  destruc- 
tion by  Sir  George  Beaumont,  and  whose  trunk  was  em- 
braced by  Wordsworth,  who  wrote  a  sonnet  upon  it.'' 

In  the  spring  of  1881,  military  engineers,  working  on  the 
suminit  of  Monte  Mario  facing  the  Tiber,  came  upon  the 
hypogaeum  of  an  historic  tomb,  containing  five  sarcophagi, 

'  Built  by  Mario  Mellini  in  the  fifteenth  century. 
■■'  See  Wordsworth's  Poems,  ui.  196. 


MONTE   MARIO. 


723 


two  cippi,  and  a  beautiful  cinerary  urn  of  one  Sextus 
Curias  Eusebius,  and,  in  thi  center  of  the  chamber  the 
beautiful  pedestal  of  the  lady  for  whom  the  mausoleum 
was  built,  inscribed — d  .  m  .  miniciae  .  marcellae  fund- 
ANi .  F  .  vix  .  A  .  XII .  M.  XI .  D  .  VII.  She  appears  to  have 
been  the  daughter  of  C.  Minicius  Fundanus,  often  men- 
tioned in  ancient  inscriptions  with  C  Vettennius  Severus, 
his  colleague  in  the  consulship  from  May  i  to  September  i, 
A.  D.  107,  and  afterwards  governor  of  the  province  of 
Asia.  He  is  frequently  mentioned  by  Pliny  and  Plutarch, 
who  were  his  intimate  friends.  It  is  interesting  to  read  at 
her  monument  the  letter  in  which  Pliny  describes  the 
daughter's  death  to  his  friend  Marcellinus. 

"  I  feel  deeply  sad  for  the  loss  of  the  younger  daughter  of  our  Fun- 
danus, a  charming,  lovely  girl,  worthy  not  only  of  a  longer  life,  but 
almost  of  immortality.  Although  not  yet  fourteen  years  old,  she 
showed  the  quietness  and  gravity  of  a  matron,  with  the  suavity  and 
modesty  of  a  virgin.  How  sweet  it  was  to  see  her  embracing  her 
father,  welcoming  her  father's  friends,  loving  her  governess  and  her 
teachers  !  In  the  course  of  her  sickness  she  confidently  gave  herself 
up  to  the  care  of  physicians,  and  tried  to  keep  uj)  the  spirits  of  her 
elder  sisters  and  of  her  father  by  fighting  courageously  against  the  vio- 
lence of  the  malady.  She  was  already  betrothed  to  a  young  gentleman 
of  her  choice  ;  the  day  of  the  wedding  had  already  been  settled  ;  we 
had  already  received  our  invitations,  ,  .  .  and  now,  what  a  terrible 
change  !  I  cannot  tell  you  how  sadly  despondent  I  felt  when  1  heard 
Fundanus  himself  ordering  that  all  the  money  set  aside  for  her  trous- 
seau and  jewelry  should  be  spent  in  the  funeral  ceremonies."  ' — Ep. 
V.  16. 

(Behind  the  Monte  Mario,  about  four  miles  from  Rome, 
is  the  church  of  S.  Onofrio  in  Campagna,  with  a  curious 
ossuary.) 

Just  outside  the  Porta  Angelica  was  the  vineyard  in 
which  Alexander  VI.  died. 

"  This  is  the  manner  in  which  Pope  Alexander  VI.  came  to  his 
death. 

"The  cardinal  datary,  Adrian  de  Corneto,  having  received  a  gra- 
cious intimation  that  the  pontiff,  together  with  the  Duke  Valentinos, 
designed  to  come  and  sup  with  him  at  his  vineyard,  and  that  his  holi- 
ness would  bring  the  supper  with  hirn,  the  cardinal  suspected  that  this 
determination  had  been  taken  for  tlie  purpose  of  destroying  his  life  by 
poison,  to  the  end  that  the  duke  might  have  his  riches  and  appoint- 
ments, the  rather  as  he  knew  that  the  pope  had  resolved  to  put  him  to 
death  by  some  means,  with  a  view  to  seizing  his  property  as  I  have 

'  See  letter  of  Lanciani  in  the  Athenaeum,  March  5,  t88i. 


724 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


said, — which  was  very  great.  Considering  of  the  means  by  which  he 
might  save  himself,  he  could  see  but  one  hope  of  safety  — he  sent  in 
good  time  to  the  pope's  carver,  with  whom  he  had  a  certain  intimacy, 
desiring  that  he  would  come  to  speak  with  him  ;  who,  when  he  had 
come  to  the  said  cardinal,  was  taken  by  him  into  a  secret  place,  where, 
they  tv/o  being  relir'jd,  the  cardinal  showed  the  carver  a  sum,  prepared 
beforehand,  of  10,000  ducats  in  gold,  which  the  said  cardinal  per- 
suaded the  carver  to  accept  as  a  gift  and  to  keep  for  love  of  him,  and 
after  many  words,  they  were  at  length  accepted,  the  cardinal  offering, 
moreover,  all  the  rest  of  his  wealth  at  his  command — for  he  was  a  very 
rich  cardinal,  for  he  said  that  he  could  not  keep  the  said  riches  by  any 
other  means  than  through  the  said  carver's  aid,  and  declared  to  him, 
'You  know  of  a  certainty  what  the  nature  of  the  pope  is,  and  I  know 
that  he  has  resolved,  with  the  duke  Valenlinos.  to  procure  my  life  by 
poison,  through  your  hand,' — wherefore  he  besought  the  carver  to  take 
pity  on  him,  and  to  give  liim  his  life.  And  having  said  this,  the  carver 
declared  to  him  the  manner  in  which  it  was  ordered  that  the  poisoi. 
should  be  given  to  him  at  the  supper,  but  being  moved  to  compassion 
he  promised  to  preserve  his  life.  Now,  the  orders  were  that  the  carver 
should  present  three  boxes  of  sweetmeats,  in  tablets  or  lozenges  after 
the  supper,  one  to  the  pope,  one  to  the  said  cardinal,  and  another  to  the 
duke,  and  in  that  for  the  cardinal  there  was  poison  :  and  thus  being 
told,  the  said  cardinal  gave  directions  to  the  aforesaid  carver  in  what 
manner  he  should  serve  them,  so  as  to  cause  that  the  box  of  poisoned 
confect  which  was  to  be  for  the  cardinal,  should  be  placed  before  the 
pope,  so  that  he  might  eat  thereof,  and  so  poison  himself  and  die. 
And  the  pope  being  come  accordingly  with  the  duke  to  supper  on  the 
day  appointed,  the  cardinal  threw  himself  at  his  feet,  kissing  them 
and  embracing  them  closely  ;  then  he  entreated  his  holiness  with  most 
affectionate  words,  saying,  he  would  never  ri.'-e  from  those  feet  until 
his  holiness  had  granted  him  a  favor.  Being  questioned  by  the  pontiff 
what  this  favor  was,  and  requested  to  rise  up,  he  would  fiist  have  the 
grace  he  demanded,  and  the  piomiseof  his  holiness  to  grant  it.  Now, 
after  much  persuasion,  the  pope  remained  suff  ciently  astonished,  see- 
ing the  perseverance  of  the  cardinal,  and  that  he  would  not  rise,  and 
promised  to  grant  the  favor.  Then  the  cardinal  rose  up  and  said, 
'  Holy  Father,  it  is  not  fitting  that  when  the  master  comes  to  the  house 
of  his  servant,  the  servant  should  eat  with  his  master  like  an  equal 
(confrezer  parimente),'  and  therefore  the  grace  he  demanded  was  the 
just  and  honest  one,  that  he,  the  servant,  should  wait  at  the  table  of 
his  master,  and  this  favor  the  pope  granted  him.  Then  having  come 
to  supper,  and  the  time  for  serving  the  confectionery  having  arrived, 
the  carver  put  the  poisoned  sweetmeats  into  the  box,  according  to  the 
first  order  given  to  him  by  the  pope,  and  the  cardinal  being  well  in- 
formed as  to  which  box  had  no  poi.son,  tasted  of  that  one,  and  put  the 
poisoned  confect  before  the  pope.  Then  his  holiness,  trusting  to  his 
carver,  and  seeing  the  cardinal  tasting,  judged  that  no  poison  was 
there,  and  ate  of  it  heartily  ;  while  of  the  other,  which  the  pope  thought 
was  poisoned,  but  which  was  not,  the  cardinal  ate.  Now,  at  the  hour 
accustomed,  according  to  the  quality  of  that  poison,  his  holiness  began 
to  feel  its  effect,  and  so  died  thereof  ;  but  the  cardinal,  who  was  yet 


PORTA    ANGELICA. 


725 


much  afraid,  having  physicked  himself,  and  vomited,  took  no  harm 
and  escaped,  though  not  without  difficulty. " — Sanuto,  iv.,  Translation 
in  Rankc's  Hist,  of  (he  Popes. 

The  wine  of  the  Vatican  hill  has  had  a  bad  reputation 
even  from  classical  times.  "If  you  like  vinegar,"  wrote 
Martial,  "  drink  the  wine  of  the  Vatican  !"  '  and  again  :  "  To 
drink  the  wine  of  the  Vatican  is  to  drink  poison."'' 

(Here  is  the  entrance  of  the  Val if  Inferno,  a  pleasant 
winter  walk,  where,  near  the  beginning  of  the  Cork  Woods, 
are  some  picturesqtie  remains  of  an  ancient  nymphaetmi.) 

The  Porta  Angelica,  built  by  Pius  IV.  (i 559-1 566),  leads 
into  the  Borgo,  beneath  the  walls  of  the  Vatican. 

Those  who  return  from  hence  to  the  English  quarter  in 
the  evening  will  realize  the  vividness  of  Miss  Thackeray's 
description  : — 

"They  passed  groups  standing  around  their  doorways;  a  black- 
smith, hammering  with  great  straight  blows  at  a  copper  pot,  shouting 
to  a  friend,  a  young  baker,  naked  almost,  except  for  a  great  sheet  flung 
over  his  shoulders,  and  leaning  against  the  door  of  his  shop.  The 
horses  tramp  on.  Listen  to  the  iiow  of  fountains  gleaming  white 
against  tiie  dark  marbles, — to  the  murmur  of  voices.  An  old  lady, 
who  has  apparently  hung  all  her  wardrobe  out  of  window,  in  petti- 
coats and  silk  handkerciiiefs,  is  looking  out  from  beneath  these  ban- 
ners at  the  passers  in  the  streets.  Little  babies,  tied  up  tight  in 
swaddling-clothes,  are  being  poised  against  their  mother's  hips  ;  a 
child  is  trying  to  raise  the  great  knocker  of  some  feudal-looking  arch, 
hidden  in  the  corner  of  the  street.  Then  they  cross  the  bridge,  and 
see  the  last  sun's  rays  flaming  from  the  angel's  sacied  sword.  Driv- 
ing on  through  the  tranquil  streets,  populous  and  thronged  with  citi- 
zen i,  they  see  brown-faced,  bronze-headed  torsos  in  balconies  and 
and  window  frames  ;  citizens  sitting  tranquilly,  resting  on  the  curb- 
stones, with  their  feet  in  the  gutters  ;  grand-looking  women  resting 
against  their  doorways.  Sibyls  out  of  the  Sistine  were  sitting  on  the 
steps  of  the  churches.  In  one  stone  archway  sat  the  Fates  spinning 
their  web.  There  was  a  holy  family  by  a  lemonade-shop,  and  a  whole 
heaven  of  little  Correggio  angels  perching  dark-eyed  along  the  road. 
Then  comes  a  fountain  falling  into  a  marble  basin,  at  either  end  of 
which  two  little  girls  are  clinging  and  climbing.  Here  is  a  little 
lighted  May-altar  to  the  Virgin,  which  the  children  have  put  up  under 
the  shrine  'by  the  street-corner.  They  don't  beg  clamorously,  but 
stand  leaning  against  the  wall,  waiting  for  a  chance  miraculous 
baioch." — Bluebeard's  Keys. 

»  Martial,  Ep.  x.  45,  5.  ^  Martial,  Ep.  vi.  92,  3. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

THE    JANICULAN. 

Gate  of  Santo  Spirito — Church,  Convent  and  Garden  of  S.  Onofrio — 
The  Lungara — Palazzo  Salviati  and  the  Botanic  Garden — Museo 
Teverino — S.  Giovanni  alia  Lungara — Museo  Torlonia — Palazzo 
Corsini — The  Farnesina — Porta  Settimiana — S.  Pietro  in  Montorio 
— Fontana  Paolina — Villa  Lante — Porta  and  Church  of  S.  Pancrazio 
— Villa  Doria-Pamlili — Chapel  of  S.  Andrew's  Head. 

THE  Janiculan  is  a  steep  crest  of  hill  which  rises 
abruptly  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Tiber,  and  breaks 
imperceptibly  away  on  the  other  side  into  the  Campagna 
towards  Civita  Vecchia.  Its  lower  formation  is  a  marine 
clay  abounding  in  fossils,  but  its  upper  surface  is  formed 
of  the  yellow  sand  which  gave  it  the  ancient  name  of  Mons 
Aureus — still  commemorated  in  Montorio — S.  Pietro  in 
Montorio. 

A  tradition  universally  received  in  ancient  times,  and 
adopted  by  Virgil,  derives  the  name  of  Janiculum  from 
Janus,  who  was  the  sun-god,  as  Jana,  or  Diana,  was  the 
moon-goddess.  On  this  hill  Janus  is  believed  to  have 
founded  a  city,  which  is  mentioned  by  Pliny  under  the 
name  of  Antipolis.  Ovid  makes  Janus  speak  for  himself 
as  to  his  property  : 

"  Arx  mca  collis  erat,  quern  cultiix  nomine  nostro 
Nuncupat  haec  aetas,  Janiculumque  vocat."  ' 

Fons,  the  supposed  son  of  Janus,  is  known  to  have  had 
an  altar  here  in  very  early  times.  "  Janus  Quirinus  was  a 
ivar-god,  "the  sun  armed  with  a  lance."  Thus,  in  time  of 
peace,  the  gates  of  his  temple  were  closed,  both  because  his 
worship  was  then  unnecessary,  and  from  an  idea  of  pre- 
venting war  from  going  forth.  It  was  probably  in  this 
character  that  he  was  honored  on  a  site  which  the  Romans 

'  /^asi.i.  2^$.  ^  Ava^kre,  Hist.  Rom.  l.sz-j. 

726 


THE  JA  NIC  ULAN.  727 

looked  upon  as  "  the  key  of  Etruria,"  while  other  nations 
naturally  regarded  it  as  "  the  key  of  Rome.'  " 

Janus  was  represented  as  having  a  key  in  his  hand. 

"  Ille  tenens  dextra  baculum,  clavemque  sinistra." 

"  Par  un  hasard  singulier,  Janus,  qu'on  representait  une  clef  a  la 
main,  etait  ledieu  du  Janicule,  voisin  du  Vatican,  ou  est  le  tombeau  de 
Saint  Pierre,  que  Ton  represente  aussi  tenant  une  clef.  Janus  comme 
Saint  Pierre,  son  futur  voisin,  etait  le  portier celeste." — Arnphc^Hist, 
Rom.  i.  229. 

When  the  first  Sabine  king  of  Rome,  Numa  Pompilius, 
"like  the  darlings  of  the  gods  in  the  golden  age,  fell  asleep, 
full  of  days,"'  he  was  buried  upon  the  sacred  hill  of  his  own 
people,  and  the  books  of  his  sacred  laws  and  ordinances 
were  buried  near  him  in  a  separate  tomb. "  In  the  sixth 
century  of  the  republic,  a  monument  w  as  discovered  on  the 
Janicuian,  which  was  believed  to  be  that  of  Numa,  and  cer- 
tain books  were  dug  up  near  it  which  were  destroyed  by 
the  senate  in  the  fear  that  they  might  give  a  too  free-think- 
ing explanation  of  the  Roman  mythology.  ^ 

Ancus  Martius,  the  fourth  king  of  Rome,  connected  the 
Janicuian  with  the  rest  of  the  city  by  building  the  Pons 
Sublicius,  the  first  bridge  over  the  Tiber  ;  and  erected 
a  citadel  on  the  crest  of  the  hill  as  a  bulwark  againt  Etruria, 
with  which  he  was  constantly  at  war.*  Some  escarpments, 
supposed  to  belong  to  the  fortifications  of  Ancus,  have 
lately  been  found  behind  the  Fontana  Paolina.  It  was 
from  this  same  ridge  that  his  Etruscan  successor,  Tarquin- 
ius  Priscus,  coming  from  Tarquinii  (Corneto),  had  his  first 
view  of  the  city  over  which  he  came  to  reign,  and  here 
the  eagle,  henceforward  to  be  the  emblem  of  Roman  power, 
replaced  upon  his  head  the  cap  which  it  had  snatched 
away  as  he  was  riding  in  his  chariot.  Hence,  also,  Lars 
Porsena,  king  of  Etruria,  looked  upon  Rome,  when  he 
came  to  the  assistance  of  Tarquinius  Superbus,  and  re- 
tired in  fear  of  his  life  after  he  had  seen  specimens  of 
Roman  endurance,  in  Horatius  Codes,  who  kept  the  fall- 
ing bridge  ;  in  Mutius,  who  burnt  his  hand  in  the  charcoal ; 
and  in  the  hostage,  Cloelia,  who  swam  home  across  the 
Tiber, — all  anecdotes  connected  with  the  Janicuian. 

•  Niebuhr,  i.  140.  -  Arnold.  Hist.  vol.  i. 

«  Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  i.  389.  ■*  K'lebuhr.  1    353. 


^,8  WALK'S  IX  ROME. 

After  the  time  of  the  kings,  this  hill  appears  less  fre- 
quently in  history.  But  it  was  here  that  the  consul  Octa- 
vius,  the  friend  of  Sulla,  was  murdered  by  the  partisans  of 
Marius,  while  seated  in  his  curule  chair  ;  near  the  foot  of 
the  hill  Julius  Caesar  had  his  famous  gardens  ;  and  on  its 
summit  the  Emperor  Galba  was  buried.  The  Christian 
associations  of  the  hill  will  be  noticed  at  the  different 
points  to  which  they  belong. 

From  the  Borgo  (Chap.  XV.)  the  unfinished  gate  called 
Porta  Santo  Spirito,  built  by  Antonio  da  San  Gallo,  leads 
into  the  Via  Lungara,  a  street  three-quarters  of  a  mile  long, 
formed  by  Sixtus  V.,  and  occupying  the  whole  length  of 
the  valley  between  the  Tiber  and  the  Janiculan. 

Immediately  on  the  right,  the  steep  "  Salitadi  S.  Onofrio" 
leads  up  the  hillside  to  the  Church  of  S.  Onofrio,  built  in 
1439  by  Nicolo  da  Forca  Palena,  in  honor  of  the  Egyptian 
hermit  Honophrius. 

"  S.  Onofrius  was  a  monk  of  Thebes,  who  retired  to  the  desert,  far 
from  the  sight  of  men,  and  dwelt  there  in  a  cave  for  sixty  years,  and 
during  all  that  time  never  beheld  one  human  being,  or  uttered  one 
word  of  his  mother-tongue  except  in  prayer.  He  was  unclothed, 
except  by  some  leaves  twisted  round  his  body,  and  his  beard  and  hair 
had  become  like  the  face  of  a  wild  beast.  In  this  state  he  was  dis- 
covered by  a  holy  man  whose  name  was  Paphuntius,  who,  seemg  him 
crawling  on  the  ground,  knew  not  at  first  what  live  thing  it  might  be." 
— Jameson  s  Sacred  Art. 

From  the  little  platform  in  front  of  the  convent  is  one 
of  the  loveliest  views  over  the  city.  The  church  is  ap- 
proached by  a  portico,  decorated  with  glazed  frescoes  by 
Domenichino.  Those  on  either  side  of  the  door  represent 
the  saints  of  the  Hieronomyte  Order  (the  adjoining  con- 
vent belongs  to  Hieronomytes),  viz  :  S.  Jerome,  S.  Paula, 
S.  Eustochius,  S.  Pietro  Gambacorta  of  Pisa,  S.  Augustine 
the  hermit,  S.  Nicolo  di  Forca  Palena,  S.  Onofrio  and  the 
Elessed  Benedict  of  Sicily,  Philip  of  S.  Agatha,  Paul  of 
Venice,  Bartholomew  of  Cesarea,  Mark  of  Mantua,  Philip 
of  Fulgaria,  and  John  of  Catalonia.  Over  the  door  is  a 
Madonna  and  Child.  In  the  side  arcade  are  three  scenes 
in  the  life  of  S.  Jerome,  i.  Represents  his  baptism  as  a 
young  man  at  Rome.  2.  Refers  to  his  vision  of  the  Judg- 
ment (described  in  his  letter  to  Eustochius),  in  which  he 
heard  the  Judge  of  the  World  ask  what  he  was,  and  he 
answered,  "^  I   a:n  a  Christian."     But   the  Judge   replied, 


5.    ONOFKIO. 


729 


"  No,  you  lie;  for  you  are  a  Ciceronian,"  and  he  was  con- 
demned to  be  scourged,  but  continued  to  protest  tliat  he 
was  a  Christian  after  every  lash.  3.  Is  a  scene  alluded  to  in 
another  letter  to  Eustochius,  in  which  Jerome  says  :  "  Oli, 
how  often  when  alone  in  the  desert  with  the  wild  beasts 
and  scorpions,  half  dead  with  fasting  and  penance,  have  1 
fancied  myself  a  spectator  of  the  sins  of  Rome,  and  of  the 
dances  of  its  young  women!  " 

The  church  has  a  solemn  and  picturesque  interior.  It 
ends  in  a  tribune  richly  adorned  with  frescoes,  those  of  the 
upper  part  (the  Coronation  of  the  Virgiii,  and  eight  groups 
of  saints  and  angels)  being  by  Pinturicchio,  those  of  the 
lower  (the  Virgin  and  Saints.  Nativity,  and  Flight  into 
Egypt)  by  Baldassare  Pcruzzi. 

On  the  left  of  the  entrance  is  the  original  monument  of 
Tasso  (with  a  portrait),  erected  after  his  death  by  Cardinal 
Bevilacqua.  Greatly  inferior  in  interest  is  a  monument 
recently  placed  to  his  memory  in  the  adjoining  chapel,  by 
subscription,  the  work  of  De  Fabris.  Near  this  is  the 
grave  of  the  poet  Alessandro  Guidi,  ob.  1712.  In  the 
third  chapel,  on  the  left,  is  the  grave  of  the  learned  Car- 
dinal Mezzofanti,  born  at  Bologna,  1774,  died  at  Rome, 
1849. 

The  first  chapel  on  the  right,  which  is  low  and  vaulted, 
with  stumpy  pillers,  is  covered  with  frescoes  relating  to 
S.  Onofrio. 

The  second  chapel  on  the  right,  which  is  very  richly 
decorated,  contains  a  Madonna  crowned  by  Angels,  by 
Annibale  Caracci.  Beyond  this  is  the  fine  tomb  of  Arch- 
bishop Sacchi,  ob.  1502.  The  beautiful  lunette,  of  the 
Madonna  teaching  the  Holy  Child  to  read,  is  by  Pinturic- 
chio.     The  tomb  is  inscribed  : 

' '  Labor  et  gloria  vita  fuit, 
Mors  requies." 

The  convent  is  approached  by  a  cloister,  decorated  with 
frescoes  from  the  life  of  S.  Onofrio. 

"  S.  Onofrio  is  represented  as  a  meager  old  man,  with  long  hair  and 
beard,  gray  and  matted,  a  leafy  branch  twisted  round  his  loins,  a  stick 
in  his  hand.  The  artist  generally  tries  to  make  him  look  as  haggard 
and  inhuman  as  possible." — Mrs.  Jamesoti. 

In  a  passage  on  the  first  floor  is  a  beautiful  fresco  of  the 

31" 


7Z0 


WALKS  IN    HOME. 


Virgin    and    Child    with     the    donor,    by    Leonardo    da 
Vinci. 

"  To  1 5 13  belongs  a  Madonna,  painted  on  the  wall  of  the  upper 
corridor  of  the  convent  of  S.  Onofrio.  It  is  on  a  gold  ground  :  the 
action  or  the  Madonna  is  beautiful,  displaying  the  noblest  form,  and 
the  expression  of  the  countenance  is  peculiarly  sweet  ;  but  the 
Child,  notwithstanding  its  graceful  action,  is  somewhat  hard  and  heavy, 
so  as  almost  to  warrant  the  conclusion  that  this  picture  belongs  to  an 
earlier  period,  which  would  suppose  a  previous  visit  to  Rome." — 
Ku<;ier. 

Torquato  Tasso  came  to  Rome  in  1594,  on  the  invita- 
tion of  Clement  VIII.,  that  he  might  be  crowned  on  the 
Capitol  ;  but  as  he  arrived  in  the  month  of  November,  and 
the  weather  was  then  very  bad,  it  was  decided  to  postpone 
the  ceremony  till  late  in  the  following  spring.  This  delay 
was  a  source  of  trouble  to  Tasso,  who  was  in  feeble  health, 
and  had  a  presentiment  that  his  death  was  near.  Before  the 
time  for  his  crowning  arrived  he  had  removed  to  S.  Ono- 
frio, saying  to  the  monks  who  received  him  at  the  entrance, 
"My  fathers,  I  have  come  to  die  among  you  !  "  and  he 
wrote  to  one  of  his  friends,  ''  I  am  come  to  begin  my  con- 
versation in  heaven  in  this  elevated  place,  and  in  the  soci- 
ety of  these  holy  fathers."  During  the  fourteen  days  of  his 
illness  he  became  perfectly  absorbed  in  the  contemplation 
of  divine  subjects,  and  upon  the  last  day  of  his  life,  when 
he  received  the  papal  absolution,  he  exclaimed,  ''  I  believe 
that  the  crown  which  I  looked  for  upon  the  Capitol  is  to 
be  changed  for  a  better  crown  in  heaven."  Throughout 
the  last  night  a  monk  prayed  by  his  side  till  the  morning, 
when  Tasso  was  heard  to  murmer,  "  In  manus  tuas.  Do- 
mine,"  and  then  he  died.  The  room  in  which  he  expired, 
April  25,  1595,  contains  his  bust,  crucifix,  inkstand,  auto- 
graph, a  mask  taken  from  his  face  after  death,  and  other 
relics.     The  archives  of  S.  Onofrio  have  this  entry  : 

"  Torquato  Tasso,  illustrious  from  his  genius,  died  thus  in  our 
monastery  of  S.  Onofrio.  In  April,  T595,  he  caused  himself  to  be 
brought  here  that  he  might  prepare  for  death  with  greater  devotion 
and  security,  as  he  felt  his  end  approaching.  He  was  received  court- 
eously by  our  fathers,  and  conducted  to  chambers  in  the  loggia, 
where  everything  was  ready  for  him.  Soon  afterward  he  becime 
dangerously  ill,  and  desired  to  confess  and  receive  the  most  Holy  Sac- 
rament from  the  prior.  Being  asked  to  write  his  will,  he  said  that  hr 
wished  to  be  buried  at  S.  Onofrio,  and  he  left  to  the  convent  his  cru- 
cifix and  fifty  scudi  for  alms,  that  so  many  masses  might  be  scid  for 


PALAZZO   SALVIATI. 


73^ 


his  soul,  in  the  manner  that  is  read  in  the  book  of  legacies  in  our 
archives.  Pope  Clement  VIII.  Mas  requested  for  his  benediction, 
which  he  gave  amply  for  the  remission  of 'sins.  In  his  last  days  he  re- 
ceived extreme  unction,  and  then,  with  the  crucifix  in  his  hand,  con- 
templating and  kissing  the  sacred  image  with  Christian  contrition  and 
devotion,  being  surrounded  by  our  Fathers,  he  gave  up  his  spirit  to 
the  Creator,  on  April  25,  1595,  between  the  eleventh  and  twelfth 
hours  (i.e.,  between  7  and  8  a.m.),  in  the  fiftieth  year  of  his  age.  In 
the  evening  his  body  was  interred  with  universal  concourse  in  our 
church,  near  the  steps  of  the  high  altar,  the  Cardinal  Giulio  Aldobran- 
dini,  under  whose  protection  he  had  lived  during  the  last  years,  being 
minded  to  erect  to  him,  as  soon  as  possible,  a  sumptuous  sepulcher, 
which,  however,  was  never  carried  into  effect  ;  but  after  the  death  of 
the  latter,  the  Signor  Cardinal  Bevilacqua  raised  to  his  memory  the 
monument  which  is  seen  on  entering  the  church  on  the  left  side." 

The  garden  of  the  convent  is  a  lovely  plot  of  ground, 
fresh  with  running  streams,  and  it  possesses  a  glorious  view 
over  the  city,  and  the  Campagna  beyond  S.  Paolo.  At  the 
farther  extremity,  near  a  picturesque  group  of  cypresses, 
are  remains  of  the  oak  planted  by  Tasso,  the  greater  part 
of  which  was  blown  down  in  1842.  A  young  sapling  is 
shooting  up  beside  it.  Beyond  this  is  the  little  amphi- 
theater, overgrown  with  grass  and  flowers,  where  S.  Filippo 
Neri  used  to  teach  children,  and  assemble  them  "for  the 
half-dramatic  musical  performaiices  which  were  an  original 
form  of  his  oratorios.  Here,  every  25th  of  April,  a  musical 
cntertaininent  of  the  Accademia  is  held  in  memory  of 
Tasso, — his  bust,  crowned  with  laurel  wreaths,  and  taken 
from  the  cast  after  death,  being  placed  in  the  center  of  the 
amphitheater."  ' 

Returning  to  the  Lungara,  on  the  left  is  a  Lunatic  Asy- 
lum, founded  by  Pius  IX.,  with  a  pompous  inscription,  and 
beyond  it,  a  chain  bridge  to  S.  Giovanni  dei  Fiorentini. 
On  the  right  is  the  handsome  Palazzo  Salviati,  which  for- 
merly contained  a  fine  collection  of  pictures,  removed  to 
the  Borghese  Palace,  when,  upon  the  property  falling  into 
the  hands  of  Prince  Borghese,  he  sold  the  palace  to  the 
government.  Under  the  present  rule  it  is  occupied  by 
Tnbunali  di  Guerra  e  Marina.  The  adjoining  garden  now 
belongs  to  the  Sapienza,  and  has  been  turned  into  a  Botanic 
Garden.  Here  the  Museo  Teverino  has  been  established 
for  the  reception  of  works  of  art  discovered  in  the  Tiber, 
and  is  under  the  efficient  superintendence  of  Signor  Lan- 

>  Hemans. 


73^ 


IV A  LA'S  JX  ROME. 


ciani.  The  modernized  church  of  ^.  Giovanni  alia  Lun- 
gara  dates  from  the  time  of  Leo  IV.  (845-857),  and  is  now 
attached  to  a  prison.  On  the  right  is  a  large  Cotivent  of  the 
£uon  Pastor e. 

In  the  Via  delle  Sctiderie  (right),  so  called  from  the  sta- 
bles of  the  Corsini  and  Queen  Christina,  is  the  entrance 
to  the  Torlonia  Museum,  containing  the  magnificent  collec- 
tion of  sculpture  formed  within  the  last  thirty  years  by 
Alessandro  Torlonia,  Prince  of  Musignano,  &c.,  with  the 
assistance  of  Baron  Visconti  and  Professor  Guaccarini. 
The  collection  is  beautifully  arranged  in  separate  cabinets, 
so  that  the  eye  is  never  fatigued  by  seeing  too  much  at 
once,  and  each  master-piece  can  be  examined  at  leisure  with 
undistracted  attention.  So  rarely,  however,  do  strangers 
obtain  a  permission  to  enter  these  galleries  which  a  sybarite 
Prince  has  formed  for  his  private  delectation,  that  no  de- 
tailed account  of  the  sculptures  will  be  given  here.  It  is, 
however,  necessary  to  notice — 

*  The   Minerva   from  the  palace  of   Trajan   at   Porto  ;  by  many 
considered  superior  in  its  solemn  beauty  to  the  Minervas 
of  the  Capitol   and  Vatican,  from  which  casts  (for  com- 
parison) are  placed  near  it. 
47.  Aristotle,  from  Porto  d'Anzio — a  bust. 
61.   Carneades,  the  orator  of  Cyrene — a  bust. 
*62.   The  Empress  Li  via — "  mater  patriae,  genitrix  orbis,  magna 
mater" — from  the  villa  of  the  Gordians  at  Torre  degli 
Schiavi,  a  most  noble  seated  statue  of  the  stately  woman, 
who,  though  she  stooped  to  boundless  crimes  to  secure 
the  ambitious  projects  of  her  son  Tiberius,  yet  died   in 
her    86lh   year,   according   to   Tacitus,  considered  to  be 
"  the  type  of  all  that  was  noble  and  virtuous  in  woman." 
*75.  An    exquisite    seated    Female   statue,    sometimes   wrongly 
described  as  the  elder  Agrippina. 
80.  A  Philosopher,  from  the  Giustiniani  collection. 
92,  93.   Esculapius  and  Hygeia — from  Porto. 
98.   Prometheus — from  the  Giustiniani  collection. 
*I04.  Venus — supposed  to  be  the  Venus  of  Phidias,  described  by 
Pliny  as  standing  in  the  Portico  of  Octavia  in  his  day. 
115.   Hortensius  the  Orator — "the  king  of   the   Forum" — from 

his  own  villa  at  Laurentium. 
172.  Cupid  and  Psyche,  found  near  the  Pretorian  Camp. 
280.  Apollo,  from   Porto.      He  holds  the  bow  in  his  left  hand, 
and   his  right   arm  leans  upon  the  sacred  tripod,  with  a 
serpent  twining  round  ii. 
2q6.   Hercules  and  Tclephus,  found  by  Visconti,  in  small   frag- 
ments, in  the  Temple  of  Hercules  at  Porto. 


PALAZZO    CORSINL  7,, 

395.  Hesta  (the  goddess  of  fire) — a  very  curious  archaic  statue 
from  the  Giusliniani  collection  which  formed  the 
nucleus  of  the  present   Torlonia  Museum. ' 

We  now  reach,  on  the  right,  the  magnificent  Palazzo 
Corsini,  built  originally  by  the  Riario  family,  from  whom  it 
was  bought  by  Clement  XII.,  in  1729,  for  his  nephew, 
Cardinal  Neri  Corsini,  for  whom  it  was  altered  to  its  present 
form  by  Fiiga. 

This  palace  was  in  turn  the  resort  of  Caterina  Sforza, 
the  brave  Duchess  of  Imola ;  of  the  learned  Poet-Cardinal 
di  S.  Giorgio  ;  of  Michael  Angelo,  who  remained  here 
more  than  a  year  on  a  visit  to  the  cardinal,  "  who,"  says 
Vasari,  "  being  of  small  understanding  in  art,  gave  him  no 
commission";  and  of  Erasmus,  who  always  remembered  the 
pleasant  conversations  ("confabulationes  mellifluae  ")  of 
the  "  Riario  Palace,"  as  it  was  then  called.  In  the  seven- 
teenth century  the  palace  became  the  residence  of  Queen 
Christina  of  Sweden,  who  died  here  on  April  19,  1689,  in 
a  room  which  is  distinguished  by  two  columns  of  painted 
wood. 

"  With  her  residence  in  Rome,  the  habits  of  Christina  became  more 
tranquil  and  belter  regulated.  She  obtained  some  mastery  over  her- 
self, suffered  certain  considerations  of  what  was  due  to  others  to  pre- 
vail, and  consented  to  acknowledge  the  necessities  incident  to  the  peculi- 
arities of  her  chosen  residence.  She  took  a  constantly  increasing  part 
in  the  splendor,  the  life,  and  the  business  of  the  Curia,  becoming  indeed 
eventually  altogether  identified  with  its  interests.  The  collections  she 
had  brought  with  her  from  Sweden  she  now  enlarged  by  so  liberal  an 
expenditure,  and  with  so  much  taste,  judgment,  and  success,  that  she 
surpassed  even  the  native  families,  and  elevated  the  pursuit  from  a 
mere  gratification  of  curiosity  to  a  higher  and  more  significant  im- 
portance both  for  learning  and  art.  Men  such  as  Spanheim  and 
Havercamp  thought  the  illustration  of  her  coins  and  medals  an  object 
not  unworthy  of  their  labors,  and  Sante  Bartolo  devoted  his  practiced 
hand  to  her  cameos.  The  Correggios  of  Christina's  collection  have 
always  been  the  richest  ornament  of  every  gallery  into  which  the 
changes  of  time  have  carried  them.  The  MSS.  cf  her  choice  have 
contributed  in  no  small  degree  to  maintain  the  reputation  of  the  Vati- 
can library,  into  vv'hich  they  were  subsequently  incorporated.  Acquisi- 
tions and  possessions  of  this  kind  filled  up  the  hours  of  her  daily  life, 
with  an  enjoyment  that  was  at  least  harmless.  She  also  took  interest 
and  an  active  part  in  scientific  pursuits  ;  and  it  is  much  to  her  credit 
that  she  received  the  poor  exiled  Boreili,  who  was  compelled  to  resort 
in  his  old  age  to  teaching  as  a  means  of  subsistence.     The  queen  sup- 

'  The  Torlonia  Museum  is  described  in  "  Hidden  Treasures"— an  admirable 
article  in  Blackwood's  •'•  Edinburgh  Magazine."  July.  1879. 


734 


WALKS  IN  ROME. 


ported  him  with  her  utmost  power,  and  caused  his  renowned  and  still 
unsurpassed  work  on  the  mechanics  of  animal  motion,  by  which 
physiological  science  has  been  so  importantly  influenced  and  advanced, 
to  be  printed  at  her  own  cost.  Nay,  I  think  wc  may  even  venture  to 
affirm,  that  she  herself,  when  her  character  and  intellect  had  been  im- 
proved and  matured,  exerted  a  powerfully  efiicient  and  enduring  influ- 
ence on  the  period,  more  particularly  on  Italian  literature.  In  the 
year  1680  she  founded  an  academy  in  her  own  residence  for  the  dis- 
cussion of  literary  and  political  subjects  ;  and  the  first  rule  of  this 
institution  was,  that  its  members  should  carefully  abstain  from  the 
turgid  style,  overloaded  with  false  ornament,  which  prevailed  at  the 
time,  and  be  guided  only  by  sound  sense  and  the  models  of  the  Augustan 
and  Medicean  ages.  From  the  queen's  academy  proceeded  such  men 
as  Alessandro  Guidi,  who  had  previously  been  addicted  to  the  style 
then  used,  but  after  some  time  passed  in  the  society  of  Christina,  he 
not  only  resolved  to  abandon  it,  but  even  formed  a  league  with  some 
of  his  friends  for  the  purpose  of  laboring  to  abolish  it  altogether.  The 
Arcadia,  an  academy  to  which  the  merit  of  completing  this  good  work 
is  attributed,  arose  out  of  the  society  which  assembled  around  the 
Swedish  queen.  On  the  whole,  it  must  needs  be  admitted,  that  in  the 
midst  of  the  various  influences  pressing  around  her,  Christina  pre- 
served a  noble  independence  of  mind.  To  the  necessity  for  evincing 
that  ostentatious  piety  usually  expected  from  converts,  or  which  they 
impose  on  themselves,  she  would  by  no  means  subject  herself.  Entirely 
Catholic  as  she  was,  and  though  continually  repeating  her  conviction 
of  the  pope's  infallibility,  and  of  the  necessity  for  believing  all  doc- 
trines enjoined  either  by  himself  or  the  Church,  she  had  nevertheless 
an  extreme  detestation  of  bigots,  and  utterly  abhorred  the  direction  of 
father  confessors,  who  were  at  that  time  the  exclusive  rulers  of  all 
social  and  domestic  life.  She  would  not  be  prevented  from  enjoying 
the  amusements  of  the  carnival,  concerts,  dramatic  entertainments,  or 
whatever  else  might  be  offered  by  the  habits  of  life  at  Rome  ;  above 
all,  she  refused  to  be  withheld  from  the  internal  movement  of  an  intel- 
lectual and  animated  society.  She  acknowledged  a  love  of  satires,  and 
took  pleasure  in  Pasquin.  We  find  her  constantly  mingled  in  the 
intrigues  of  the  court,  the  dissensions  of  the  papal  houses  and  the  fac- 
tions of  the  cardinals.  .  .  .  She  attached  herself  to  the  mode  of 
life  presented  to  her  with  a  passionate  love,  and  even  thought  it  im- 
possible to  live  if  she  did  not  breathe  the  atmosphere  of  Rome. — 
Rankes  Hist,  of  the  Popes. 

In  1797  this  palace  was  used  as  the  French  embassy,  and 
on  the  28th  of  December  was  the  scene  of  a  terrible  skir- 
mish, when  Joseph  Bonaparte,  then  embassador,  attempted 
to  interfere  between  the  French  Democratic  party  and  the 
papal  dragoons,  and  when  young  General  Duphot,  who  was 
about  to  be  married  to  Joseph  Bonaparte's  sister-in-law, 
was  shot  by  his  side  in  a  balcony.  These  events,  after 
which  Joseph  Bonaparte  iminediately  demanded  his  pass- 
ports and  departed,  were  among  the  chief  causes  which  led 


PALAZZO    CORSTNI. 


735 


to  the  invasion  of  Rome  by  Berthier,  and  the  imprisonment 
of  Pius  VI.^ 

The  collections  now  in  the  palace  have  all  been  formed 
.smce  the  death  of  Queen  Christina.  The  Picture  Gallery 
is  open  to  the  public  on  Mondays,  Thursdays  and  Satur- 
days, from  lo  to  3. 

The  following  criticism,  applicable  to  all  the  private 
galleries  in  Rome,  is  perhaps  especially  so  to  this  : 

"You  may  generally  form  a  tolerably  correct  conjecture  of  what  a 
gallery  will  contain,  as  to  subject,  before  you  enter  it, — a  certain  quan- 
tity of  Landscapes,  a  great  many  Holy  Families,  a  few  Crucifixions, 
two  or  three  Pietas,  a  reasonable  proportion  of  S.  Jeromes,  a  mixture 
of  other  Saints  and  Martyrdoms,  and  a  large  assortment  of  Madonnas 
and  Magdalenes,  make  up  the  principal  part  of  all  the  collections  in 
Rome,  which  are  generally  composed  of  quite  as  many  bad  as  good 
paintings." — Eaton's  Rone. 

The  1st  room  is  chiefly  occupied  by  pretty  but  unimportant  land- 
capes  by  Orizzonte  and  I  'anvitelli,  and  figure  pieces  by  Locatelli,  We 
may  notice  (the  best  pictures  being  marked  with  an  asterisk) : 

\st  Room. — 
24,  26.   Canaletti. 

2nd  .Room. — 

12.  Eliz.  Si  rani  :    Madonna  and  Child  in  glory. 
II,   27.   Mariodi  Fioi-i  :  Fruit. 

15.  G.  Poussin  :    Landscape. 

17,   19.  Berghem  :   Landscapes  with  Cattle. 

20.   Lod.  Caracci :    Pieta. 

41.  Fr.  Gessi  :   S.  Andrea  Corsini. 

"^rd  Room. — 

*l.    Guercino :    Ecce  Homo. 
9.  A.  del  Sarto  :   Madonna  and  Child. 

13.  Barocci  :    Holy  Family. 

16.  20.    Salvator  Rosa  :    Rock  Scenes. 

17.  Caravaggio  :    Madonna  and  Child. 
*23.  Bof/i  :   Sunset. 

26.  Pra  Batolonuneo  :    Holy  Family. 

43.  Carlo  Saracetii  :    Two  Martyrdoms. 

44.  After  Raffaelle  :    Julius  H. 

The  portrait  of  Julius  H.  (della  Rovere)  is  a  replica  or 
copy  of  that  at  the  Pitti  Palace.  There  are  other  dupli- 
cates in  the  Borghese  Gallery,  at  the  National  Gallery  in 
England,  and  at  Leigh  Court  in  Somersetshire.  Julius 
IL  ob.  1513. 

'  See  Thiers'  History  of  the  French  Revolution,  Iiv.  xxxix. 


736  M'ALA'S  IN  ROME. 

49.  Carlo  Dolce  :   S.  Apollonia. 

50.  Titian  :    Philip  II.  of  Spain. 
*52.    Carlo  Saracoii  :    Vanity. 

83.    Carlo  Dolce  :    Ecce  Homo. 

^th  Rootn. — 

1.  Benedetto  Ltiti :   Clement  XII.  (Lorenzo  Cor.sini,  1730-40). 

4.    Giiido  Reni  :    Cupid  Asleep. 
*il.    Gnido  Reni  :    Daughter  of  Herodia.s. 
16.    Gtiido  Reni  :    Madonna. 

22.  Barocci  :   Christ  and  tlie  Magdalen. 
27.   Lad,  Caracci :    Two  Heads. 

23.  Titian  :    S.  Jerome. 

40.  Carlo  Maratta  :    Faustina  Maratta — his  daughter. 

41.  Giulio  Romano  (after  Raffaelle)  :    Fornarina   (replica  of   the 

picture  at  Florence). 

42.  Guido  :    Old  Man. 

*44.   Albert  Durer  :    A  Hare. 
55.   Spagnoletto  :    Death  of  vVdonis. 

In  this  room  is  an  ancient  marble  chair,  found  near  the  Lateran — 
and  on  a  table  "  the  Corsini  Vase,"  in  silver  (found  in  the  sand  near 
Porto  d'Anzio),  with  reliefs  representing  the  judgment  of  Areopagus 
upon  the  matricide  of  Orestes. 

^th  Room. — (In  which  Christina  died,  with  a  ceiling  by 
the  Zuccari.) 

2.  Pierinodel  Vega  :    Holy  Family. 
*I2.   Carlo  Dolce :   S.    Agnes. 

14.  Sassoferrato :    Madonna  reading. 

20.  Lanfranco  :   Ulysses  and  Polyphemus. 

23.  Albani  :    Madonna  and  Child. 

26.  Sassoferrato  :    Madonna  and  Child. 

37.  Guido  Reni  :   Addolorata. 

38.  Guido  Reni  :    Ecce  Homo. 

39.  Guido  Reni  :    S.  John. 

6tA  Room. — 

19.  Holbein  :    Portrait. 

20.  Titian  :    Mgr.  Chiberti. 

*2i.    Titian  :    Children  of  Charles  V. 

22.  Rembrandt  :    Old  Woman. 

23.  Giorgione  :    Male  Portrait. 

31.  Holbein  :   Caterina  Bora,  Wife  of  Luther. 

32.  Vandyke :    Male  Portrait. 

34.    Miniature  from  Dnrer  :    Nativity  of  the  Virgin, 

40.  Bnmzino  :  Cardinal  Divitius  de  Bibiena.  ' 

47.  Rubens  :  Portrait  of  Himself. 

48.  Tintoret .   A  Doge  of  Venice. 

*  54.    Titian  :  Cardinal  Alessandro  Farnese. 
68.   Bacciccio  :  Cardinal  Xcri  Corsini. 


PALAZZO    CORSINI. 


Ill 


']t/i  Room. — 

*il.   Atuiillo  :  Madonna  and  Child. 
13.   G.  Ponssin  :  Landscape. 
15.  Rubens  :  S.  Sebastian. 
18.   Garofalo  :  Christ  bearing  the  Cross. 

21.  Luca  Giordano  :  Christ  among  the  Doctors. 

22.  Fra  An'.;e/ico  :  Descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

23.  Fra  Angelica  :  Last  Judgment. 

24.  Fra  Angelica  :  Ascension. 

"A  Last  Judgment  by  Angelico  da  Fiesole,  with  wings  containing 
the  Ascension  and  the  Descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  is  in  the  Corsini 
Gallery.  Here  we  perceive  a  great  richness  of  expression  and  beauty 
of  drapery  ;  the  rapture  of  the  blessed  is  told,  chiefly  by  their  embraces 
and  by  their  attitudes  of  prayer  and  praise.  It  is  a  remarkable  feature, 
and  one  indicative  of  the  master,  that  the  ranks  of  the  condemned  are 
entirely  filled  by  monks." — Kugler. 

26.  Lod.  Caracci  :  Martyrdom  of  S.  Bartholomew. 

30.    Titian  ?  :  Woman  taken  in  Adultery. 

35.  Domenichino  :  Gonfaloniere  of  the  Churcli. 

Zth  Room. — 

8.  Viutdyke  :  Christ  before  Pilate. 

12.  Ercole  Grandi  :  S.  George. 

13.  Giddo  Reni  :  Contemplation. 
15.   G.  Potissin  :  Landscape. 

17.   Ge'rard  de  la  Nuit :  Judith  and  Head  of  Holofemes. 

24.  Guercino  :  S.  Jerome. 

25.  Spagnoletto  :  S.  Jerome. 

43.   Mosaic  portrait  of  Clement  XH.   and  his  nephew  Cardlna. 
Neri  Corsini. 

In  this  room  are  two  modern  family  busts  with  touching  inscrip- 
tions. 

Cabinet  : 
*26.   Spagna  :  Madonna  and  Child. 

(jth  Room. — 

2.    Terniers  :  Village  Interior. 

9.  Valasquez  :  Innocent  X.  (a  replica  of  the  Doria  portrait). 

26.  Bronzino  :  Female  Portrait. 

2S,  29.    Salvator  Rosa  :  Battle-piece. 

30.   Giorgione  :  Two  Heads. 

40.   Cignani  :  Madonna  Addolorata. 

49.   Gherardesco  da  Siena  :  Madonna  and  Child 

One  of  the  gems  of  the  collection,  a  highly  finished  Ma- 
donna and  Child  of  Carlo  Dolce,  is  usually  shown  in  a  glass 
case  in  the  first  room,  and  in  another  case  a  beautiful  Na- 
tivitv  of  Battoni  is  usually  to  be  found. 


738  WALK'S  I.V  ROME. 

The  CorsiPxi  Library  { open  every  day  except  WedneS' 
days)  contains  a  magnificent  collection  of  MSS.  and  en- 
gravings, founded  by  Cardinal  Neri  Corsini.  It  has  also 
some  beautiful  original  drawings  by  the  old  masters.  Be- 
hind the  palace,  on  the  slope  of  the  Janiculan,  are  large 
and  beautiful  Gardens,  adorned  with  fountains,  cypresses, 
and  some  grand  old  plane-trees.  Under  these  trees  Queen 
Christina  delighted  to  preside  over  the  first  meetings  of  the 
Arcadian  Academy  and  to  receive  their  bombastic  flat- 
teries as  her  rev/ard.  There  is  a  fine  view  from  the  Casino 
on  the  summit  of  the  hill. 

"  A  magnificent  porter  in  cocked  hat  and  grand  livery  conducted  the 
visitors  across  the  quadrangle,  unlocked  the  ponderous  iron  gates  of 
the  gardens,  and  let  them  through,  leaving  them  to  their  own  devices, 
and  closing  and  locking  the  gates  with  a  crash.  They  now  stood  in  a 
wide  avenue  of  ilex,  whose  gloomy  boughs,  interlacing  overhead,  ef- 
fectually excluded  the  sunlight  ;  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  farther  on 
the  ilexes  were  replaced  by  box  and  bay  trees,  beneath  which  the  sun 
and  shade  divided  the  path  between  them,  trembling  and  flickering  on 
the  ground  and  invading  each  other's  dominions  with  every  breath  of 
wind.  The  strangers  heard  the  splash  of  fountains  as  they  walked 
onward  by  bank  precipitous  as  a  hillside,  and  covered  with  wild,  rank 
herbage  and  tall  trees.  Stopping  to  gather  a  flower,  they  almost 
started,  as  looking  up,  they  saw,  rising  against  a  sky  fabulously  blue 
the  unfamiliar  green  ilex  and  dark  cypress  spire." — Mademoiselle Mati. 

Opposite  the  Corsini  Palace  is  the  beautiful  villa  of  the 
Farnesina  (only  visible  by  special  permission  from  its  owner, 
the  Duca  di  Ripalda,  built  in  1506  by  Baldassare  Peruzzi 
for  the  famous  banker  Agostmo  Chigi,  vvho  here  gave  his 
sumptuous  and  extravagant  entertainments  to  Leo  X.  and 
his  court— banquets  at  which  three  fish  cost  as  much  as 
230  crowns,  and  after  which  the  plate  that  had  been  used 
was  all  thrown  into  the  Tiber.  This  same  Agostino  Chigi 
was  one  of  the  greatest  of  art  patrons,  and  has  handed 
down  to  us  not  only  the  decorations  of  the  Farnesina,  but 
the  Sibyls  of  S.  Maria  della  Pace,  which  he  also  ordered 
from  Raffaelle. 

"  Le  jour  ou  Leon  X.  alia  prendre  possession  de  la  basiliqne  de 
Lateran,  I'opulent  Chigi  se  distingua.  Le  theatre  qui  s'elevait  devant 
son  palais  etait  rempli  des  envoyes  de  tous  les  peuples,  blancs,  cuivres, 
et  noirs;  au  milieu  d'eux  on  distinguait  les  images  de  Venus,  de  Mars, 
de  Minerve,  allusion  singulicrc  aux  trois  pontificats  d'Alexander  VL, 
de  Jules  II.,  et  de  Leon  X.  V'enits  aeii  son  temps:  disait  I'inscription; 
Mars  a  eu  le  sien  ;  c'est  aujonrd''  hui  le  regite  de  Minerve.      Antoine  de 


THE  FARNESINA.  -,,rt 

San-Marino,  qui  demeurait  pres  de  Chigi,  re'pondit  aussitot  en  placant 
sur  sa  boutique  la  statue  isolee  de  Venus,  avec  ce  peu  de  mots-  Mars  a 
regne,  Minerve  regne,  Venus  regnera  toujours."— 6"(;«;-w;/.''  Rome 
C/m'ticntie,  ii.  109.  ' 

The  Farnesina  contains  some  of  the  most  beautiful  ex- 
isting frescoes  of  Raffaelle  and  his  school.  The  principal 
hall  was  once  open,  but  has  now  been  closed  in  to  preserve 
the  paintings.  Its  ceiling  was  designed  by  Raffaelle  ( 1 5 1 8 
-20),  and  painted  by  Giulio  Romano  and  Francesco  Fenni 
with  twelve  scenes  from  the  story  of  Psyche  as  narrated  by 
Apuleius: 

A  king  had  three  daughters.  The  youngest  was  named  Psyche,  and 
was  more  lovely  than  the  sunshine.  Venus,  the  queen  of  beauty,  was 
herself  jealous  of  her,  and  bade  her  son  Cupid  to  destroy  her  charms 
by  inspiring  her  with  an  unworthy  love  (1).  But  Cupid  when  he  beheld 
Psyche,  loved  her  himself,  showed  her  to  the  Graces  (2),  and  carried 
her  o<T.  He  only  visited  her  in  the  darkness  of  night,  and  bade  her 
always  to  repress  her  curiosity  as  to  his  appearance.  But  while  Cupid 
was  sleeping.  Psyche  lighted  a  lamp,  and  looked  upon  him,— and  a 
drop  of  the  hot  oil  fell  upon  him,  and  he  awoke.  Then  he  left  her 
alone  in  grief  and  solitude.  Venus  in  the  meantime  learnt  that  Cupid 
was  faithless  to  her,  and  imprisoned  him,  and  sought  assistance  from 
Juno  and  Ceres  that  she  might  find  Psyche,  but  they  refused  to  aid  her 
(3).  Then  she  drove  to  seek  Jupiter  in  her  chariot  drawn  by  doves  (4), 
and  implored  him  to  send  Mercury  to  her  assistance  ( 5).  Jupiter  listened 
to  her  prayer,  and  Mercury  was  sent  forth  to  seek  for  Psyche  (6).  Venus 
then  showed  her  spite  against  Psyche,  and  imposed  harsh  tasks  upon  her, 
which  she  was  nevertheless  enabled  to  perform.  At  length  she  was 
ordered  to  bring  a  casket  from  the  infernal  regions  {7),  and  even  this, 
to  the  amazement  of  Venus,  she  succeeded  in  effecting  (8).  Cupid, 
escaped  from  captivity,  then  implored  Jupiter  to  restore  Psyche  to  him. 
Jupiter  embraced  him  (g),  and  bade  Mercury  summon  the  gods  to  a 
council  on  the  subject  (see  the  ceiling  on  the  right).  Psyche  was  then 
brought  to  Olympus  (10),  and  became  immortal,  and  the  gods 
celebrated  her  nuptial  banquet  (ceiling  painting  on  the  left). 

"On  the  flat  of  the  ceiling  are  two  large  compositions,  with  nu- 
merous figures, — the  Judgment  of  the  Gods,  who  decide  the  dispute 
between  Venus  and  Cupid,  and  the  marriage  of  Cupid  and  Psyche  in 
the  festal  assembly  of  the  gods.  In  the  lunettes  of  the  ceiling  are 
amoriiti,  with  the  attributes  of  those  gods  who  have  done  homage  to 
the  power  of  Love.  In  the  triangular  compartments  between  the 
lunettes  are  different  groups,  illustrative  of  the  incidents  in  the  fable. 
They  are  of  great  beauty,  and  are  examples  of  the  most  tasteful  dis- 
position in  a  given  space.  The  picture  of  the  three  Graces;  that  in 
which  Cupid  stands  in  an  imploring  attitude  before  Jupiter;  a  third, 
where  Psyche  is  borne  away  by  Loves,  are  extremely  graceful.  Peevish 
critics  have  designated  these  representations  as  common  and  sensual, 
but  the  noble  spirit  visible  in  all  Raffaelle's  works  prevails  also  in 
these:  religious  feeling  could  naturally  find  no  place   in  them;  but 


740 


IVALKS  IN  ROME. 


they  are  conceived  in  a  spirit  of  the  purest  artlessness,  always  a  proof 
of  true  moral  feeling,  and  to  which  a  narrow  taste  alone  could  object. 
In  the  execution,  indeed,  we  recognize  little  of  Raffaelle's  fine  feeling; 
the  greatest  part  is  by  his  scholars,  after  his  cartoons,  especially  by 
G.  Romano.  The  nearest  of  the  three  Graces,  in  the  group  before 
alluded  to,  appears  to  be  by  Raffaelle's  own  hand." — Kugk): 

The  paintings  were  injuriously  retouched  by  Ca?-Io  Ma- 
ratta.     The  garlands  round  them  are  by  Giovanni  da  Udine. 

The  second  room  contains  the  beautiful  fresco  of  Gal- 
atea floating  in  a  shell  drawn  by  dolphins,  by  Raffaelk 
himself. 

'*  Raflaelle  not  only  designed,  but  executed  this  fresco  ;  and  faded 
as  is  its  coloring,  the  mind  must  be  dead  to  the  highest  beauties  of 
painting,  that  can  contemplate  it  without  admiration.  The  spirit  and 
beauty  of  the  composition,  the  pure  and  perfect  design,  the  flowing 
outline,  the  soft  and  graceful  contours,  and  the  sentiment  and  sweet- 
ness of  the  expression,  all  remain  unchanged  ;  for  time,  till  it  totally 
obliterates,  has  no  power  to  injure  them.  .  .  .  The  figures  of  the  at- 
tendant Nereid,  and  of  the  triumphant  Triton  who  embraces  her,  are 
beautiful  beyond  description." — Eaton  s  Rome. 

"  The  fresco  of  Galatea  was  painted  in  15 14.  The  greater  part  of 
this  is  Raffaelle's  own  work,  and  the  execution  is  consequently  much 
superior  to  that  of  the  others.  It  represents  the  goddess  of  the  sea 
borne  over  the  waves  in  her  shell  ;  tritons  and  sea-nymphs  sport  joy- 
ously around  her  ;  amotini,  discharging  their  arrows,  appear  in  the  air 
like  an  angel-glory.  The  utmost  sweetness,  the  most  ardent  sense  of 
pleasure,  breathe  from  this  work  ;  everything  lives,  feels,  vibrates  with 
enjoyment.  "—^A'm^/^/'. 

The  frescoes  of  the  ceiling,  representing  Diana  in  her 
Car,  and  the  Story  of  Medusa,  are  by  Baldassare  Po'iizzi ; 
the  lunettes  are  by  Sebastian  del  Piombo  and  Daniele  da 
Volterra.  Michael  Angelo  came  one  day  to  visit  the  latter, 
and  not  finding  him  at  his  work,  left  the  colossal  head, 
which  remains  in  a  lunette  of  the  left  wall,  as  a  sign  of  his 
visit. 

In  the  upper  story  are  two  rooms  ;  the  first,  adorned 
with  a  frieze  of  subjects  from  Ovid's  Metamorphoses,  con- 
tains large  architectural  paintings  by  Baldassare  Peruzzi; 
the  second  has  the  Marriage  of  Alexander  and  Roxana, 
and  the  Family  of  Darius  in  the  presence  of  Alexander,  by 
So  do  ma. 

Alessandro  Chigi  desired  Baldassare  Peruzzi  so  to  design 
the  Farnesina  that  the  villa  and  its  gardens  should  form 
one  complete  composition.  This  was  nobly  effected  in 
the  glorious  ilex  avenue,  which  ended  in  the  pavilion  where 


BO  SCO   PARR  AS/0.  ^4  I 

Chigi  entertained  Leo  X.,  and  all  the  famous  men  of  his 
time.  These  beautiful  gardens  and  their  avenue  were 
wantonly  destroyed  by  the  present  government  in  1878-80, 
when,  in  accordance  with  a  silly  scheme  of  Garibaldi,  and 
to  flatter  the  aged  patriot,  the  course  of  the  Tiber  was 
changed,  to  the  annihilation  of  all  the  beauty  of  this  part 
of  the  city.  The  frescoes  of  the  Farensina  have  already 
shown  signs  of  serious  injury,  and  it  is  doubtful  whether  by 
an  act  of  consummate  folly  which  has  disgraced  her  in  the 
eyes  of  the  whole  civilised  world,  Rome  has  not  thrown 
away  one  of  the  most  precious  jewels  in  her  possession. 
During  the  destruction  of  the  gardens,  in  1880,  a  remark- 
able tomb  of  the  Gens  Sulpicia  Platorina  was  discovered 
here,  containing  several  funeral  urns  and  some  fine  statues 
of  the  family,  with  one  of  the  Emperor  Tiberius. 

The  Porta  Setiimiana  at  the  end  of  the  Lungara  pre- 
serves in  its  name  a  recollection  of  the  gardens  of  Septim- 
ius  Severus,  which  existed  in  this  quarter.  From  hence 
the  Via  delle  Fornaci  ascends  the  hill,  and  leads  to  the 
broad  new  carriage-road,  formed  in  1867  under  the  super- 
intendence of  the  Cav.  Trochi,  A  Via  Crucis  with  a  stair- 
case will  conduct  the  pedestrian  by  a  shorter  way  to  the 
platform  on  the  hill-top. 

The  succession  of  beggars  who  infest  this  hill  and  stretch 
out  their  maimed  limbs  or  kiss  their  hands  to  the  passers- 
by  will  call  to  mind  the  lines  of  Juvenal : 

'■  Caecus  adulator  dirusque  a  ponte  satelles, 
Dignus  Aricinos  qui  mendicaret  ad  axes, 
Blandaque  devexae  jactaret  basia  rhedae." 

Sat.  iv.  116. 

On  the  right  of  the  ascent,  near  the  Vigna  Corsini,  is  the 
approach  to  the  Bosco  Parrasio,  where  Gian  Mario  dei 
Crescimbeni  founded  the  Arcadian  Academy,  in  which  the 
poems  of  Metastasio  and  the  improvisations  of  Bernardino 
Perfetti  first  became  known  to  the  world.  Its  tangled 
garden  has  an  interest  from  its  many  associations  with  the 
so-called  shepherds  and  shepherdesses  whose  professed 
object  was  to  revive  the  simplicity  and  innocence  of  the 
golden  age,  and  to  reform  the  literature  of  Italy.  At  the 
summit  of  its  picturesque  winding  ascent  is  a  circular  space 
with  seats,  where  many  open-air  meetings  of  the  Academy 
have   been  held.     Inscribed  tablets  on   the    gurrottndinEr 


742  WA/.A'S  IN  ROME. 

walls  still  commemorate  celebrated  members  ;  but  their 
portraits,  which  hung  till  recently  in  the  neglected  villa, 
have  been  removed  to  the  hall  of  the  Academy  in  the 
town.  They  include  likenesses  of  Faustina  Maratti,  the 
famous  or  infamous  Gorilla,  and  many  others  whose  almost 
forgotten  names  were  once  familiar  throughout  Europe. 

The  Church  of  S.  Pietro  in  Moiitorio  was  built  by  Ferdi- 
nand and  Isabella  of  Spain,  from  designs  of  Baccio  Pintelli, 
on  the  site  of  an  oratory  founded  by  Constantine  upon  the 
supposed  spot  of  S.  Peter's  crucifixion. 

The  first  chapel  on  the  right  belongs  to  the  Barberini, 
and  contains  pictures  by  Sebastian  del  Piombo  (painted  in 
oil  upon  stone,  a  process  which  has  caused  them  to  be 
much  blackened  by  time),  from  drawings  of  Michael  Angelo. 
The  central  picture  represents  the  Scourging  of  Christ,  a 
subject  of  which  Sebastian  was  especially  fond,  as  it  gave 
the  opportunity  of  displaying  his  great  anatomical  power. 
On  the  left  is  S.  Peter,  on  the  right  S.  Francis, — on  the 
ceiling  is  the  Transfiguration, — outside  the  arch  are  a 
Prophet  and  a  Sibyl.  I'he  second  chapel  on  the  right  has 
paintings  by  pupils  of  Perugino  ;  the  fifth  contains  S.  Paul 
healed  by  Ananias,  by  Vasari. 

The  fourth  chapel  on  the  right  is  of  some  interest  in  the 
history  of  art.  It  was  greatly  at  heart  to  Julius  III.  to 
build  and  beautify  this  chapel  as  a  memorial  to  his  family, 
to  contain  the  tombs  of  his  uncle,  Cardinal  Antonio  de' 
Monti,  and  of  Fabiano,  who  first  founded  the  splendors  of 
his  house.  The  work  was  intrusted  to  Michael  Angelo 
and  Vasari,  who  were  at  that  time  on  terms  of  intimate 
friendship.  They  disputed  about  their  subordinates.  Vasari 
wished  to  employ  Simone  Mosca  for  the  ornaments,  and 
Raffaello  da  Montelupo  for  the  statues.  Michael  Angelo 
objected  to  having  any  ornamental  work  at  all,  saying  that 
where  there  were  to  be  marble  figures,  there  ouglit  to  be 
nothing  else;  and  he  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  Mon- 
telupo because  his  figures  for  the  tomb  of  Julius  II.  had 
turned  out  so  ill.  When  the  chapel  was  finished  Michael 
Angelo  confessed  himself  in  the  wrong  for  not  having 
allowed  more  ornament.  The  statues  were  intrusted  to 
Bartolommeo  Ammanati. 

The  first  chapel  on  the  left  has  8.  Francis  receiving  the 
stigmata,  attributed  to  Giovanni  de*  Vecchi. 


i.\    PJETRO   IN  MONTORJO.  -43 

'  A  barber  of  the  Cardinal  S.  Giorgio  was  an  artist,  who  painted 
very  well  in  tempera,  but  had  no  idea  of  design,  fie  made  friends 
with  Michael  Angelo,  who  made  him  a  cartoon  of  a  S.  Francis  receiv- 
ing the  stigmata,  which  the  barber  carefully  carried  out  in  color,  and 
his  picture  is  now  placed  in  the  first  chapel  on  the  left  of  the  entrance 
of  S.  Pietro  in  Montorio. " — Vasari,  vi. 

The  third  chapel  on  the  left  contains  a  Virgin  and  Child 
with  S.  Anne,  of  the  school  of  Perugino  ;  the  fourth  a  fine 
Entombment,  by  an  unknown  hand  ;  the  fifth,  the  Baptism 
of  Christ,  said  to  be  by  Daniele  da  Volterra. 

The  Transfiguration  of  Raffaelle  was  painted  for  this 
church,  and  remained  here  till  the  French  invasion.  When 
it  was  returned  from  the  Louvre  it  was  kept  at  the  Vatican. 
Had  it  been  restored  to  this  church,  it  would  have  been 
destroyed  in  the  siege  of  1849,  when  the  tribune  and  bell- 
tower  were  thrown  down.  Here,  in  front  of  the  high  altar, 
the  unhappy  Beatrice  Cenci  was  buried  without  any  monu- 
ment. 

Irish  travelers  may  be  interested  in  the  gravestones,  in 
the  nave,  of  the  once  fam.ous  Hugh  O'Neill  of  Tyrone, 
Baron  Dungannon,  and  of  O'Donnell  of  Tyrconnell  (1608). 
Near  the  door  is  the  fine  tomb,  with  the  beautiful  sleeping 
figure  of  Julian,  Archbishop  of  Ragusa,  ob.  15 10,  inscribed 
"Bonis  et  Mors  et  Vita  dulcis  est."  An  inscription  below 
the  steps  in  front  of  the  church  com.memorates  the  transla- 
tion of  a  miraculous  image  of  the  Virgin  hither  in  1714. 

In  the  cloister  is  the  Tempieito,  a  small  domed  building 
resting  on  sixteen  Doric  columns,  built  by  Bramante  in 
1502,  on  the  plan  of  a  chapel  executed  seventeen  years 
before  by  Civitali  at  Lucca.  It  occupies  the  spot  where 
S.  Peter's  cross  is  said  to  have  stood.  A  few  grains  of  the 
sacred  sand  from  the  hole  in  the  center  of  the  chapel  are 
given  to  visitors  by  the  monks  as  a  relic. 

"  S.  Peter,  when  he  was  come  to  the  place  of  execution,  requested 
of  the  officers  that  he  might  be  crucified  with  his  head  downwards, 
alleging  that  he  was  not  worihy  to  suiTerin  the  same  manner  his  divine 
Master  had  died  before  him.'  He  had  preached  the  cross  of  Christ, 
had  borne  it  in  his  heart,  and  its  mark:,  in  his  body,  by  sufferings  and 
mortification,  and  he  had  the  happiness  to  end  his  life  on  the  cross. 
The  Lord  was  pleased,  not  only  that  he  should  die  for  his  love,  but  in 
the  same  manner  himself  had  died  for  us,  by  expiring  on  the  cross, 
which  was  the  throne  of  his  love.  Only  the  apostle's  humility  made  a 
difference,  in  dcoiring  to  be  crucified  with  his  head  dov.mward.  His 
master  looked  toward  heaven,  which  by  his  death  he  opened  to  m.en  • 


744 


IV A  LA'S  IN  ROME. 


but  he  judged  that  a  shiner  formed  from  dust,  and  going  to  return  to 
dust,  ought  rather  in  confusion  to  look  on  the  earth,  as  unworthy  lo 
raise  his  eyes  to  heaven.  S.  Ambrose,  S.  Austin,  and  S.  Prudentius 
ascribe  this  his  petition  partly  to  his  humility,  and  partly  to  his  desire 
of  suffering  more  for  Christ.  Seneca  mentions  that  the  Romans  some- 
times crucified  men  with  their  heads  downward  ;  and  Eusebius  testi- 
fies that  several  martyrs  were  put  to  that  cruel  death.  Accordingly, 
the  executioners  easily  granted  the  apostle  his  extraordinary  request. 
S.  Chrysostom,  S.  Austin,  and  S.  Austerius  say  that  he  was  nailed  to 
the  cross  ;  Tertullian  mentions  that  he  was  tied  with  cords.  He  was 
probably  both  nailed  and  bound  with  ropes." — Allan  Butler. 

"  In  Rome  there  is  a  story,  also  found  in  the  old  writers  of  the 
Roman  church,  that  the  Ararat,  on  which  Noah's  ark,  the  church's 
emblem,  rested,  when  the  waters  of  the  deluge  sank,  was  not  the  Ar- 
menian mountain  of  that  name,  but  Mons  Janiculus  at  Rome  ;  and 
that  Peter's  cross  was  raised  upon  the  very  spot  whereon  the  progeni- 
tor of  the  new  race  of  men  set  his  foot  as  he  stepped  out  of  the  ark. 
The  rock  on  which  the  ship  of  salvation  remained  standing,  and  the 
rock  on  which  the  church  was  built,  are  thus  brought  into  relation 
with  each  other." — Rydberg's  Roman  Days. 

The  view  from  the  front  of  the  church  is  almost  unriv- 
alled. In  the  open  space  here,  where  Pius  IX.  intended  to 
erect  a  column  commemorative  of  the  Vatican  Council, 
the  bones  of  the  liberal  Ciceruacchio  and  others  who  fell 
in  the  revolutions  of  1849  ^^^  1870,  were  buried  in  Sep- 
tember, 1879. 

Behind  the  church  is  the  idLVdow?,  Fontana  Paolina,  whose 
name,  by  a  curious  coincidence,  combines  those  of  its  archi- 
tect, Fontana,  and  its  originator,  Paul  V.  It  was  erected 
in  161 1,  and  is  supplied  with  water  from  the  Lake  of  Brac- 
ciano,  lay  the  aqueduct  of  the  Aqua  Trajana,  thirty-five 
miles  in  length.  The  red  granite  columns,  which  divide 
the  fountain,  were  brought  from  the  temple  of  Minerva  in 
the  Forum  Transitorium. 

"  II  n'y  a  rien  encore,  dans  quelque  etat  que  ce  soit,  a  opposer  aux 
magnifiques  fontaines  qu'on  voit  a  Rome  dans  les  places  et  les  carre- 
fours,  ni  a  I'abondance  des  eaux  qui  ne  cessent  jamais  de  couler  : 
magnificence  d'autant  plus  louable  que  I'utilite  publique  y  est  jointe." 
— Duclos 

A  little  beyond  this  fountain  is  the  modern  Porta  S. 
Pancrazio,  built  near  the  site  of  the  ancient  Porta  Aurelia, 
by  Pius  IX.,  in  1857,  to  replace  a  gate  destroyed  by  the 
French  under  Oudinot  in  1849.  Many  buildings  outside 
the  gate,  injured  at  the  same  time,  still  remain  in  ruin. 

The  lane  on  the  right,  inside  the  gate,  leads  to  the  Villa 


CATACOMB    OF   S.    PONZIAKO. 


74; 


Lante,  built  in  1524  by  Giulio  Romano  for  Bartolommeo 
da  Pescia,  secretary  of  Clement  VIJ.  It  still  contains  some 
frescoes  of  Giulio  Romano,  though  they  are  only  lately  un- 
covered, as  the  house  was  used,  until  the  last  two  years,  as 
a  succursale  to  the  Convent  of  the  Sacre  Coeur  at  the 
Trinita  de'  Monti. 

Not  far  outside  tlie  gate  are  the  Church  and  Conveiit  of 
S.  Paticrazio,  founded  in  the  sixth  century  by  Pope  Sym- 
machus,  but  modernized  in  1609  by  Cardinal  Torres.  Here 
Crescenzio  Nomentano,  the  famous  consul  of  Rome  in  the 
tenth  century,  is  buried  ;  here  Narses,  after  the  defeat  of 
Totila,  was  met  by  the  pope  and  cardinals,  and  conducted 
in  triumph  to  S.  Peter's  to  return  thanks  for  his  victory  ; 
here,  also,  Peter  II.  of  Arragon  was  crowned  by  Inno- 
cent III.,  and  Louis  of  Naples  was  received  by  John  XII. 

A  flight  of  steps  leads  from  the  church  to  the  Catacomb 
of  Calepodius,  where  many  of  the  early  popes  and  martyrs 
were  buried.  It  has  no  especial  characteristic  to  make 
it  worth  visiting.  Another  flight  of  steps  le.^.ds  to  the  spot 
Avhere  S.  Pancrazio  was  martyred.  His  body  rests  with 
that  of  S.  Victor  beneath  the  altar.  A  parish  church  in 
London  is  dedicated  to  S.  Pancras,  in  whose  name  kings  of 
France  used  to  confirm  their  treaties. 

"  In  the  persecution  under  Diocletian,  this  young  saint,  who  was 
only  fourteen  years  of  age,  offered  himself  voluntarily  as  a  martyr, 
defending  boldly  before  the  emperor  the  cause  of  the  Christians.  He 
was  therefore  beheaded  by  the  sword,  and  his  body  was  honorably 
buried  by  Christian  women.  His  church,  near  the  gate  of  S.  Pancrazio. 
has  existed  since  the  year  500.  S.  Pancras  was  in  the  middle  ages 
regarded  as  the  protector  against  false  oaths,  and  the  avenger  of  per- 
jury. It  was  believed  that  those  who  swore  falsely  by  S.  Pancras 
were  immediately  and  visibly  punished;  hence  his  popularity." — 
Jamesons  Sacred  Art. 

(Turning  to  the  left  from  the  gate,  on  the  side  of  the 
hill  between  this  and  the  Porta  Portese,  is  the  Catacomb 
of  S.  Ponziano. 

"  Here  is  the  only  perfect  specimen  still  extant  of  a  primitive  sub- 
terranean baptistery.  A  small  stream  of  water  runs  through  this  ceme- 
tery, and  at  this  one  place  the  channel  has  been  deepened  so  as  to 
form  a  kind  of  reservoir,  in  which  a  certain  quantity  of  water  is  re- 
tained. We  descend  into  it  by  a  flight  of  steps,  and  the  depth  of 
water  it  contains  varies  with  the  height  of  the  Tiber,  ^\^len  that 
river  is  swollen  so  as  to  block  up  the  exit  by  which  this  stream  usually 
empties  Itself,  the  waters  are  Bometimes  so  dammed  back  as  to  i^un- 


74  fi 


IVALKS  IX  ROME. 


date  the  adjacent  galleries  of  the  catacomb  ;  at  other  times  there  are 
not  above  three  or  four  feet  of  water.  At  the  back  of  the  font,  and 
springing  out  of  the  water,  is  painted  a  beautiful  Latin  cross,  from 
whose  sides  leaves  and  flowers  are  budding  forth,  and  on  the  two  arms 
rest  ten  candlesticks,  with  the  letters  Alpha  and  Omega  suspended  by 
a  little  chain  below  them.  On  the  front  of  the  arch  over  the  font  is 
the  Baptism  of  our  Lord  in  the  river  Jordan  by  S.  John,  whilst  S.  Ab- 
don,  S.  Sennen,  S.  Miles,  and  other  saints  of  the  Oriental  church 
occupy  the  sides.  These  paintings  are  all  of  late  date,  perhaps  of 
the  seventh  or  eighth  century  ;  but  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  but 
that  the  baptistery  had  been  so  used  from  the  earliest  times.  We 
have  distinct  evidence  in  the  Acts  of  the  Martyrs  that  the  sacrament 
was  not  unfrequently  administered  in  the  cemeteries." — Northcote,  The 
Roman  Caiaco»ibs. 

In  the  catacomb  is  an  early  Portrait  of  Christ,  much 
resembling  that  at  SS.  Nereo  ed  Achilleo. 

"  The  figure  is,  however,  draped,  and  the  whole  work  has  certain 
peculiarities  which  appear  to  mark  a  later  period  of  art.  Both  these 
portraits  agree,  if  not  strictly,  yet  in  general  features,  with  the  descrip- 
tion in  Lentulus's  letter  (to  the  Roman  senate),  and  portraits  and 
descriptions  together  serve  to  prove  that  the  earliest  Christian  delinea- 
tors of  the  person  of  the  Saviour  followed  no  arbitrary  conception  of 
their  own,  but  were  guided  rather  by  a  particular  traditional  type, 
differing  materially  from  the  Grecian  ideal,  and  which  they  trans- 
mitted in  a  great  measure  to  future  ages." — Kugler,  i.  i6. 

In  this  vicinity  are  the  Catacombs  of  SS.  Abdon  and 
Sennen,  of  S.  Julius,  and  of  S.  Generosa. 

Opposite  the  Porta  S.  Pancrazio  is  the  entrance  of  the 
beautiful  Villa  Pamfili  Doria  (open  to  pedestrians  and  to 
/zc^-/^^/-j(?  carriages  after  12  o'clock  on  Mondays  and  Fri- 
days), called  by  the  Italians  *' Belrespiro."  'Y\\q  Casino  cow- 
tains  a  few  (not  first-rate)  ancient  statues,  and  some  views 
of  Venice  in  the  seventeenth  century  by  Hciritius.  The 
garden — for  which  especial  permission  must  be  obtained — 
is  full  of  beautiful  azaleas  and  camellias. 

From  the  ilex-fringed  terrace  in  front  of  the  Casino  is 
one  of  the  best  views  of  S.  Peter's,  v^'hich  is  here  seen  with- 
out the  town, — backed  by  the  Campagna,  the  Sabine 
Mountains,  and  the  blue  peak  of  Soracte.  The  road  to  the 
left  leads  through  pine-shaded  lawns  r.nd  woods,  and  by 
some  modern  ruins,  to  the  lake,  above  which  is  a  graceful 
fountain.  A  small  temple  raised  in  185 1  commemorates 
the  French  who  fell  here  during  the  siege  of  Rome  in  1849. 
'  The:  word  "  Mary  "  in   large  letters  of  clipped  bo.x  on  the 


VILLA   PAMFTLL  DORIA.  747 

Other  side  of  the  grounds  is  a  memorial  of  the  late  beloved 
Princess  Doria  (Lady  Mary  Talbot).  Not  far  from  this  is 
a  columbarium. 

The  site  of  the  Villa  Doria  was  once  occupied  by  the 
gardens  of  Galba,  and  here  the  murdered  emperor  is  be- 
lieved to  have  been  buried. 

"  Un  certain  Argius,  autrefois  esclave  de  Galba,  ramassa  son  corps, 
qui  avait  subi  mille  outrages,  et  alia  lui  creuser  une  humble  sepulture 
dans  les  jardins  de  son  ancien  maitre  ;  mais  ii  fallut  retrouver  la  tete  : 
elle  avait  ete  mutilee  et  pronienee  par  les  goujats  de  I'armee.  Enfin 
Argius  la  trouva  le  lendemain,  et  la  reunit  au  corps  deja  brCde.  Les 
jardins  de  Galba  etaient  sur  le  Janicule,  pres  de  la  voie  Aurelienne,  et 
on  croit  que  le  lieu  qui  vit  le  dernier  denoument  de  cette  affreuse  tra- 
gedie  est  celui  qu'occupe  aujourd'hui  la  plus  charmante  promenade  de 
Rome,  la  ou  inclinent  avec  tant  de  grace  sur  des  pentes  semees  d'ane- 
mcnes  et  ou  dessinent  si  delicatement  sur  I'azur  du  ciel  et  des  nion- 
tagnes  leurs  parasols  elegants  les  pins  de  la  villa  Pamphili." — Ainplre 
Emp.  ii.  79 

The  foundation  of  the  Villa  Pamfili  Doria  is  due  to  the 
wealth  extorted  by  Olympia  Maldacchini  during  the  reign 
of  her  brother-in-law,  Innocent  X. 

"Innocent  X.  fut,  pour  ainsi  dire,  contraint  de  fonder  la  maison 
Pamphili.  Les  casuistcs  et  les  jurisconsultes  leverent  ses  scrupules, 
car  il  en  avait.  lis  lui  prouverent  que  le  pape  etait  en  droit  d'econo- 
miser  sur  les  revenus  du  saint-siega  pour  assurer  I'avenir  de  sa  famille. 
lis  fixerent,  avec  une  moderation  qui  nous  fait  dresser  les  cheveux  sur 
la  tete,  le  chiffre  des  liberalites  permises  a  chaque  pape.  .Suivant  eux, 
le  souverain  ponlife  pouvait,  sans  abuser,  etablir  un  majorat  de 
quatre  mille  francs  de  rente  nette,  fonder  une  seconde  geniture  ea 
faveur  de  quelque  j)arent  moins  avantage,  et  donner  neuf  cent  mille 
francs  de  dot  a  chacune  de  ses  nieces.  Le  general  des  jesuites,  R.  P. 
Vitelleschi,  approuva  cette  decision.  Ladessus,  Innocent  X.  se  mit 
i  fonder  la  maison  Pamphili,  a  construire  le  palais  Pamphili,  a  creer 
la  villa  Pamphili,  et  a  pamphiliser,  tant  qu'il  put,  les  finances  de  I'eglise 
et  de  I'etat." — About,  Rome  Conteviporaine. 

There  are  two  ways  of  returning  to  Rome  from  the  Villa 
Doria — one,  which  descends  straight  into  the  valley  to  the 
Porta  Cavalleggieri,  passing  on  the  left  the  Church  of  S. 
Maria  delle  Fornaci  ;  the  other,  skirthig  the  walls  of  the 
city  beneath  the  Villa  Lante,  which  passes  a  Chapel,  where 
S.  Andrew's  head,  lost  one  day  by  the  canons  of  S.  Peter's, 
was  miraculously  rediscovered  ! 

"  On  ne  voit  pas  que  de  nouveaux  monuments  religieux  se  rap- 
portent  aux   djeux    apparitions  de  Pyrrhus  en   Italia  ;    seulement  les 


748  WALKS  IN  ROME. 

augures  firent  retablir  le  temple  du  dieu  des  foudres  nocturnes,  le  dieu 
etru-scosabin  Summanus,  en  expiation  sans  doute  de  ce  que  la  tete  de 
la  statue  de  Summanus,  placee  sur  le  temple  de  Jupiter  Capitolin, 
avait  ete  detachee  par  la  foudre,  et,  apres  qu'on  I'eut  cherchee  en 
vain,  retrouvee  dans  le  Tibre. 

"  Je  ne  compare  pas,  mais  j'ai  vu,  le  long  des  murs  de  Rome,  entre 
la  porte  Cavalleggieri  et  la  porte  Saint  Pancrace,  une  petite  chapelle 
elevee  au  lieu  ou  Ton  a  retrouve  la  tete  de  Saint  Andre,  apportee 
solennellement  de  Constantinople  a  Rome  au  quinzieme  siecle,  et  qui 
s'etait  perdu." — Ampere,  Hist.  Rom.  iii.  55. 


"Therefore  farewell,  ye  hills,  and  ye,  ye  envineyarded  ruins  ! 
Therefore  farewell,  ye  walls,  palaces,  pillars,  and  domes  ! 
Therefore  farewell,  far  seen,  ye  peaks  of  the  mythic  Albano, 

Seen  from  Montorio's  height,  'i'ibur  and  Aesula's  hills  ! 
Ah,   could  we  once,  ere  we  go,  could  we    stand,   while  to  ocean 
descending. 
Sinks  o'er  the  yellow  dark  plain  slowly  the  yellow  broad  sun. 
Stand,  from  the  forest  emerging  at  sunset,  at  once  in  the  champaign. 

Open,  but  studded  with  trees,  chestnuts  umbrageous  and  old. 
E'en  in  those  fair  open  fields  that  incurve  to  thy  beautiful  hollow, 

Nemi,  imbedded  in  wood,  Nemi,  incurved  in  the  hill ! — 
Therefore  farewell,  ye  plains,  and  ye  hills,  and  the  City  Eternal, 
Therefore  farewell  !  we  depart,  but  to  behold  you  again  !" 

Cloiigh. 

"  Eine  Welt  zwar  bist  du,  O  Rom  ;  doch  ohne  die  Liebe 
Ware  die  Welt  nicht  die  Welt,  ware  denn  Rom  nicht  Rom." 

Goethe 


INDEX 


Academy  for  Art  Students,  39  ; 
Costume,  43  ;  of  S.  Luke,  139 

Accademia,  Arcadian,  741  ;  an- 
nual entertainment  in  honor 
of  Tasso  at,  731 

Aerarium,  the,   143 

Aesculapius,  temple  of.  672 

Agger  of  Servius  Tullius,  remains 
of  the,  388,  407 

Agnese,  S.,    martyrdom  of,    532, 

534 
Agrippa,  baths  of,  541,  546 
Alban  Hills,  349,  463 
Albani,  Francesco,   56,  117,  219, 

736 
Alberteschi  family,  castle  of  the, 

676 
Albertinelli,  371 
Aldobrandini  family,  burial-place 

of  the,  548  ;  palace   of   the, 

371,  373 

Algardi,  70,  78,  112,  157,590 

Allia,  the,    720 

Almo,_  the,  303,  305,  315,  707 

Altieri  family,  burial-place  of  the, 
550  ;  palace  of  the,  88 

Alunno,  Niccolo,  82,  634 

Amatrice,  Cola  dell',  117 

Amici,  585 

Ammanati,  59,  72,  742 

Amphitheater  of  Statilius  Tau- 
rus,   501 

Amphitheatrum  Castrense,  483 

Angelico,  Fra,  550,  552,  623,  627, 
658,  737 

Angelo,  S. ,  Castle  of,  34  ;  Pon- 
te,  559 


Anicii,  castle  built  by  the  family 
of  the,  671 

Anio,  river,  395,  404  ;  castle  of 
Rustica  on  the,  486 

Antemnae,  site  of,  395,  716 

Antinous,  the  famous  relief  of, 
394 ;  the  most  celebrated 
statues  of,  639,  649,  665 

Antiquities,  shops  at  which  to 
buy,  23  ;  in  the  Kircherian 
Museum,  72  ;  in  •  Palazzo 
Torlonia,  86  ;  in  the  collec- 
tion of  Guidi,  30S  ;  princi- 
pal receptacle  in  Rome  for, 
469  ;  Christian,  472  ;  in  Pa- 
lazzo Vidoni,  526  ;  in  the 
Vatican  Library,  658  ;  in  the 
Etruscan  Museum,  659  ;  in 
the  Egyptian  Museum,  664  ; 
in  the  Museo  Teverino,  731 

Apollo,  obelisk  in  honor  of,  29  ; 
temple  of,  242,  499  ;  Bel- 
vedere, 648 

Appia,  Via,  303  ;  beginning  of 
the  beauty  of,  343 

Aqua,  Acetosa,  716 
Alexandrina,  485 
Argentina,  189 
Bollicante,  4S5 
Claudia,  477,  478 
Felice,  413,  477 
Marcia,  remains  of,  477,  480 

Aqueduct,  Claudian,  303,  478, 
484 

Aquinas,  S.  Thomas,  293 

Altani,  Paris,  54 

Ara  Coeli,   121 

Arches  (Arco) — 

deir  Annunziata,  684 


750 


INDEX. 


iVrches  (Arco)— 

of  Claudius,  359,  502 

of  the  Cloaca  Maxima,  189 

of  Constantine,  190,  305 

of  Dolabella,  268 

of  Domitian,  49 

of  r3rusus,  19,  314 

of  Gallienus,  435 

of  Gordian,  49 

of  Gratian,  502 

of  Janus,  189 

di  S.  Lazzaro,  695 

of  Marcus  Aurelius,  49,  61, 
112,  502 

dei  Pantani,  137 

of  Septimius  Severus,  143 

—  miniature,  191 

of  Theodosius,  502 

of  Tiberius,  143,  502 

of  Titus,  167 

of  Trajan,  314 

of-Verus,  314 
Architecture,  collections  of  frag- 
ments of,  72,  462,  704 
Arco  Oscuro,  the,  716 
Arnolphus,  work  of,   597,  679 
Arpino,    Cav.  d',   112,  219,  371, 

414,  449,  473,  579.  685;  tomb 

of,  462 
Artists,   studios    of,  23  ;  lists  of 

subjects  for,  26  ;  frescoes  by 

modern  German,  43  ;  models 

for,  44  ;  casino  decorated  by 

modern  German,  475  ;  Fes- 

taof  the,  4S6 
Arx,  the,  94 
Atticus,  Herodes,  romantic  stoiy 

of,  335 

Auditorium  of  Maecenas,  440 

Augustine,  S.,  departure  from 
Rome  of,  260  ;  tomb  of  the 
mother  of,   504 

Augustus,  palace  of,  229  ;  beau- 
tiful bust  of,  652  ;  famous 
statue  of,  653 

Aurclian,  wall  of,  313  ;  temple 
of  the  Sun  built  by,  370 

Avanzo,  Jacopo,  82 

Aventine,  the,  284 


B. 

Babuino,  the,  43 

Baccio  Bigio,  Nanni  di,  508 

Baciccio,  360,  548,  684,  736 

Badalocchi,  263 

Baglioni,  411 

BairJ,   706 

Bambino,  II  Santissimo,i24 

Bandinelli,  Baccio,   552 

Baptistery  of  the  Lateran,  455 

Barberini,  Piazza,  352  ;    Palazzo, 

352  ;    bees  of  the,  46,  355  ; 

Cardinal,  385  ;  Casino  of  the, 

388  ;  garden,  359 
Barcaccia,  the,  45 
Barigioni,  Filippo,  590 
Baroccio,    57,  80,   511,  548,  554, 

635,  735 
Bartolommeo,     Fra,   55,68,116, 

735 
Basilicas  (Pagan) — 

of  Aemilius  Paulus,  151 

of  Constantine,  154 

of  Julia,  144 

of  the  Palace  of  the  Caesars, 
231 

Porcia,  151 

Sessorian,  483 
Basilicas  (Christian) — 

S.  Agnese  fuori  le  Mura,  400 

S.   Alessandro,  405 

S    Croce,  480 

Eudoxian,  422 

S.   Lorenzo,  487 

S.   Maria  Maggiore,  443 

S.   Paolo  fuori  le  Mura,  703 

S.   Pietro,  493 

S.   Sebastiano,  337 

S.   Stefano,  478 
Bassano,  Giacomo,  57,  537 
Baths— 

of  Agrippa,    501,    502,    541, 
546 

of  Caracalla,    306,  474,  517, 
650 

of  Lonstantine,    370 

of  Diocletian,   409 

enervating  influence  of  the, 
306 
Baths — 


INDEX. 


751 


of  Nero,   502,  53S 

of  Titus,  420 
Battoni,  412,  737 
Bazzani,  293 

Befana,  festival  of  the,  539 
Bellini,  Giovanni,  58,77,  S2,  117, 

356 
Belvidere  of  the  Villa  Medici,  40 
Benedict,  S.,  house  of,  675 
Benvenuti,  Gio.  Batt.,  79 
Benzoni,  186,  373 
Berghem,  59,  735 
Bernini,   32,  46,  60,  62,  63,  78, 
81,  112,  157,  352,  414,  439, 
446,  450,  461,  504,  535,  542, 
545,  563,  568,  574,  57S,  579, 
584,  586,  589,  606,  616,  713 
Bianchi,  P.,  412 
Bocca  della  Verita,  192 
Bologna,  Pellegrino  da,  537 
Bonfigli,  Benedetto,  113 
Bonifazio,  58,  82,  627 
Borghese,  Camillo,  tomb  of,  448 
Chapel,  446 
Palace,  52 
Palazzetto,  59 
Piazza,  59 
Picture  gallery-,  54 
Princess,    funeral    of, 

449 

Villa,  70S 
Borgia,   family  burial-place    of, 

457 

Caesar,  54,  428 

S.  Francis,  death  chamber  of, 
88 

Lucrezia,  428 

Rodrigo,     Pope     Alexander 
VI.,  514,  593,  653 
Borgo,  the,  566 
Borgognone,  360 
Borroraeo,  S.  Carlo,  433 
Borromini,    62,    352,    458,    512, 

518,  521,  539 
Boschetto,  the,  40 
Bosco  Parrasio,  741 
Both,  735 

Botticelli,  Sandro,  54,  116,  607 
Bracci,  Pietro,  554,  585 
Bramante,    510.    519,    520,    557, 

572,  604,  617,  743 


Brandini,  36a 

Brescia,  Moretto  da,  635 

Bresciano,  Prospero,  413 

Breughel,  78 

Brill,  Paul,  370,  411,  617 

Bronzes,  collections  of,    72,    114, 

115,  662 
Bronzino,    55,    69,    79,  82,   356, 

736.  737 
Brouerer,  58 
Burial-ground,     Geraian,     600  ; 

Jewish,      289  ;     Protestant, 

696,  698 


Caesars,  Palace  of  the,  225 

Caetani,  Scipione,  371,  460,  511 

Cagnacci,  Guido,  139 

Caius  Gracchus,  spot  where  he 
was  killed,  682 

Calabrese,  II,  525 

Calendar,  Paschal,  473  ;  new,  in- 
vented in  the  reign  of  Greg- 
ory XIII.,  585 

Caligula,  Palace  of,  239,  244  ; 
Bridge  of,  244  ;  obelisk 
brought  to  Rome  by,  568  ; 
Circus  of,  603 

Cambiaso,  Luca,  58 

Cambio,  Arnolfo  del,  595 

Cameos,  23 

Camassei,  Andrew,  456 

Camosci,  Pietro,  428 

Campagna.  36,  40,  344,  4041 
477,485.  700,  707 

Campaniles  of — 

S.    Benedetto   a   Piscinuola, 

675 
S.  Cecilia,  678 
S.  Crisogono,  6S4 
S.  Giorgio  in  Velabro,  190 
S.  Giovanni  a  Porta  Latina, 

312 
S.  Lorenzo  in  Lucina,  60 
S.  Lorenzo    Pane   e    Pema, 

378 
S.  Maria  in  Cappella,  677 
S.  Maria  in  Monticelli,  523 
S.  Sisto,  311 
Campo  Militare,  407 


75^ 


IXDEX. 


Canipo  de'  Fiori,  518 

Vaccino,  154,  227 
Campus  Esquilinus,  408 

Martins,  498 
Camuccini,  473,  688,  706 
Canaletti,  735 
Canova,  50,    83,    I14,    157,    579, 

591,  626,  649,  713 
Cantharus,  at  S.  Cecilia,  678 
Capena,  Porta,  site  of,  303 
Capitoline  Hill,  the,  90 
Cappuccini  Cemetery,  386 

Piazza,  384 
Caravaggio,    68,    113,   117,   356, 

474,  618,  634,  735 
Carinae,  417,  420 
Caritas  Romana,  198 
Carracci,  Agostino,  63,  82 

Annibale,    32,    56,    78, 
79,  80,  82,   113,  264, 
265,    517,  684,   730; 
tomb  of,  545 
Ludovico,      117,      735, 
736,  737 
Casale  dei  Pazzi,  405 
Casino — 

in  Villa  Albani,  393 

in  Villa  Borghese,  711 

in  Villa  Ludovisi,  389 

del  Papa,  666 

di  Papa  Giulio,  714 

in  Quirinal  Gardens,  369 

of  Raffaelle,  57,  713 

in  Rospigliosi  Garden,  369 
Castel  Giubeleo,  395,  716 
Castellani,  shop  of,  67 
Castelli,  Bernardo,  554 
Castles  of — 

S.  Angelo,  559 

the  Alberteschi  family,  676 

the  Anicci  family,  671 

the  Anguillara,  6S4 

of  the  Caetani,  671 

Crescenza,  718 

the  del  Grillo,  138 

del  Osa,  486 

Rustica,  486 
Catacombs — 

of  S.  Agnese,  402 

of  Calepodius,  745 

of  S.  Calixtus,  317 


Catacombs — 

of  S.  Ciriaca,  491,  493 

of  S.  Felicitas,  395 

of  S.  Felix,  39 

of  SS.  Gianutus  and  Basilla, 
714 

of  S.  Hippolytus,  495 

Jewish,  341 

of    SS.    Nereo   ed  Achilleo, 
330 

S.  Nicomedus,  400 

ad  Nymphas,  406 

of   SS.   Pietro  e  Marcellino, 
4S4 

of  S.  Pretextatus,  329 

of  S.  Ponziano.  745 

of  S.  Priscilla,  396 

of  the  Santi  Quattro,  47S 

of  S.  Sebastian,  337 

of    SS.   Thraso    and    Satur- 
ninus,  396 

of  S.  Valentine,  714 
Cathedra  Petri,  586 
Catherine,  S.,  of  Siena,  164,  551 
CavaUini,   Pietro,   574,   583,  687, 

689,  705 
Cavalluccio,  429 
Cecilia,  S. ,   burial-place  of,   322, 

story  of,  677 
Cemeteries — 

of  the  Cappuccini,  386 

oldest  Christian,  279,  600 

German,  600 

Jewish,  289 

of  S.  Lorenzo,  493 

Protestant,  698 

old  Protestant,  696 
Cenci,  the  tragedy  of  the,  21'j- 

218  ;    portraits   of   Lucrezia 

and  Beatrice,  356  ;  grave  of 

Beatrice,  743 
Centocelle,  485 
Cervaletto,  486 
Cervara,  486 
Chapels — 

of  S.  Andrew,  265 

of  S.  Andrew's  Head,   717, 

747 
of  S.  Barbara,  265 
Borghese,  446 
Corsini,  460 


INDEX. 


753 


Chapels — 

of  the  Farewell,  699 
S.  Giovanni  in  Oleo,  312 
of  S.  Lorenzo  in  the  Vatican, 

623 
of  the  Ortodel  Paradiso,  431 
in  Palazzo  Altemps,  506 
Paoline,  606 
of  the  Popes,  321 
of  the  Pregatrici,  388 
Protestant,  708 
S.  Silvestro,  277 
of  S.   Silvia,  265 
Sistine,  606 
Chapter  House  of  S.  Sisto,  311 
Christina,  Queen  of  Sweden,  34, 

583,  733 
Churches  of — 

S.  Adriano,  159 

S.  Agata  dei  Goti,  373 

S.  Agnese,  532 

fuori  le  Mura,  400 

S.  Agostino,  504 

S.  Alessio,  295 

American,  383 

S.  Anastasia,  185 

S.  Andrea,  717 

delle  Fratte,  62 
a  Monte  Cavallo, 

360 
della  Valle,  525 

S.  Angelo  in  Pescheria,  203 

S.  Antonio  Abbate,  44I 

S.  Apollinare,  505 

SS.  Apostoli,  83 

Ara  Coeli,  120 

S.  Atanasio,  43 

S.  Balbina,  302 

S.  Bartolommeo,  671 

S.  Basilio,   297 

S.  Benedetto    a    Piscinuola, 

675 
S.  Bernardo,  415 
S.  Bibiana,  43S 
S.  Brigitta,  516 
S.  Buoneventura,  170 

of  the  Caetani,  343 
S.  Caio,  415 
S.  Calisto,  689 
I.  Cappuccini,  384 
La  Caravita,  70 
32* 


Churches  of — 

S.  Carlo  a  Catinari,  524 
in  Corso,  52 
a  Quattro  Fontane, 

359 
S.  Catarina  de'  Funari,  220 

di  Siena,  371,557 
S.  Cecilia,  677 
S.  Celso  in  Banchi,  557 
S.  Cesareo,  311 
S.  Claudio,  63 
S.  Clemente,  279 
S.  Cosimato,  690 
SS.  Cosmo  e  Damiano,  159 
S.  Costanza,  402 
S.  Crisogono,  684 
S.  Crispino  a  Ponte,  676 
S.  Croce  in  Gerusalemme,  480 
di  Monte  Mario,  722 

I  Crociferi,  67 
S.  Dionisio,  383 

SS.  Domenico  e  Sisto,  372 
Domine  quo  Vadis,  316 
S.  Dorotea,  6go 
S.  Eusebio,  438 
S.  Eustachio,  540 
S.  Francesca  Romana,  162 
S.  Francesco  di  Paola,  428 
a  Ripa,  683 

II  Gesu,  87 
Gesii  e  Maria,  50 

S.  Giacomo  in  Aino,  513 

degli  Incurabili, 

50 
Scossa    Cavalli, 

567 
degli  Spagnuoli, 

536 
S.  Giorgio  in  Velabro,  190 
S.  Giovanni  Decollato,  197 
dei  Fiorentini, 

558 
allaLungara,731 
e  Paolo,  267 
a  Porta   Latina, 
312 
b.  Girolamo  della  Carita,  515 
degli  Schiavoni, 

49 
S.  Giuseppe  dei  Falegnami 

132 


754 


INDEX. 


Churches  of — 

Greek,  43 

S.  Gregorio,  260 

S.  Ignazio,  70 

S.  Isidore,  3S7 

SS.  Lorenzo  e  Damaso,  520 

S.  Lorenzo  in  Fonte,  37S 
in  Lucina,  60 
in   Miranda,  159 
fuori    le    Mura, 

486 
Pane    e    Perna, 

377 

S.  Lucia  del  Gonfalone,  513 

S.  Luigi  del  Francesi,  537 

S.  Marcello,  71 

S.  Marco,  87 

S.  Maria  degli  Angeli,  411 
deir  Anima,  506 
in  Aquiro,  65 
Aventina,  297 
in  Campitelli,  220 
in  Cappella,  677 
della    Concezione, 

384 
in  Cosmedin,  191 
in  Domenica,  270 
Egyptiaca,  195 
della  Fornace,  747 
Liberatrice,  159 
di  Loreto,  135 
Maggiore,  443 
ad  Martyres,  541 
sopra  Minerva,  547 
di  Monserrato,  513 
in  Monti,  375 
in  Monticelli,   523 
della  Morte,  517 
del  Orto,  683 
della  Pace,  50S 
Pallara,  170 
della  Pieta  in  Cam- 

po  Santo,  601 
del  Popolo,  30 
del  Rosario,  722 
Scala  Coeli,  700 
del  Sole,  194 
Traspontina,  566 
in  Trastevere,  686 
in  Trivia.  66 
in  Vallicella,   511 


Churches  of — 

S.    Maria  in  Via,  63 

in  Via  Lata,  73 
di  Vienna,  136 
della  Vittoria,  413 
S.  Marta,  600 
S.  Martina,  157 
S.  Martino  al  Monte,  429 
S.  Michele  in  Sassia,  602 
most  worth  seeing,  24 
S.  Nereo  ed  Achilleo,  308 
S.  Niccolo  in  Carcere,  198 

daTolentino,  388 
S.  Onofrio,  728 

in  Canipagna,723 
S.  Pancrazio,  745 
S.  Pantaleone,  528 
S.  Paolo  fuori  le  Mura,  703 
primo  Eremita,  382 
alle  Regola,  693 
alle    Tre    Fontane, 
701 
Perpetua  Adoratrice  del   Di- 

vin  Sacramento,  361 
S.  Pietro,  570 
S.  Pietro  in  Carcere,  127 

e  Marcellino,  476 
in  Montorio,  742 
in  Vincoli,  422 
S.  Prassede,  431 
S.  Prisca,  298 
Protestant,  22 
S.  Pudenziana,  379 
SS.  Quattro  Incoronati,  277 
SS.  Rocco  e  Martino,  49 
S.  Sabba,  300 
S.  Sabina,  290 
S.  Salvatore  in  Lauro,  556 

in  Torrione,  601 
II  Santissimo  Redentore,  435 
S.  Sebastiano,  337 
S.  Silvestro  in  Capite,  61 

a  Monte  Cavallo, 

371 
S.  Sisto,  310 

S.  Spiritodei  Napo]itani,5i3 
S.  Stefano,  600 

a  Piscinuola,  513 
S.  Stefano  Rotondo,  271 
S.  Susanna,  414 
S.  Teodoro,  1S4 


INDEX. 


755 


Churches  of — 

S.  Teresa,  415 

S.  Tommaso  dei  Cenci,  212 
in  Formis,  269 
degli     Inglesi, 

514 
S.  Trinita  de'  Monti,  41 

dei  Pellegrini,  522 
S.  Urbane,  333 
S.  Vincenzo    ed     Anastasio, 

700 
S.  Vitale,  3S3 
S.  Vito,  435  _ 
Ciampelli,  Agostino,  439 
Cignani,  737 
Cigoli.  449,  558 
Cimabue,  658 
Circus  Agonalis,  535 
of  Caligula,  603 
of  Flaminius,  220 
of  Maxentius,  341 
of  Maximus,  186 
Circus  of  Nero,  603 
Cispius,  the,   417 
Claude.     See  Lorraine 
Clivus  Capitolinus,  141 
Mariis,  315 
Victoriae,  239,    253 
Cloaca  Maxima,  189 
Cloister  of  the  Lateran,  462 
of  S.  Lorenzo,  493 
of  the  Minerva,  555 
Clovio,  Giulio,  tomb  of,  423 
Coelian  Hill,  25S 
Coliseum,  the,  173 
Collatia,  486 

CoUe.  Raffaello  da,  622,  625 
Colleges — 

English,  514 
Propaganda,  46 
Romano,  72 
Sapienza,  579 
Colossus  of  Nero,  166 
Columbarium  of  the  Arruntia,  440 
of  the  freedmen  of 
Augustus        and 
Livia,  317 
of  the  freedmen   of 

Octavia,  313 
of  the  Vigna  Codi- 
ni.  314 


Colonna  (Column") — 

of  Antoninus  Pius,  665 

Beliica,  499 

Duilia,  151 

Lactaria,  199 

Maenia   142 

Marco  Aurelio,  63 

of  the  Piazza  di  Spagna,  46 

of  Phocas,  14S 

Santa,  583 

Trajano,  134 

deiia  Vergine,  443 
Comitium,  the,  141 
Convent  of — 

S.  Agata  in  Siiburra,  373 

S.  Alessio,  2g5 

S.  Anna,  689 

SS.  Apostoli,  84 

Ara  Coeli,  120,  127 

S.  Bartolommeo,  671 

S.  Bernardo  Senensis,  375 

Biion  Pastore,  732 

S.  Buonaventura,  169 

S.  Caterina,  372 

S.  Cecilia,  677 

the  Certosa,  412 

S.  Eusehio,  438 

8.  Fraucesca  Romana,  166 

S.  Fraucesca   di   Paola,   430 

S.  Filippo  Neri,  430 

the  Gesu,  88 

S.  Lorenzo  Pane  e  Perna,  377 

S.  Lucia  in  Seici,  431 

the  Maronites,  428 

the  Minerva,  555 

the   Monache  Polacche,  436 

the   Novitiate  of   the  Ordei 
of  Jesus,  361 

S.  Onofrio,  730 

S.  I'ancrazio,  745 

S.  Paolo,  703 

S.  Pietio   in  Vincoli,  428 

the  Poor  Clares,  690 

the  Pregatrici,  387 

Quattro  Incoronati,   278 

S.  Siibina,   293 

Sacre  Cceur,  42 

Sepolte  Vive,  376 

S.  Sislo,  310 

Tor  di  Specchi,  221 

Via  A'ittorin,   52 


756 


INDEX. 


Consalvi,  Cardinal,  tomb  of,   71  ; 

monument  of,  545 
Conte,  Giacomo  del,  537 
Coppi,  Jacopo,  423 
Cordieri,  Niccolo,  265,  458 
Cordon nata,  La,  96 
Cornelius,   43 
Correggio,  56 
Corso,  the,  28,  49 
Corlona,    Pietro  da,    52,   57,  77, 

117,    157,    158,   219,   355,   385, 

439,  509,  511,  524,  535,  556 
Cosmati,  the,  121,  123,  192,  270, 

312,  451,  469,  493 
Costanzi,  P.,  412 
Coxcie,  Mich.,  508 
Cranach,  Lucas,  59,  68 
Credi,  Lorenzo  di,  54 
Crescenza,  718 
Crimera,  the,  719 
Cristoferi,  583 

Crivelli,   Carlo,   54,  87,  474,  627 
Croce,  Baldesare,  415 
Cross  of  Henry  IV.,  440 
Crypto- Porticus,   the,  231 
Curia,  the,  151 

D. 

Dalmatica  di  S.  Leone,  599 
Damasus,   Pope,   inscriptions  of, 

323,  324-  330, 339 
David,  360 

Diavolo,  Casa  del,  477 
Diocletian,  Baths  of,  409 
Diribitorium,  501 
Dolce,  Carlo,  56,  736,  737 
Domenichino,  57,  116,  219,   265, 

370,   371.  385,  412,  414.  424, 

428,   431,  474,  524,  537,  627, 

687,  688,  728 
Dominic,  S.,  residence  at  Rome 

of,  289 
Donalello,  123 

Doria,  Palazzo,  77  ;  Villa,  746 
Dorotea,  S.,  Legend  of,  691 
Dosso  Dossi,  55,  79,   80 
Durer,  Albert,  works  of,  69,  356, 

736 


E. 


Easter  Benediction,  the,  570 
Egeria,  fountain  of,   305  ;  grotto 

and  grove  of,  334 
Egyptian  Museum,  664 
Emelingk,  80 
Emporium,  the,  695 
English  Quarter,  28 
Esquiline,  the,  416 
Etruscan  jewelry,    67  ;  museum, 

660 
Evangelisti,  Filippo,  124 


Fabriano,  Gentile  da,  82 
Fabii,  destruction  of  the,  719 
Fabris,  de,  583,  729 
Faenza,  Marco  da,  624 
Falcone,  Ristauratore  del,  539 
Farnese,  Palazzo,  516 
Farnesina,  the,  738 
Fasti  Consulares,  the,   113 
Faustulus,  hut  of,  236 
Ferrari,  Francesco,  263 
Gaudenzio,  68 
Ferrata,  Ercole,  533,  586 
Festa  degli  Artisti,  486 
Fiamingo,   Arrigo,    78,  135,    411 
Fiesole,  Fra  Angel ico.     See  An- 
gelico 
Mino  da,  451,  554,   59J 
Filarete,  Antonio,  459,  574 
Fijomena,  S.,  397 
Fiori,  Mario  de',  82,  735 
Foligno,  Madonna  di,  122 
Fontana,  49,  83,  449,  583 
Forli,  Melozzo  da,  599 
Forum  of  Augustus,  137 

Boarium,  188 

of  Julius  Caesar,  87,  138 

of  Nerva.  13S 

Romanum,  139 

of  Trajan,  133 

Transitorium,  138 

Ulpian,  133 
Fountains — 

the  Babuino,  43 
of  the  Barcaccia,  45 
of  the  Cnpitol,  99 


INDEX. 


757 


Fountains — 

Egeiia,  270,  305 

Egeria  (so  called),  334 

of  S.    Maria   in    Cosmedin, 

193 

of  the  Mascliei-one,  517 

Meta  Sudans,  171 

Monte  Cavallo,  361 

Paolina,  744 

of  Piazza  iSfavona,   535 

of  Piazza  Pia,  566 

of  Ponte  Sisto,   693 

of  the  Taitarughe,  218 

of  the  Terine,  413 

of  Trevi,  65 

of  the  Via  Lata,  77 
Fracassini,  491,  6r8 
Francia,  Francesco,   55,    67,  78, 
^  79.  "6,  356 
Francis  S.,  relics  of,  683 
Flihrich.  475 
Funerals,  Roman,  494 
Furino,  56 


Gagliardi,  556 

Galilei,  Alessandro,  460,  465 
Galileo,  trial  of,  555 
Gallo,  Giuliano  San,  428 
Gardens — 

of  Adonis,  l6g 

Barberini,  359 

Botanic,  731 

Colonna,  370 

Corsini,  738 

Government,  308 

Medici,  39 

of  S.  Onofrio,  731 

of  the  Pincio,  36 

Priorato,  296 

Quirinal,  368 

Rospigliosi,  370 

of  Sallust,  388 

of  S.  Silvia,  264 

of  the  Vatican,  665 

Wolkonski,  477 
Garofalo,  54,  55,  67,  68,  79,   n6 
Geminiano,  456 
Genga,  Girolamo  della,  557 
Germale,  the,.  2Sg 


Gilles,  Pierre,  tomb  of,  71 

Ghetto,  the,  205 

Ghirlandajo,  Domenico,  607 

Giacomelti,  467 

Giordano  Luca,  220,  383,  737 

Giorgione,  57,  82,  736,  737 

Giottino,  658 

Giotto,  461,  549,  574,  658 

Giovanni  di  S.  Giovanni,  277 

Gladiator,  tlie  dying,  109 

Gozzoli,  Benozzo,  474,  548,  627 

Graecostasis,  142 

Gros,  Le,  70,  361 

Grottoes  of  Cervara,  486 

Guercino,    57,  68,   78,    79,    116, 

117,   219,  413,  424,  473,  504, 

626,  633 
Guerini,  157 
Guido.     See  Reni 


H. 


Hermitage    of  S.     Giovanni    de 

Matha,  269 
Holbein,  59,  77,  78,  736 
Horli  Lamiani,  439 
Hospitals — 

Foundling,  567 

S.  Galla,  197 

S.  Gallicano,  685 

S.  Giovanni  Calabita,  673 

S.  Michele,  682 

S.  Rocco,  49 

S.  Spirito,  567 

Surgical,  50 
Houdon,  411 
Houses  of — 

Aquila  and  Priscilla,  299 

Benvenuto  Cellini,  557 

Cicero,  255 

Claude  Lorraine,  42 

Clodius,  254 

Crassus,  255 

Domenichiiio,  431 

Drusus   and    Anionia,    239 

the  Fornarina,  675 
John  Gibson,  43 
C.  Gracchus,  254 
Hortensius,  249 
Keat!?,  45 


758 


INDEX. 


Houses  of — 

Luciezia  Borgia,  428 

Maecenas,   419 

Mark  Antony,  257 

Martial,  353 

Pedo  Albinovanus,  419 

Pompey,  417 

Pomponius  Atticus,  353 

N.  Poussin,  42 

Propertius,  419 

Raffaelle,  558,  567 

Regina  di  Polonia,  42 

Rienzi,  195 

Sir  W.  Scott,  62 

S.  Silvia,  262 

Spurius  Cassius,  417 
Maeliiis,  223 

the  Violinista,  557 

Virgil,  419 

the  Zuccari,  43 
Hut  of  Faustulus,  236 

I. 

Imola,  Innocenzo  da,  67,  82 
Inquisition,  the,  601 
Intermontium,  tlie,  95 
Isola  Tiberina,  670 


Janiculan,  the,   726 
Jewish  cemetery,  289 
synagogue,  210 


KaulTman,  Angelica,  tomb  of,  63 
Keats,    death    of,    45  ;  grave    of, 

697 
Kircherian  Museum,  72 
Keck,  475 


Labre,    tomb  of  the   Venerable, 

3-5 
Lake,  Curtian,  I48 

of  Juturna,  143 

Orphei,  419 

Servilius,  144 
Landini,  456 


Lanfranco,  219,  525,  558 
Laocoon,  the,  123 
Lateran,  the,  457 
Lauretli,  112 
Lawrence,  473 
Leonine  city,  the,  566 
Lettesoli,  G.  de',  684 
Leyden,  Lucas  van,  79 
Library — 

Barberini,  353 

Casanatensis,  555 

of  the  Collegio  Romano,  7s 

Corsini,    738 

Chigi,  63 

of  the  Vatican,  656 
Libri,  Giovanni  dei,  58 
Ligorio,  Pirro,    550 
Lippi,  Fil.,   54,  78.  82,  474,  549 
Lombards,    national    church    of 

the,  52 
Longhi,  Luca,  82 
Lorenzo,  S. ,  15,  271 
Lorenzetto,  32 

Lorraine,  Claude,  42,  67,  79,  356 
Lottery,  Roman,  47 
Lotto,  Lorenzo,  58,  79,  370 
Loyola,    Ignatius,    residence    of, 

88,  513 
Ludovisi,  Bernardino,  88 
Lunghezza,  486 
Lunghi,  Martino,  506,  683 
Lupercal,  the,  237 
Luther,  residence  in  Rome  of,  33 
Luti,  Benedetto,  736 

M. 

Macellum  Magnum,  271 
Maderno,  Carlo,  50,  63,  413,  414, 

510,  525,  558,  573 
Maderno,  Stefano,  679 
Magus,  Simon,   164 
Magnanopoli,  371 
Mai,  Cardinal,  tomb  of,  186 
Maini,  533 
Malaria,  ri 
Maldacchini,   Olympia,    78,    535, 

747 
Mamertine  Prisons,    127 
Mancini,  588 
Mantjegna,  Andrea,  627 


INDEX. 


759 


Maranna,  the,  305 

Maratta,    Carlo,    31,    52,   78,   82, 

87,    360,   4ti,   412,    456,    510, 

550,  740 
Maiforio,  loi 
Maimorata,  the,  695 
Marseilles,  Guillaume  de,  31 
Marucelli,   537 
Masaccio,  280,   356 
Matsys,  Quentin,  78,  80 
Mausoleum  of  Augustus,  50 
Hadrian,  559 
Mazzolino,  54,  78,  80,  117 
Melozzo  da  Forli,  368,  599 
Memmi,  Simone,   592 
Mengs,  356,  393,  438,  658  ; 

tomb  of.  602 
Mentana,  406 
Messina,  Antonello  da,  58 
Meta  Sudans,  171 
Michael  Angelo,  39,  98,  9^3,  iii, 

372,  413,   425,   516,   539,  552, 

572,    583,   608,  614,  650,  658, 

742,  743 
Milliarium  Aureum,  143 
Mills,  floating,  674 
Miserere,  the,  615 
Modern  Rome,  406 
Monastery  of  the  Chiesa  Nuova, 

513 
S.  Croce,  483 
Monot,  Etienne,  590 
Mens  Sacer,  405 
Monte  di  Pieta,  523 
Monte  Caprino,  96,  1 19 

Cavallo,  362 

Giordano,   510 

del  Grano,  477 

Mario,  721 

Parioli,  395 

Querquetulano,  258 

Rotondo,  406 

Sacro,  405 

Testaccio,  f-g3 
Montelupo,    RaiTaello    da,    /,27, 

552  ;  the  angel  of,  564 
Morandi,  510 
Morelli,  528 
Morra,  game  of,. 675 
Mosaics,  manufactory  of,  636 
Mosca,  Simone,  42S 


Murano,  Antonio  da,  474 
Muratori.  aliar-piece,  84 
Murillo,  627 
Muro-Torlo,  36 
Mu.seum  of — 

the  Capitol,  100 

Chiaramonti,  652 

Christian    of    the    Lateraii, 
472  _ 

Egyptian,  664 

Etruscan,  660 

Kircherian,  72 

Teverino,  731 

Torlonia,  732 
Muziano,  411,  548 


N. 


Navicella,  the,  269 

Naumachia,  the,  536 

Nebbia,   Cesare,  41";,    450,    cri, 

^57         . 
Neri,  S.  Filippo,  523,  527 
Nero,  ghost  of,  ^so.  :  t^rnb  of,  30; 

palace  of,  250;  tower  of,  57^; 

baths  of,  502,  538 
Nocchi,  Pietro.  474 
Nozze  Aldobrandini,  the,  659 
Nuit,  Gerald  de  la,  360,  385,  737 
Nymphaeum,  334,  725 

O. 

Obelisk  of — 

the  Esquiline,  453 
the  Lateran,  455 
S.  Maria  Maggiore,  453 
the  Monte  Cavallo,  362 

Citorio,  64 
the  Pantheon,  546 
&  Peter's,   568 
tlie  Piazza  Minerva,  546 

Navona,  535 
the  Pincio,  36 
the  Piazza  del  Popolo,  29 

della       Rotonda. 

546, 
Trinita  de'  Mop 
ti,-  40 
the  Villa  Mattel,  270 
Obicci,  551 


760 


INDEX. 


Observatory  of  the  Collegio  Ro- 
mano, 72 
Olivieri,  I'aolo,  164,  3S0,  525 
Oppius.  ihe,  417 
Orizonte,  369 
Orso,  Locanda  del,  556 
Orci  Faniesiaui,  226 
Ortolano,  54 
Osa,  Castello  del,  4S6 
Ostia,  707 

Overbeck,  43,  415,  475 
Ovilia,  500 

P. 

Palaces  (Palazzi) — 
Albani,  359 
Aldohrandini,  373 
Altemps,  506 
Altieri,  83 

of  Augustus,  229,  234 
Barberini,  352 
Bernini,  60 
Bonaparte,  85 
Borghese,  52 
Braschi,  528 
Caesar's,  226 
Caetani,  219 
Caffarelli.  117 
of  Caligula,  239 
Cancelleria,  519 
Cardelli,  503 
Cenci,  2ir 
Cesareo,  312 
Cini,  65 
Chigi,  63 
Colonna,  81,  83 
the  Conservators,  III 
Consulta,  363 
Correa,  52 
Corsini,  733 
Costaguti,  219 
of  Domitian,  251 
Doria,  77 
Falconieri,  518 
I-'arnese,  516 
Farnesina,  738 
Gabrielli,  510 
Galitzin,  503 
Giraud,  566 
Giustiniani,  538 
Governo  Vecthio,  510 


Palaces  (Palazzi) — 

Lanceliotti,  536 

the  Laleran,  ancient,  465 

the    Lateran,    modern, 469 

Linote,  521 

Madama,  537 

Margana,  221 

Massimo    aile    Colonne,  526 

Mattei,  219 

Monte  Ciiorio,  64 

Moroni,  689 

Muti-Pappazzuri,  85 

of  Nero,  250 

Odescalchi,  8r 

Orsini,  202 

Pamfili,   535 

Pansani,  63 

Patrizi.  538 

Poli,  67 

Ponziani,  676 

Pio,  525 

Quiiinale,  463 

Regina  di  Polonia,  42 

Ricci,  513 

Rospigliosi,  369 

Ruspoli,  59 

Sacchetti,  518 

Salviati,  81 

Salviati  alia  Lungara,  731 

Santa  Croce,  524 

Santo  Uffizio,  601 

Savelli,  202 

Savorelli,  85 

Sciarra,  67 

of  the  Senator,  99 

Simonetli,  71 

Spada,  521 

di  Spagna,  46 

of  Tiberius,  23S 

Torlonia,  85 

Valentini,  81 

of  the  Vatican,  604 

Venezia,  85 

of  Vespasian,  230 

Vidoni,  526 
Palatine,  the,  224 
Palma  Giovane,   87 
Vecchio,  356 
Palazzetto  Borghese,  59 
Farnese,  521 
Palladio,  201.  567 


INDEX. 


761 


Palmezzano,  Marco,  474 

Pannini,  369 

Panlheo.i,  the,   541 

Paoline  Chapel,  606 

Parco  di  S.  Gregorio,  260 

Pavmigianino,  55 

Pasquino,  528 

Passage  of  escape  for  the  Popes, 

565 
Passignano,  298 
Paul  S,    at   Rome,  73,  131,  299, 

349.  597 
Penni,  Francesco,  599,  622,  625, 

633.  739 
Perugino,  69,  394,  505,  554,  607, 

618,  627,  633 
Peruzzi,  202,  506,  507,  510,   526, 

572,  729,  738,  740;  tomb  of,  544 
Pesaro,  Niccolo  da,  124 
Pescheria,  the,   204 
Pesellino,  78 
Pettrich,  220,  411,  475 
Pianta  Capitolina,   loi 
Piazza — 

SS.  Apostoli,  8r 

S.    Benedetto    a  Piscinuola, 

675 
del  Campidoglio,  97 
di  Campitelli,  220 
dei  Cappucciiii,  384 
Capo  di  Ferro,   521 
Colonaa,  63 
S.  Eustachio,  539 
del  Gesii,  89 
S.  Giovanni,   455 
della  Giudecca,  212,  2r8 
deir  ladipendenza,  407 
S.  Maria  Maggiore,  443 
in  Monti,  375 
della  Minerva,  546 
Montanara,  199 
Monte  Cavallo,  362 
Monte  Citorio,  64 
della  Navicella,  269 
Navona,  535 
del  Orologio,  510 
Paganica,  499 
Pia,  566 
del  Pianto,  207 
di  Pietra,  65 
S.  Pietro,  568 


Piazza — 

del  Popolo,   28 

della  Rotonda,  546 

Rusticucci,  567 

Sciarra,  65,  69 

Scossa  Cavalli,    566 

di  Spagna,  44 

della  Scuola,  210,  501 

delle  Tartarughe,  218 

delle  Terme,  413 

di  Venezia,  85 
Pigna,  the,  665 
Pillar  of  Phocas,  148 
Pincio,  the,  34 

Pintelli,  Baccio,  504,  508,  567 
Pintuvicchio,    31,    124,   481,  633, 

658,  659,  690,  729,  730 
Piombo,    Sebastian  del,   32,    80, 

460,  740,  742 
Pisanello,  Vittore,  78 
Pisano,  Andrea,  592 
Piscina  Pubblica,  312 
Podesti,  706 
Pollajuolo,    Antonio,    423,    427, 

5S4,  590 
Pomerancio,  219,  267,  272,  412 
Ponte — 

S.  Angelo,  559 

S.  Bartolommeo,  674 

Cestio,  674 

Molle,  717 

Nomentano,  404 

di  Nono,  485 

Quattro  Capi,  669 

Rofto,  195 

Salario,  395 

Sisto,   692 

Sublicio,  196 
Pontecelio,  stream  of,  348 
Ponzio,  Flaminio,  52 
Pordenone,  58 
Porta,  Giacomo  della,  63,  88,  462, 

516,  537.  553,  558,578. 
585,  6S3,  701 
Giovanni,  Batt.  della,  413 
Guglielmo  della,  587 
Poria — 

Angelica,  725 
Asinaria,  464 
Aurelia,  744 
Cap^na,  ig,  303  . 


762 


INDEX. 


Porta— 

Carmentalis,   197 

Cavalleggieri,  747 

Collina,   3gi 

Fuiba,  477 

S.  Giovanni,  464 

Lalina,  312 

S.  Lorenzo,  486 

Maggiore,  484 

Mugonia,  227 

Nomenlana,399 

Ostiensis,  695 

S.  Pancrazio,  744 

S.  Paolo,  695 

Pia,  399 

Pinciana,  392 

Portese,  682 

Ratumena,  86,  718 

Salaria,  392 

S.  Sebastiano,  315 

Settimiana,  690,  741 

S.  Spirito,  728 

Trigemina,  694 
Portico  of  Livia,  165 

Metellus,  500 
Octavia,   203,  500 
Pallas  Minerva,  138 
Posi,  32 

Post  Office,  General,  22,  62 
Potter,  Paul,  59 
Poussin,  Caspar,  429,  735 

Nicholas,    77,    79,   139, 
450  ;  tomb  of,  60 
Pozzi,  Giobaitista,  71,  88,  450 
Prata  Quinctia,  48 
Prati  <lel  Popolo  Romano,  698 
Prefettura,  the,  81 
Presepio,  origin  of  the,  124 
Pretorian  Camp,  407 
Prima  Porta,  719 
Printing   Press   of  Pannartz  and 

Schweinheim,  527 
Priorato,  the,  296 
Prisons — 

in  S.  Angelo,  564 

Carceri  Nuove,  51S 

Mamertine,  127 

for  Women,  413 
Propaganda,  the,  46 
Protestant  Cemetery,  696 
Churches,  22 


Provenzali,  Marco,  57 
Pseudo-Aventine,  285 
Pyramid  of  Cains  Cestius,  19,  398 
Scipio  Africanus,  566 

Q- 

Quattro  Fontane,  359 
Quay  of  the  Ripetla,  48 
Quirinal,  the,  351 

R. 

Raggi,  Antonio,  533 
Railway  station,  407 
Rainaldi,  Carlo,  533,  554 
Raffaelle,  32,  54,  55,  57,  68,  80, 
117,    139.    356,  460,  504,   509, 
544,    558,    618-626,    628-633, 

739.  740 
Racisbonne,    conversion   of    M., 

62 
Regia,  site  of  the,  147 

of  Julius  Caesar,  245  ' 

Rembrandt,  736 
Reni,  Guido,  60,69,  79-  H^,  139, 

265,    356,   370,  384,   413,  428, 

449>  461.   512,   524,  537,  736, 

737 
Riijera,  57 
Ricciolini,  411 
Rienzi,  195 
Rinaldi,  706 
Ripetta,  the,  28,  47 
Ripresa  dei  Barberi,  86 
Romana,  S.  Francesca,  123,  221, 

676,  677,  683,  699 
Roma  Quadrata,  224,  228 

Vecchia,  346 
Romanelli,  116,  219,  412,  590 
Romano,  Giulio,    54,  55,  57,  68, 
126,    271,   394,  435, 

473.   507,    572,    599. 
622,  625,   626,  720, 
721,  73g,  745 
Paolo,  297,  559 
Rosa,  Salvator,  77,  78,  41 1,    558, 

735,  737 
Rosselli,  Cosimo,  607 
Rossi,  Giov.  Antonio,  5S6 
Angelo,   58S 


INDEX. 


7^3 


Rubens,  79,  116,  511,  736,  737 
Rusconi,  Camillo,  585 
Ruins  most  worth  seeing,  25 
Rustica,  486 


Sabbatini,  624 

Sacchi,   Andrea,   355,    387,    456, 

462,  524,  554 
Salita  di  S.  Onofrio,  728 
Salvi,  Niccolo,  65 
Salviati,  508,  607 
Sangallo,    Antonio  di,   516,    558 
572,  604,  728 
Giuliano  di,  135 
Sansovino,  504,  558 
Santi,  Tito,  558 
Sanzio,  Giovanni,  474 
Sapienza,  the,  539 
Saraceni,    Carlo,    79,    508,     735, 

736 
Sarto,   Andrea  del,   55,    56,    79, 

356,  474 
Sassoferralo,  56,  57,  78,  474,  634 
Saxa  Rubra,  720 
Scala  Regia,  605 
Santa,  467 
Scannabecchi,  the,  720 
Scarsellino,  Ippolito,  77 
Schadow,  43,  63 
Schiavone,  An<irea,  58 
Schnorr,  Paul,  475 
Schools — 

Castigliana,  210 

Catilana,  210 

of  Music,  475 

Nuova,  210 

Saxonum,  602 

Siciliana,  210 

del  Tempio,  210 

of  Xanthus,  142 
Scipios,  tomb  of  the,  313,  651 
Sculptors,  studios  of,  24 
Semmario  Romano,  506 
Septa,  ii.  499 
Septimontium,  244 
Septizonum  of  Sevenis,  251 
Sermoneta,  462,  510,  624 
Sesto,  Cesare,  474 
Sette  Sale,  421 


Sicciolante,  Girolamo,  624 
Siena,  Agostino  da,  122 

Bern!  da,  458 

S.  Caterina  da,   550,    551, 
614 

Gherardesco  da,  737 

Faolo  da,  592 
Signorelli,  Luca,  394,  474,  607 
Simone,   574 
Sirani,   Elizabetta,  735 
Sodoma,   55,  356 
Sosnovvsky,  472 
Spagna,   82,    633,   737 
Spagnoleito,  45T,  633,  737 
Spoleto,   Guido  da,  658 
Stairs  of  Cacus,  246 
Stanze,  the,  618 
Stern,  Raphael,  652 
Studios,  artists'  23. 

of  Canova,  50 
sculptors',  24 
Suburra,  418 
Subleyras,    II6,  412 
Suovetaurilia,  the,  149 
Sustermanns,   82 

T. 

Tabernae  Argentariae,   151 

Tabularium,  lOO,    141 

Tadolini,  574 

Tarentum,  198 

Tarpeian  Rock,    118,   119 

Tasso.  death   of,  at    S.  Onofrio, 

730 
Tavolato,  478 
Tempesta,    272,  370,  624 
Tempietto,  the,  42 

of  Bramante,  743 
Temples — 

of  Aesculapius,  670,  672 

Antoninus  and  Faustina,  151 

Apollo,  242,  499 

Bacchus,  333 

Bellcna,  499 

Castor  and  Pollux,  145 

Ceres,  Liber  and  Libera,  1S7 

Claudius,  268 

Concord,   142 

Cybele,  185,  241 

Diana,  2&S 


7(>4 


INDEX. 


Temples — 

Divus  Rediculus,  336 
Faunus,  670 
Fever,  416 
Fides,  94 

Fortuna  Equestris,   500 
Muliebris,  478 
Publica,  352 
Virilis,    194 
Fortune,    188 
Hercules,  194,   304 

Musagetes,  500 
Victor,   189 
Honor  and  Virtue,  94,  304 
Isis  and  Serapis,   500 
Jana,  286 

Janus  Quirinus,   150 
Julius  Caesar,  152 
Juno,    500 

Lucina,  416 
Mephitis,  416 
Moneta,  94 
Jupiter,  500,  670 

Capitolinus,  91,  96 
Stator,   228 
Tonans,  142 
Victor,   236 
Liberty  and  Juno,  287 
Luna,  286 
Mars,   151,   500 
Ultor,  137 
Matuta,   i83 
Minerva,   287,   501 

Medica,  440' 
Neptune,   65,   502 
Peace,  154 

Piety,  and  Hope,  198 
Pudicitia  Patricia,   188,  382 
Quirinus,  351 
Romulus,  son  of  Maxentius, 

153 
Saturn,  143 
the  Sun,  370 
Sylvanus,   382 
Tellus,  417 
Venus  and  Cupid,  483 
Erycina,   399 
Genetrix,  138 
and  Rome,   165 
Libitina,  416 
Vespasian,   142 


Temples — 

Vesta,   146 

so-called,   193 

Victory,   241 
Tenerani,  462,  589,   706 
Teniers,  58,   68,  737 
Theaters  (ancient) — 

of  Balbus,   212,   501 

of  Marcellus,  201 

of  Pompey,   525 
Theaters  (modern) — 

Apollo,   22,   557 

Argentina,   22 

Capranica,  22,  65 

Correa,   22 

Rossini,   22 

Valle,   22 
Thorwaldsen,   157,  545,  589 
Tiberius,    arch    of,    145  ;    palace 

of,  238  ;  tomb  of,   51 
Tigellum  Sororis,  418 
Tintoret,   82,   116,  736 
Titian,  57,  67,  69  78,  79,  82,  139, 

355,  633,  736,  737 
Tito,  Santi  da,  666 
Tojetti,  Domenico,  400 
Tombs  (ancient) — 

of  the  Baker  Eurysaces,  484 

Bibulus,  86 

Caius  Cestius,  695 

Casale  Rotondo,  347 

Cecilia  Metella,  342 

S.  Constantia,  402 

Cotta,   347 

Geta,   315 

Hadrian,   559 

S.  Helena,  484 

Horatii  and  Curiatii,  346 

Nero,  site  of,  30 

Nero,  so-called,  720 

Priscilla,  316 

Pompey,  348 

Romulus,  son  of  Maxentius, 
342 

the  Scipios,  313 

Sulla,  29 

the  Sulpicii,   741 
Torretta  del  Palatino,  244 
Trastevere,  the,  674 
Tre  Fontane,   700 
Trevi,  Fontana  di,  65 


INDEX. 


765 


Tribune,  the,  141 
Triopio,  the,  335 
Trophies  of  Marius,  438,  526 
Turrita,  Jacopo  da,  445 

U. 

Udine,    Giovanni   da,   618,  658, 

721,   740  ;  grave  of,   544 
UmbiHcus  Romae,   143 
University  of  the  Sapienza,  539 

V. 

Vacca,  Flaminio,  413 

Vaga,  Pierino  del,  42,  56,  71,  271, 

540,  564,  618,  619,  620,  625, 

626,  658,  736 
Valadico,  456 
Valca,  the,  719 
Val  d'Inferno,  725 
Valentin,  57,  67,  77 
Valle  Caffarelle,  317 
Valle,  Filippo,  584 
Vandyke,   58,    59,    79,   82,    116, 

736,  737 
Vanni,  Francesco,  510,  5S9 
Vanvitelli,  412 
Vasari,  742 
Vatican,  the,  603 
Vecchi,  Giovanni  de',  550.  742 
Vecchio,  Palma,   58,  82 
Veit,  43,  475 
Velabrum,  the,  184 
Velasquez,  80,   116,  737 
Velia,  229 

Veneziano,  Carlo,  67 
Venusti,  Marco,  117.  550 
Verlosi,  Giuseppe,  588 
Veronese,   Paul,   57,  58,  82,  117, 

139 
Vespasian,  palace  of,  230 
Via— 

S.  Agostino,  506 

Ardeatina,   316 

Alessandrina,  137,    138 

deir  Anima,  532 

S.  Antonio   dei    Portoghesi, 

503 
Ara  Coeli.   221 


Via— 

Babuino,  43 

dei  Banchi,   557 

S.  Basilio,  388 

de'  Baullari.   520 

Bonella,    138 

del  Borgo  Nuovo,  566 

delle  Botteghe  Oscure,  220 

Calabraga,   513 

Caravita,  70 

Cassia,  720 

S.  Claudio,  63 

del  Colosseo,  417 

Condotti,  52 

della  Consolazione,  144 

delle  Convertite,  61 

dei  Coronari,  556 

del  Corso,  49 

della  Croce  Bianca,  138 

della  Ferratella,  311 

dei  Fienili,  145,  183 

Flaminia,  86,  718 

Fontanella,  52 

delle  Fomaci,  741 

San  Giovanni,  454 

S.  Giovanni  Decollato,  197 

dei  Fiorentini,  558 

Giulia,  517,  693 

del  Governo  Vecchio,  510 

Gregoriana,  42 

S.  Gregorio,  305 

Immerulana,  476 

Latina,  477 

Lungara,  690,  72S 

Magnanopoli,  373 

Marforio,  86,  loi, 

Margutta,  43 

Marmorata,  694 

Mazzarini,  373 

de  Mercede,  62 

Monserrato,  513 

del  Monte  Tarpeio,  223 

Morticelli,  684 

Nazionale    372 

S.  Niccolo  da  Tolenlino,  383 

Nova,  147,  246 

Pane  e  Perna,  377 

S.  Pantaleone,  526 

in  Parione,  510 

della  Pedacchia,  g5 

di  Pietra,  64 


766 


INDEX. 


Via— 

del  Pie  di  Marmo,  555 

de'  Pontefici,  52 

del  Quirinale,  360 

della  Regola,  693 

Ripetta,  28 

S.  Sabina,  289 

Sacra,  143,  152,  171 

Salaria,  395,  399 

della  Salita  del  Grillo,  137 

Savelli,  669 

della  Scala,  690 

delle  Scuderie,  732 

della  Scrofa,  502 

S.  Sebastiano,  305 

della  Sediola,  536 

dei  Serpenti,  375 

Sistina,  42 

di  S.  Sisto  Vecchio,  305 

Sterrata,  359 

Tor  di  Specchi,  221 

Tordinona,  556 

Triumphalis,  171,  559 

Urbana,  37S 

della  Valle,  526 

dei  Vascellari,  676 

Venti  Settembre,  399 

S.  Vitale,  377 

delle  Vite,  61 

Vittoria,  52 
Vicolo  d'  Aliberti,  44 
Victor  Emmanuel,  tomb  of,  545 
Vicus  Corneliorum,  352 

Judaeorum,  207 

Jugarius,  144 

Longus,  377 

Thurarius,  183 

Tuscus,  145,   183 
Vigna  Codini,  314 
•    de  Fredis,  421 

dei  Gesuiti,  300 

Guidi,  308 

Marancia,  316 
Vignola,  87,  520,  717 
Villas— 

Albanl,  392 

Altieri,  483 

Borghese,  708 

Campana,  454 

Celimontana,  305 

of  Claude  Lorraine,  715 


Villas— 

Doria,  746 

Esmeade,  714 

Farnesina,  738 

Lanti,  744 

Lezzani,  400 

of  Livia,  719 

of  Lucullus,  37 

Ludovisi,  389 

Madama,  720 

Massimo  Arsole,  475 

Negroni,  407 
Rignano,  388 

most  wortli  seeing,  25 

Mattei,  270 

Medici,  39 

Mellini,   722 

Mills,  226,  249 

Olgiati,  :;i3 

Palatina,  249 

Palombara,  437 

Pamfili,  746 

of  Papa  Giulio,  714 

Patrizi,  400 

of  Raffaelle,  713 

of  the  Servilii,  477 

Spada.  395 

Torlonia,  4C0 

of  Valerius  Asiaticus,  37 

Wolkonski,  477 
Villa  Publica,  499 
Viminal,  the,  377 
Vinci,  Leonardo  da,  68,  626,  730 

School  of,  79 
Vite,  Timoteo,  della,  371 
Vivarium,  268 

Volpato,  the  engraver,  tomb  of  ,83 
Volterra, 

Daniele  da,  41,  42,  112, 
370,  473,  527.  -740, 
743 
Francesco  da,  65 
Vouet,  Simon,  684 
Vulcanal,  the,  142 


Walls  of— 
Aurelian, 
Honorius 


W. 


313 
.  484 


INDEX. 


767 


Walls  of-  Z. 

Romulus,  245 

Servius  TuUius,  300  Zucchero,  Federigo,  42,  43,   57 

Weld,  Cardinal,  grave  of,  71  666,  700 

White    Mule,  procession  of  the,       Zucchero,  Taddeo,  683,  6S8,  914; 

547  tomb  of,  544, 

Wouvermann,  59  Zucchi,  482 


THE    END. 


'xy 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACIlIT 


A     000  065  451     7 


